Visitors Day!

Shalom to all of the friends and family of Camp (machaneh) Galil! Many of you joined us here today for Visitors Day, and some of you might have just gotten home! We had so much fun with all of you for the few hours that you were here for, so thank you to all who came. Although many of you spent at least an hour or two here this afternoon, there are still a number of friends and family who couldn't make it, so I'll recap what happened:

The family of an Amelah meet her AmBo buddy.

At around noon today, all of the campers (chanichim) made their way down to the parking lot to wait for their families. At first, the cars staggered over the bridge into machaneh, however within the hour, there was a solid stream of cars entering camp grounds. The clump of chanichim thinned out as time went on and eventually, every chanich had their own picnic area set up somewhere around machaneh. For those of you who have never attended a Machaneh Galil visiting day, I will give you a bit of background information. On Visitors Day, the chanichim look forward to having a special lunch with their families and friends. Kids write letters home to parents ahead of time, asking for particular foods and drinks. So, although much of the excitement of Visitors Day is centered around seeing family, a good bit of excitement is just in anticipation for tasty food. Anyway, families were camped all around machaneh in lawn chairs and on blankets, having picnics while catching up. Because it was so excruciatingly hot today, there were virtually no families picnic-ing in direct sunlight, so all of the shaded parts of machaneh were packed. 

A happy tzevet member with his grandparents.

The heat couldn't stop us today, and we offered free swim beat it. When free swim ended, parents joined their kids for some ice breaker games, before we all met up at the flag pole (toren) to recreate our daily gatherings. We showed the parents some of our cheers and our morning traditions, before breaking off again to the picnic sites. At this point in the afternoon, everything was winding down and parents began to leave. On their way out, some parents bought Camp Galil shirts or ice cream cones for their kids, as well as some for themselves. By 4:30, most of the families had left machaneh and the chanichim were relaxing on their full stomachs. We ran electives (chugim) as usual after the parents left, but the rest of the afternoon was different. Instead of the usual afternoon activities, we had machaneh-wide free swim. Everybody had to come down to the pool, even if they didn't want to swim (although most of them were beyond excited to be in the pool and out of the sun). At the end of free swim, everyone was given some time to wash off before dinner. They went straight from their cabins (tzrifim) to dinner, without meeting at the toren again (because we met there with parents earlier!). 

The smiling family of a tsofeh.

At the end of dinner, the evening activity (tochnit erev) will be revealed to everyone, which will be exciting, because tonight is Zap! Zap is a machaneh-wide activity that we run once per summer, so it is something that kids look forward to. The purpose of the game is to get from one end of machaneh to the other without being seen by any staff (tzevet) members. If you are seen by a tzevet member, they will shine a light on you and say "zap, go back." At that point, you must go back to the last checkpoint that you reached, and try again. The kids dress in dark colors in the hopes that they won't be seen as easily, and once it gets dark, they set out on their mission. Even if you don't make it to the end (which I never did in my five years as a chanicha), Zap is fun and exciting for everyone. Since it has been such a long day, tomorrow morning there will be a 45 minute sleep in before the day begins. Tomorrow will be a special day at machaneh, so make sure to check back in to find out more!

 

Galil Repairs the World

Shalom from the JRA! Today, the older age groups (schavot) at camp (machaneh) went on a trip that we call "tikkun olam" which means, repairing the world. I travelled to the Jewish Relief Agency in Philadelphia with the Sayarim (post-sixth graders), Tzophim (post-seventh graders), Bonim (post-eighth graders), Bogrim (post-ninth graders), as well as the Madaztim (counselors in training). The two younger schavot remained in camp. They had a special activity and said goodbye to their friends who were participating in the two-week program. 

Two Bogrim at the JRA.

So it was a smaller group than usual, but when we arrived to the JRA, we were still the biggest group there.We spread ourselves out across a few of the "assembly lines" that were going on inside of the warehouse. If you've never been to the JRA before, like I hadn't, I will explain to you the process that we were involved in. What we were doing there was packing boxes of food to be eventually given to elderly Jewish people in the area who cannot physically go to the store to pick up food for themselves. The system of packing boxes is in the fashion of an assembly line, where a volunteer begins by picking up a box and then moving down the line, passing by other volunteers who drop items of food in the box. At the end of the line, there are more volunteers who close the box and stack them for distribution. Once you've dropped off a box at the end of the line, you go back to the beginning and start packing a new box. From Galil, we had volunteers in every job (tafkid). Some walked the assembly line, some put food supplies in the boxes, and others closed and stacked the boxes. We did this for about two hours, alongside with Jewish volunteers from other machanot, and even some Galil parents who happened to already be volunteering there! Then, we all gathered outside to eat lunch. 

