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!