Meet Me, the Communications Specialist!

This morning, the Bogrim (post-ninth graders) were up and at it as soon as the rest of camp (machaneh) woke up. Can you guess what for? If you said, packing for tiyul, a hiking trip, then you'd be correct! The rest of machaneh, however, took their time making their way to the flag pole (toren) this morning.

Happy Amelot after lunch.

By 8:30 though, everyone was there and we raised the flags. Today during ivrit shimushit, the skit to teach the useful Hebrew word of the day. The word of the day was chizar, which means "alien," which is also the persona of one of the counselors (madrichim) who preforms the skit each day. After ivrit shimushit ended, we all walked down to the dining hall (chadar ochel) for breakfast. This morning, we had scrambled eggs with cheese on top, as well as cereal and yogurt options. Then, everyone split off into the groups for their chores (avodot)! After about half an hour of avoda, the chanichim had time to clean up their cabin (tzrif) before it was time for their age group discussions (peulot). Today, each age group (shichva) was in a different place than they were yesterday. The Amelim (post-third and fourth graders) were in the Moadon, or the "clubhouse," writing messages to each other and drawing pictures. The Chotrim (post-fifth graders) were in the Mini-Mo (which is somewhat of a mini-moadon), talking about Judaism and eating fruit. The Sayarim (post-sixth graders) were at the pool today for instructional swim. When I arrived, they were using kick boards to swim across the pool. The Tzophim (post-seventh graders) were in the refet, or "barn" (it's not really a barn though-we don't have animals living there or hay on the ground!). The Bonim were in the chadar ochel, playing games before beginning a more serious conversation about their kvutsa (small, united community).

A Bonim boy with a Tzophot girl after playing sports during chofesh.

 The Bogrim, of course, were not here today, but I'm sure that they are having a blast hiking and camping somewhere in the Poconos. I can only hope that it won't rain on them, because outside my window the outlook is not promising. Earlier today, however, the weather was perfect, especially for sports, which happened right after the peulot came to an end. It was so warm during sports, in fact, that a (delightfully) overwhelming amount of chanichim participated in free swim today. Free swim has always been a particularly fun part of machaneh, in my opinion, so it was great seeing the surge of kids who were interested in it today. When free swim came to an end, everyone had a chance to wash up before lunch, which was, *drumroll please,* latkes!
How can one attend a Jewish summer camp and not like latkes, am I right? Truth be told, actually, I never would have eaten them my first summer at machaneh (picky eater, what can you do). Along with the latkes, we had green beans, applesauce, and a salad bar. When lunch concluded, everyone spread out around machaneh to enjoy some rest time (menucha). I walked around and saw many different things going on at once. First of all, menucha is usually when the chanichim get their mail, so those who received letters, emails or packages were very excited to see what they said. Other things happening at that time included basketball games, a soccer game, the use of musical instruments, and a few frisbee catches too. Menucha transitioned into electives (chugim) after a little while.

The yoga circle during sports.

Today, some of the chanichim visited the art room (beit omanut), while others played in the new sand on the volleyball court. The second set of peulot for the day came after chugim, and many of the age groups (schavot) continued with the same conversations that they had begun earlier in the day, except of course the Sayarim did not go back down to the pool, but started a new peula instead. Kibud (snack time) came next. Apples can usually be expected during kibud, which isn't a bad thing because they are always crisp and cold when we get them. In a little while, everyone will come together again to sing and lower the flags for the evening. Then, we'll head down to dinner. Last night, we had lasagna, so I wonder what tonight will be! After dinner, there will be some free time (chofesh) before the evening activity, tochnit erev! I was invited to hang out with the Tzophim tonight during their tochnit erev, which will include getting into pijamas and playing board games all together, so that's what I'll be doing!

Me (right) with the second session Comm. Specialist!

Also, before I forget, I haven't introduced myself yet! My name is Eve Haklay, and this is my first year working on tzevet, however it is my seventh summer at Galil. I have five other family members at machaneh this summer, which makes us the biggest family currently here! I just graduated high school, and next year I'll be going on Habonim Dror's nine month program to Irsael, called Workshop. After that, I plan on going to college (although I don't know which one yet) and then eventually going to med school. I will not be the Communications Specialist (blog writer and photo taker) during second session, instead I will be a madricha. I plan on working at Galil for many years to come, and maybe one day I will run it, like my dad and my grandpa both did when they were younger.
Anyway, I'll wrap this up so you all don't have to read pages and pages about who I am, because what happens at machaneh is way more interesting. Thank you all for reading, make sure to check out a new update tomorrow!