An Amelah holds a chicken.

At around noon, our busses were packed with the boxes that we'd filled and we headed out to make our deliveries. All of the schavot went to the same apartment building except for the Bogrim, who went to another one nearby. Once we got there, we put stickers on all of the boxes with the room numbers that they were supposed to go to, and we separated into smaller groups to deliver them. This process took a few more hours, so we didn't get back to camp until a little bit after 3:30. When we got back, the Amelim and Chotrim were in the middle of free swim. The rest of    machaneh took some free time (chofesh) to relax a little bit after our long day (volunteering wasn't hard- todays high of 91 degrees is what got us all). I asked the Amelim and Chotrim what they had been up to all day while everyone else was getting cleaned up. They told me that they'd played games together, said goodbye to some of their friends, and even met some animals (our sheep and ducks, as well as some visiting animals: a sheep named Bob, a goat named Buttercup, and a chicken). They also went down to the pool for free swim. 

A few Bonim at the JRA.

After everybody was settled into machaneh again, they had age group discussions (peulot). Many of the peulot today required low energy, because everyone had already done so much. After peulot, we had a snack (kibud), before doing chores (avodot). The reason that we did avodot later in the day was because of the unusual schedule in the morning, which meant no avodot then. Later today, we will go to sing to lower the flags as usual, and then head down to dinner. The evening activity (tochnit erev) for tonight is Pirates vs. Ninjas, which involves spitting machaneh in half (one half will be pirates, the other ninjas) and then having them "battle." They will be trained in the ways of pirates/ninjas, and then they will challenge each other in games. At the end of the night, everyone will come together for a party (messiba). Tomorrow will be a normal day again, which I will tell you about in the next post! That's all for now, lila tov!

Exploring Judaism at Machaneh

Camp (machaneh) Galil woke up today to a gray sky and muddy grass. Although the weather outlook did not seem promising, we ended up having a beautiful sunny day (and we had a half hour sleep in!!), which put a smile on everyone's face.

Smiling Sayeret during chugim.

We all walked down to breakfast together, after watching the "helpful Hebrew" (ivrit shimushit) skit of the day, which taught us the word for home (bayit). The campers (chanichim) continued their normal day with chores (avodot), and then cabin cleaning time (nikayon tzrif). Afterwards, they began age group discussions (peulot)!
Today, the Amelim (post-third and fourth graders) went down to the pool for instructional swim. By now, they've gotten to  know the head lifeguard, Simon, pretty well, so they have a lot of fun whenever they go to see him. The Chotrim (post-fifth graders) met at the basketball court to play games together. The Sayarim (post-sixth graders) had a conversation about Israel. They learned about influential Israelis and the origins of the Israeli Conflict. The Tzophim (post-seventh graders) finished up a movie that they had started previously. The Bonim (post-eighth graders) had a discussion (sicha) about their kvutsa (small, united community) and how to communicate with each other.

Soccer during menucha.

The Bogrim (post-ninth graders) were split in half today. Some of them were on the high ropes course. The others had a peula about Judaism and its place in society. After peulot ended, sports began, and everyone went to their respective sports. Because it was such  a beautiful day, the attendance at free swim after sports was very high. We all headed down to lunch after washing off once free swim ended. After lunch, during rest time (menucha), there was a lot going on. A bunch of Amelot were in the art room (beit omanut), making bracelets and drawing pictures. There were a few sports games going on, including frisbee, basketball, and soccer. The rest of the chanichim were hanging around their tzrifim, talking to friends or listening to music. after menucha, came electives (chugim)!
Today, some of the chugim used the hose to cool down while having fun. Others relaxed in the shade or made art in the beit omanut. When chugim came to an end, peulot started up again. This time, the Amelim met at the beit omanut to continue making art. The Chotrim went down to the pool for instructional swim. The Sayarim continued their discussion about Israel from earlier in the day. Similarly, the Tzophim spoke about Zionism and Israel. The Bonim planned their play (oneg) for tomorrow. The oneg is a weekly tradition on Friday nights, and a different age group (shichva) preforms it each week, while the rest of machaneh watches. The Bogrim came together as a whole again and continued speaking about Judaism. Next, it was time for snack (kibud).

Happy Bonot in the morning!

