Summer camp!

Salutations.




This past week, me and fellow volunteer Adam Henricksen enjoyed the task of heading a summer language camp for some Pavlodarian youth at the local university, иНеу. With campers ages ranging from 12-24, there were a multitude of approaches we could take with teaching them about American life and having a good time.

We went with the "teach what we think is cool" approach and ended up having the following schedule for the week:

Monday: Lesson on American Idioms
Lesson on American Colonialization
Lesson on Benjamin Franklin
Singing "Ooo, Baby I Love Your Way" by Frampton and "Together" by the Youngbloods
Jeopardy!
Drawing and Artwork

Tuesday: Lesson on American Slang
Lesson on Handshakes/Greetings
Lesson on Rock & Roll
Lesson on Joan Baez
Singing "Hold Your Hand" and "Eight Days a Week" by the Beatles
Jeopardy!
Bracelet making

Wednesday: Lesson on American Idioms
Lesson on the History of Pirates
Lesson on Making Chili
Lesson on Edward "Black Beard" Teach/Thatch
Singing "A Pirate's Life for Me"
Jeopardy!
Baseball and Frisbee!

Thursday: Lesson on American Idioms
Lesson on Hershey's Chocolate
Lesson on American Movies
Lesson on Sydney Poitier
Jeopardy!
Tie-dye t-shirts

Friday: Lesson on American Idioms
Lesson on The Simpsons
Guest speaker from America (Volunteer Nicholas Garrett Pappas' mother, Lelia)
Jeopardy!
Boat ride on the Irytish river

Saturday: Lesson on American Idioms
Lesson on American Slang
Movie: Chicken Little
Talent Show
Food party
Presentation of gifts and slideshow of week

Basically, it was amazing. The difficulty of planning and executing such activities was strenuous at times and easy at others, but the campers made it amazing. For the final day, Adam and me were seated in the middle of our classroom and every student presented us with a personally-made gift. The gifts ranged from watercolor paintings of flowers and fruits to teaching us Russian songs to begifting us a scrapbook with everyone's history and interests.

In short, it was awesome.

Guitar progress is occuring.
Summer is hot.
Apartment is clean.
NGO is up in the air due to health reasons of co-workers--worrisome.
Pappas' birthday today and his mom is visiting--more than enjoyable. Кайф, baby.

This installment's Photo of the Week!