Spreading Christmas Cheer in July?
The days fly by, the hours melt together, and activities are getting more immersive while the competition is getting more intense. Every day continues to bring new adventures, stronger friendships, and memories that will last long after camp comes to an end. Watching camp be halfway done already is both a blessing and a sadness, as we prepare for more fun, exciting activities, but having to leave the excitement of introducing them behind.
Our razvedchiki and razvedchitsi had a health-themed varka, where cabins once again worked together to build fires, cook their meals, and put their teamwork to the test. Campers would be selected randomly to be put into our “quarantine” station, forcing them to drop their sticks and let the nachalstvo just be a distraction from getting back to their respective fire pits, while the cabin leaders had to boil their water twice do to the first bucket being “contaminated”. This theme was presented as a precaution of safety in the real world, while also having extreme fun! Nachalstvo brought out small water guns to cool the kids off while claiming they were “disinfecting” them, and everyone had a good time!
Another fan-favorite activity was trivoga, where campers had to think quickly, stay alert, and work together under pressure. The activity kept everyone on their toes and reminded us how important it is to trust one another and stay calm, even in the most unexpected situations. Especially when our “emergency situations” is just silly themes of cavemen times and the renaissance painting era.
Once again, we hit the ground with kiim, and once again, the cabins got a good laugh out of it when they forgot they needed to be silent during this activity. Nachalstvo decided to throw them off originally with a fake kiim, showing just items on a table they had to memorize then write down, and then later that night we presented them with the real deal, while many were annoyed with the nachalstvo for throwing them off, they were quite pleased with the video the nachalstvo made and want to make their own to show their parents!
We have also finished our last day of tri pera! For those not sure of what that is, it is a badge of the three feathers, and each feather represents a different day. First day, the campers must not speak for 24 hours, only available to use their voice when singing our march and prayers, or if answering questions in our Law of God classes. The second day is not eating, drinking only water for an entire day, which everyone passed with ease! The last day is just a fun, big sleepover in the woods with nachalstvo supervision. The counselors made a big fire, and the campers that made it to the third day were surprised with smore’s, hotdogs, and more! Everyone that had passed came back in the morning to our regular activities with a big smile on their face and new, fond memories to cherish for years to come.
Campers had the amazing opportunity this week to participate in our mile swim! We had lifeguards in and around the water counting laps, playing music, and conversing with the swimmers on a beautiful sunny day. Kids swam many laps back and forth of our Lost Lake to earn a swimming badge to put on their uniforms by the end of camp, and developing a new music taste after listening to the same four songs over and over again!
As we are nearing Vladimirovo weekend, the campers have begun their practice for the program we put on! There will be dancing and singing, as well as an arts & crafts show and tell, and possible auctioning for the art pieces your kids have made. We have Luda Emerson and Alisa Beyzin, one of our volunteers and our very own pod-nachalnitsa, leading our arts and crafts for the camp and they are doing an excellent job at it; providing historical meanings to art designs, cultural understandings, and even telling everyone how different colors work together to create their own stories in paintings!
As expected, the campers miss the outside world. The kids and teens yearn for civilization, and the nachalstvo heard their sadness, and decided to bring them joy — everyone was surprised with a makeshift Taco Bell dinner! After several busy days filled with activities, the unexpected meal was a huge hit. The entire camp got to choose what they wanted in their taco shells, and of course, we provided them with the world-favorite side of nacho fries. All the kids were so glad, getting to be immersed in the experience of a semi-real Taco Bell while nachalstvo dressed up and acted like regular workers there while interacting with the children!
We are so grateful for another amazing week at ORPR Camp. We would like to thank all of our parents and volunteers who made all of this possible and let no one forget the faces behind the joy brought to the children.
Stick around to see a surprise in the future that the kids made for you!