 Everyone relaxed and ate for a little, and then went to zmagshama (that is a combination of the Hebrew word for time, zman, and actualization, hagshama). During zmagshama today, some of the activities going on included making scented lotion with herbs from the garden, and drawing pictures of people in the area. When zmagshama ended, it was time for singing (shira). Shira today was incredibly energetic, and that energy was carried into our shira for lowering the flags. Afterwards, we will head down to dinner (my sources from the kitchen (mitbach) say that we are having chicken nuggets. It's safe to say that I am extremely excited). Tonight for our evening activity (tochnit erev), everybody will split up by schavot and do their own thing. Some schavot will be watching movies, others will be planning for something important later on in the summer, and some will just be relaxing and talking. Tomorrow is the second Shabbat, which will be very exciting and fun, so check back in soon!

Shabbat Shalom from Machaneh Galil!

The first Shabbat of camp (machaneh) is always exciting, so as you can imagine the energy level over here is very high. This morning when we gathered to raise the flags (hitkansut erev), all of the campers (chanichim) were buzzing with excitement for breakfast. Traditionally, we have muffins for breakfast every Friday, so it is always a meal that chanichim and staff (tzevet) members look forward to. After breakfast, we had an extended chore (avoda) period, in order to beautify machaneh for Shabbat. We then had an extended period for cleaning the cabins (nekayon tzrif). Tonight, the chanichim with the cleanest tzrif will be honored in front of the entire machaneh, and will be given the "golden broom," which is a very revered award. The golden broom is just a normal broom that has been painted gold and covered in glitter, but everyone competes to win it so it is a fun initiative to clean.

Happy Sayarot with pizza

The next event on today's schedule was Madatz (counselors in training) discussion (peula). During Madatz peula, the Madatzim lead a group discussion with the chanichim. Today, all of the age groups (schavot) are having a conversation about feedback with their Madatzim. The conversations will be centered around how to speak to each other constructively as well as how to reach a compromise. The Madatzim took their kids to sing (shira) for Shabbat afterwards. In order to get called up for lunch (which is buffet style pizza on Fridays- it truly might be the favorite meal at machaneh), the chanichim must sing the loudest. The shichva that sings the loudest will be called up first to get food (taking into consideration that a little kid won't have as loud of a voice as an older kid). We all eat pizza together outside in Hyde Park, sort of like we did on Wednesday with the barbecue. A special part of Friday lunches at Hyde Park, though, is what we do after the meal. Instead of singing like we do after every meal, we sit around in the circle and create a forum for machaneh-wide feedback. Chanichim who feel that they would like something to be changed about camp have the opportunity to speak their mind and make suggestions. Before you can stand up in front of machaneh to make a suggestion, however, you must do a creative "strut" up to a tire in the middle of Hyde Park. Some examples of struts include cartwheeling from your seat to the tire or piggy back riding. Some selected chanichim choose which struts are the best and allow those people to go up to speak. Everyone who would like to give feedback will be chosen by the end, it is just important to stagger the kids who'd like to speak so that they aren't just standing around for a while. Examples of some feedback that has been given at Hyde Park in the past include requests for new basketball nets or more garbage cans around machaneh. All of the feedback is written down and our leadership team (mazkirut) does their best to fulfill everyone's requests for the betterment of machaneh.

A Madatz and a Sayar on serving duty (toranut). 

When Hyde Park came to an end, some of the Bogrim (post-ninth graders) handed out water ice to everyone as a snack (kibud). From that point on, there was free time (chofesh) for a few hours. During this time, many chanichim choose to shower and get dressed up for Shabbat. There is also a sport of the week during this time, which is a weekly game where the chanichim play against tzevet members. This week, the sport was basketball, which got a good turnout. There is also an optional free swim during this chofesh. After chofesh, we transition into family time (mishpachot). For mishpachot, the chanichim are split up into "families" who will meet every Friday and talk about their week together. If a chanich has real family members at machaneh, they will be put in the same mishpacha. Each mishpacha consists of about 10-12 people so, for example, in my mishpacha, I will have my five family members and then 4-6 other people at camp. The other people may be related, but they also may not be. We will all call ourselves a mishpacha and will act as a supportive and accepting institution.

Mishpachot will conclude when it is time to meet at the flagpole (toren) to lower the flags. Before we do that, however, we all hug each other and say, "Shabbat shalom!" The songs that we sing on Shabbat to lower the flags are different than those on any other day, because this is a special day of the week. Once the flags are lowered, we all move to the field to sing songs to welcome the sunset and the coming of Shabbat. This is one of the more intimate machaneh-wide activities because it only happens once a week, and for many of us Shabbat is a very special time to be with family and friends. 

