Kupa Trip to Dorney!

Today (yesterday) started normally enough- we all woke up, brushed our teeth, and headed to the toren (flagpole) for hitkansut (flag raising) and shira (singing). However, we were interrupted by the madatz running into the middle of our chet (half circle) and starting a skit depicting Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Out techni (technical director) shut them down, and they started singing the classic Revo song; “Kick ‘em out; kick em out; they all gotta go!” Revo is a special day at macheneh (camp) when the Madatz (CITs) take over and run themed activated throughout the day. They decorate the camp, write skits, and have an opportunity to be madrichim (counselors) for a day. Revo, short for revolution, often includes songs and even flash mobs.

However, today WASN’T actually Revo! When the kids showed up for breakfast, all the madrichim (counselors) were there, singing, “It was a fake!” It turns out that today was actually the Kupa trip. Kupa translates to “cash register”, but at Galil we use the word to mean “collective fund”. Kupa can refer to the candy that the kids all share, but we also use the word to refer to the all-camp trip. This session, the trip was to Dorney Park! The kids were insanely excited, because they had believed that we were just heading to Camp JRF for a camp-wide swim test. Instead, we surprised them and told them that we were actually headed to their favorite amusement park.

Once we got to the park, we all got out of our buses and headed down to a shady spot where we ate sandwiches. There were chick peas, different types of meat, sun-nut butter sandwiches, and pita chips. After noshing down, we all got into small groups and headed into the park!

At Dorney, the kids had tons of ride options. I spotted some Cochavimot on the flying swings and watched the Bo-Bos getting splashed on the giant log flume. I tried out the Wild Mouse with some of the Melafefon girls and later went on some crazy hydraulic metal coasters with my group. We enjoyed taking the Dorney train all around, and we got to sing Happy Birthday to the conductor.

In addition to the roller coasters, we had the option to go to the adjacent water park! There were water slides, lazy rivers, and a huge wave pool. Going to the water park was a great way to stay cool on this hot day. There were plenty of shady places to re-apply sunscreen and drink water. After hours on the rides, we headed back to the benches and prepared to leave for Galil.

Back at camp, we headed to our tzfirim to unpack and to play cards. It started pouring, and we all ran to the chedar ochel (dining hall) for a dinner of mashed sweet potatoes, meatloaf, veggies and salad. Afterward, we had extended shira (singing) and brought back some older songs from first session, including the Amelution theme song. We sang until the clouds cleared, and then we all headed over to the moadon for a movie night! It was an exhausting but adrenaline-filled yom (day) here at Machaneh Galil. See you tomorrow!