Back on the Daily Grind

When the camp-wide speaker (ramkol) went off this morning at 8:00, I don't think that there was one exasperated sigh from a sleepy camper (chanich), because when I stepped outside of my cabin (tzrif) at 8:04, things were already booming.

Some Amelim and Chotrim boys who were playing soccer at sunrise.

There was a pick-up soccer game going on between the Amelim (post-third and fourth graders) and Chotrim (post-fifth graders). The basketball court was filled with chanichim of all ages and skills, playing on all four hoops. Even the Bogrim (post-ninth graders) were up and at it- which surprised me the most because I remember how hard it was to get me up at 8:00 in the morning a few years ago (and if I'm being honest, even now). The time on the clock deterred no one, though, which brought a much appreciated positive attitude to Hikansut Boker, the time where we sing together to raise our flags. Both the chanichim and the rest of staff (tzevet) laughed along as four tzevet members preformed the first "helpful Hebrew" (ivrit shimushit) skit of the summer. This tends to always be something to look forward to in the morning, not only just because of how funny they are but because it is always nice to learn some new and useful Hebrew words. After that, we all headed down to the dining hall (chadarohel) for breakfast!

Breakfast this morning was pancakes, as well as the standard cereal/ granola/ fruit setup in the center of the chadarohel. We ate breakfast for while until it was time for our daily chore (avodah). Some of the avodot of this summer include cleaning the pool (brecha), composting/cutting vegetables (bishul) and setting up the fire pit for our weekly bonfires (medurah). Each age group (shichva) has a few chanichim in each avodah, so everyone has a chance to meet and hang out with other chanichim who may not be in their shichva. At 10:30, we started age group activities (peulot)! I walked all around camp (machaneh) to take a look at what everyone was doing. When I walked outside, I saw the Tzophim (post-seventh graders) sitting in a circle, taking turns raising their hands and listening to each other speak. The topic of discussion was the communal bathroom/ shower room at machaneh, which is called the bik. The bik is inevitably a large part of camp culture, because that is another space where people of all age groups come to shower and hang out, and this is the first year that the Tzophim do not have showers in their tzrifim so they must use the bik.

Some Bonot speaking to their madricha during a peula. 

As a Tzophot I remember being intimidated by the bik as well, so I really commend their counselors (madrichim) for even thinking of talking about it. A few of the Tzophim told me that they had been speaking about insecurities and addressing comfortability during the peula, which is a great introductory conversation to using the bik. Funnily enough, I found the Bonim (post-eighth graders) having the same conversation in their peula. The only difference was, these guys had a chance to look around the showering areas of the bik while no one was in there in order to get a better feel about it. Next I found the Sayarim (post-sixth graders) in the art room (beit omenuit) making arts and crafts, as well as songs and cheers for themselves. The Bogrim were having an important conversation about their responsibilities as the oldest chanichim at camp, as well as the meaning of kvutsa (a small, unified community).  The Madatzim (counselors-in-training) and the Chotrim were having similar conversations about consent, although obviously catered for different levels of maturity and understanding.

Lastly I found the Amelim at the pool, doing instructional swim. This is when our head lifeguard gives them all a short swim test, and then they usually do laps in the pool, tread water, and eventually play fun games like sharks and minnows. I witnessed an endearing moment here when one young Amelot did not want to swim for whatever reason, so her friend came over to sit and talk to her and they eventually walked hand in hand into the pool together.

Two Tzophim boys having fun during free swim. 

After the peulot came to an end, it was time for sports! Each chanich requested a few sports and were then divided up into those sports, some of which include ultimate frisbee, yoga, basketball, and running. An hour after sports began, they transitioned into free swim. Some chanichim came to swim, while others chose to use this time to shower or relax before lunch. At 1:20, lunch was called. So many chanichim were excited to see that we were eating tacos for lunch.
The schedule for the rest of the afternoon has been packed (with a mix of fun and seriousness) as it usually is. Everyone had rest time (menucha) for a bit after lunch, which was followed by a fun elective (chugim) of their choice, a small break, and then the second set of peulot for the day. Many of the schavot continued their conversations from earlier, but a few switched things up. For example, the Chotrim were at the pool for instructional swim this time, and the Amelim were taking a scavenger hunt around machaneh. Peulot eventually transitioned into snack time (kibud). Later tonight, we will sing songs to lower the flags, eat dinner, and then have an evening activity that will be designed for the kids to get to know their madrichim better.
So, until tomorrow, shalom and erev tov!