Two happy Bonot at lunch.

We will move on to dinner once the sun sets, however before we eat, we will all sing prayers together and light the candles. When it is finally time to eat our Shabbat meal, I know that everyone will dig in immediately. There is something for everyone on Friday dinner. We will have chicken, rice, green beans, matzo ball soup, and even more vegetarian options. On Shabbat, we set up our dining hall (chadar ochel) differently than we do on other days. Today, it will be set up so that more of us will be facing each other, which makes the meal seem even more comfortable and home-like. 

After dinner, we do more shira to celebrate Shabbat. Then, we all go down to the barn (refet) for the oneg, a play out on by one of the schavot each week. This week, the Madatzim will be preforming the oneg. Once it's over, the Madatzim will lead us to the clubhouse (moadon) for Israeli dancing (rikud)! Then, the Madatzim will put the chanichim to bed tonight, and everyone will have a sleep-in tomorrow until 10:00. Don't worry about those early-risers though, there's always something to do Saturday morning before everyone wakes up! 

Because we are not supposed to use electronics on Shabbat, there will unfortunately be no blog post tomorrow. But have no fear, I will be back to you on Sunday again and I will fill you all in on everything exciting that has happened. So, until Sunday, Shabbat shalom!

An Overcast Can't Hide Our Smiles

Some chanichim getting painted for the tochnit erev.

I woke up this morning to a green head of hair, thanks to the evening activity (tochnit erev) last night. If you recall, the entire camp participated in an "Avatar: The Last Airbender" themed tochnit, which ended up consisting of each age group (shichva) being assigned to one of three elements- water, earth, or air. All of the counselors (madrichim) were a part of the fire nation, which is the evil nation in case you were unaware. Long story short, all of the madrichim ended up completely covered in green, blue, white, or red paint, and I was left with blonde-hair-dyed-green.
All of the kids had a blast during the paint battle, and afterwards we went down to the pool. The madrichim were "air bended" into the pool, and then everyone came in for a huge, machaneh-wide pool party!

A few AmBo buddies in the pool.

Anyway, this morning was fun, just like any other. We had oatmeal for breakfast, with brown sugar, fruits, granola and/or raisins. The most exciting part of the day though, I believe, wasn't until the age group discussions (peulot) began. One of the coolest things about being in Amelim (post-third or fourth grade)/ Bogrim (post-ninth grade) is having an "AmBo buddy."
AmBo buddies are pairs of chanichim, consisting of one Boger and one Amel, who frequently eat at meals, attend free swim together, or just generally talk to each other and hang out. Today, the Amelim and Bogrim were assigned their AmBo buddies! During their time for peulot, the Amelim came over to the Bogrim area (shetach), and were told who their Bogrim buddy was. After getting to know each other, the pairs took a trip down to the pool to swim. They had a lot of fun playing and finding out more about each other. At the same time, the other schavot were doing their own things. The Tzophim (post-seventh graders) were taking a mini hike, following the creek up into the woods to an open area behind the Madatz (counselor in training) shetach. The Sayarim (post-sixth graders) were back at the garden (gan) again, this time talking about inequality in the outside world as well as in their kvutsa (small, united community).

The end result of "paint Twister"

 The Chotrim (post-fifth graders) were talking about gender norms and how they can negatively or positively affect society. Lastly, the Bonim (post-eighth graders) were speaking about the Jewish perspective around the world. After all the fun during peulot, the chanichim went to sports. Even though the sun was covered by clouds, everyone still worked up a sweat and were happy to shower or go to free swim afterwards. A group of chanichim actually helped me reverse the greenish hair color with some red paint afterwards (what would I do without them). For lunch we had Chinese food, although with much less of a variety than you'd have at home. Our kitchen (mitbach) staff made us delicious egg rolls, lo mein, and asparagus. We had to cut the singing at lunchtime short because today is laundry day, and it was important to explain to everyone how laundry day will be run this year, for obvious reasons.

An Amel enjoying the pool.

 During rest time (menucha) after lunch, there were a large amount of kids playing sports outside, as usual. Electives (chugim) came after menucha, and many of the chugim were doing very fun things. Two of the chugim, Messy Fun and Blu combined today to play "paint Twister," and in the end everyone has paint on them. Another chug was relaxing in Dreamland, which is an area that the Madatzim created last year for their Madatz project. After chugim ended, the second round of peulot began. One of the more noticeable peulot was the one run for the Bonim. They played soap hockey in an arena set up by their madrichim. Those kids were all smiles and laughs when I came by to check it out. The chotrim also had a great peula, where they dressed up in funny costumes from our newly updated costume closet and put on skits for themselves. After peulot ended, everybody gathered at the flagpole (toren) for oranges!  Tonight our tochnit erev is movie night. I'm not sure what the movie will be, but I have a feeling it will be Disney themed. That's all for tonight, hope everyone has a happy Thursday!

So Many Happy Campers!

When we woke up this morning at camp (machaneh), the ground was wet with rain from the night. Luckily, the rain didn't start until long after each camper (chanich) was fast asleep. Because of the muddiness, we raised our flags inside of the Moadon (clubhouse) today. That didn't phase anyone, though, because there was just as much spirit (ruach) in our songs this morning as there is on every other morning. For breakfast, we had waffles, which everyone was excited for. Some of the waffles had toothpicks with Canadian flags on them, in honor of Canada's Independence Day today (we have one Canadian on our staff (tzevet), which is why we celebrated).

Two Bonot hug an Amel.

After breakfast, everyone went to their chores (avodot). Today, I filled in for someone who had to miss avoda, so I got the chance to work side by side with campers (chanichim) in the kitchen (mitbach), cleaning up after breakfast. Speaking of the mitbach, we passed our health inspection today because of how diligently everybody cleaned in there! The mitbach staff also spent hours and hours making every appliance cleaner than when we first bought them, which was really important to all of us here at machaneh.
After avoda ended, the chanichim cleaned up their areas for a little while, before beginning their daily age group activites (peulot). Today, the Amelim (post-third and fourth graders) talked about "building their own Judaism," which involved speaking about how different Jewish symbols and pieces of history mean more to certain individuals than others, so everyone views Judaism in a slightly different way. The Chotrim (post-fifth graders) were down at the pool again for instructional swim. Luckily, by this time in the day, the sun had come out and everything had warmed up immensely. The garden (gan) was put to good use today when the Sayarim (post-sixth graders) met there to discuss reducing their carbon footprint, as well as recycling and how it relates to Judaism. The Tzophim (post-seventh graders) had a very relaxing peula today.

Some happy Chotrim during lunch.

They met in the Moadon with their sleeping bags to watch a movie. The Bonim (post-eighth graders) met in the pavilion to talk about how they will handle kupa, which is all of the snacks that they get in the mail from family and friends. The Bogrim (post-ninth graders) arrived back to machaneh right in the middle of the peulot. They walked up the hill from the parking lot and immediately showered and tucked themselves into bed. I talked to some of them later on, and learned that they had a very sleepless and rainy hike (tiyul)- although it was still very very fun and an important relationship-building time. When the peulot came to an end, sports began! Everyone except the Bogrim went to their sport and had fun for a while before free swim. They didn't participate because they were sleeping off their tough tiyul. I didn't go down to the pool for free swim today because some Amelot asked if they could braid my hair and, lets face it, who isn't a sucker for those gals.
When free swim came to an end, everyone washed up and then headed down to Hyde Park for lunch. Hyde Park is an area of machaneh near the dining hall (charar ochel) that is shaded by trees. There are many benches there for people to sit and eat or talk. We had a barbecue for lunch today, which consisted of hamburgers, hot dogs, and veggie burgers. There were also salad supplies out for people to have salads. When we have meals at Hyde Park, it allows for an even more casual atmosphere than when we eat at tables, because the chanichim can walk around or play on some of the structures we have in there, such as the treehouse, the gazebo, or the slide. Lunch soon transitioned into rest time (menucha). On a hot day like today, it was no surprise to me that many people chose to stay inside of their cabins (tzrifim), most likely lounging somewhere near a fan. By the end of menucha, though, right before it was time to go to electives (chugim), there was a much larger number of kids out and about. A notable activity that a specific chug ran today was in "Harry Potter Chug."

Sports and fun with tarps during chugim.

Today, the kids in this chug got to make their own wands out of chopsticks, with the held of hot glue guns and beads. the kids Glues spiral patterns of glue onto the wands, and covered the bottom in beads. Then, they painted over it all so the wand was one of two uniform colors, and it looked like the wands (chopsticks) had cool textures that weren't there before.
Now the chanichim are doing peulot again. Later, there will be a snack (kibud) which will not be apples today, but bananas! We will do shira, singing, as we lower the flags and go to dinner. After dinner, there is an evening activity (tochnit erev) which will be themed around "Avatar: The Last Airbender," which will definitely be loads of fun.
Thanks again, lila tov.

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)!