Here we are again!

One hundred and seventy campers (chanichim) and their families crossed over the bridge today to start off the sixty-ninth summer of Camp Galil. From the moment that the first few chaninchim arrived, our staff (tzevet) could tell that this is going to be a great summer. This morning, old friends reunited, families rejoiced, and new relationships began to bud.

Sayarim hugging each other. 

Although the weather was not exactly compliant with our opening day festivities early on, it cleared up by mid-day so that the sun began to dry our muddy roads and grass. I'm not sure how long it will stay dry, though, but either way, all of the chanichim don't seem to mind what the weather is like. Today, after the last few parents gradually made their way off of camp grounds, each age group (shichva) quickly began to fall back into the ways of camp (machaneh).  Some brought out their magic cards, some made their way to the basketball court, and others spent time getting to know the cabin (tzrif) in which they will be living for the next few weeks. While each camper (chanich) may have had their own idea about what they wanted to do right after they arrived at machaneh, I'm sure that almost all of them breathed a sigh of relief when it was time for lunch. So, after a few hours of saying "hi" to old and new friends, the chanichim came together with the counselors-in-training (madatzim) and the rest of tzevet to eat the traditional first-day meal of grilled cheese and tomato soup. After hundreds of grilled cheeses were consumed, the Bogrim (post-ninth graders) led the whole machaneh in the first cheer of the summer. Everyone laughed and sang for a while afterwards, new chanichim learning the words to all of the old songs from the old chanichim. The singing eventually commenced when our head of camp (rosh) announced that rest time (menucha), was next on the schedule! Menucha was always a fun time for me when I was a chanicha, so I decided to take a look around and see what everyone else was doing with their time.

Some Bogrot sitting on their picnic tables.

First, I passed by the Bogrim area (shetach). I found them, unsurprisingly, hanging out on their hammock and picnic table. A long awaited privilege, having a spot on the hammock is always a big deal for the Bogrim. No other shichva has a designated hammock, so the first few days with it are usually especially exciting for the Bogrim. Next, I went over to the Bonim (post-eighth graders) to see what they were up to. Most of them were in or outside of the girls' tzrif, lounging in chairs that they brought for themselves either talking or playing cards. Shortly after, I went looking for the Tzophim (post-seventh graders). These guys, however, were not easy to find. The Tzophim had no trouble spreading themselves out all around camp. Some could be found on the basketball court, some in the frisbee field, and others in or around their tzrif.

A Bonim boy jumps for joy.

 I had only a little less trouble finding out what the Sayarim (post-six graders) were up to. While the majority of them were hanging out with their counselors (madrichim) in their tzrif, some of them were scattered around the basketball court/ frisbee field. The Chotrim (post-fifth graders) could similarly be found in their tzrifim, laying on their beds reading or catching up with friends. Lastly, I visited the Amelim (post third and fourth graders). All of the girls were hanging out in their tzrif getting to know their madrichim. The boys, however, were all outside of their tzrif, getting a football game going. They asked me to join, so I spent the rest of menucha chasing after a handful of (surprisingly) quick Amelim, who made sure that I never once touched the football. As menucha came to an end, each shichva came together to begin ice breakers, a set of games intended to allow the kids to get to know each other a little better. I walked around machaneh and watched as many games were simultaneously played and all of the chanichim laughed. Right now, the chanichim are doing group discussion-based learning (peulot). Everyone also stopped by the Marp (Short for Mirpa'ah: Health Center), where they met our nurses: Talia, Kiesha and Karen.
Later tonight, we will all come together again for dinner (which by the way, will be chicken nuggets and french fries- a crowd favorite among many, including myself). After dinner, there will be a little free time and then everyone will choose their chore (avodah) and club (chug) for the session. After today, the daily routine that everybody knows and loves will start up again. So, until tomorrow, toda raba (thank you very much)!