Truly, this week has proven itself one of the most trying I’ve yet to experience in my life. What is it that they say? The best time to learn to fly is after you’ve been flung from the edge of a cliff? Well, this week the fall has been great and the mountainside was rough, with many jagged outcroppings. I can say, however, that this week has had an upward trend, and yesterday, when I boarded the elevator with my co-worker for the final time this week, I could smile at the fact that yes “none of the girls dresses had been ripped, and no holes had appeared in the wall” as stated by my boss. All was well.
Last Friday, I spoke to you all about my anticipation of Discovery, which is an exploratory experience offered by my school in which upperclassmen lead freshmen on 3 day excursions into the outdoors. Our group, consisting of myself, 5 other counselors, and 12 kids who had spent the past week together engaged in bonding exercises, claimed camp sites kept under the shadow of a thick forest. Hugging the other side of our site was a dirt path road the width of a single car that led to the toilets, the lake, and passed all the other camp sites on the way. I’d never done the whole sleeping in the wilderness thing, and my tent mates were not fond of some of the inconveniences it posed, namely bugs, lots of bugs. I found that in the end positivity prevailed. Late night story telling sessions with kids piled in Enos in groups of twos and threes warmed my heart. On the last day, when all the tents had been packed up, the Enos removed from the trees, and the last of the snacks rifled through by the boys who’d volunteered to finish them off the night before, the students for the most part gravitated towards the positive when sharing their final reflections. Granted, this session was less intensive than some of the others, as we’d driven back down to Piedmont Park one day to partake in a scavenger hunt. However, to hear everyone talk about the new friendships they’d formed and skills they developed (cooking for such a large group, starting a fire with only slightly damp twigs for kindling, interpreting the cryptic schematics on the outside of tent sleeves, etc.) proved that you can never predict going into an experience what all it will bring you. Perhaps the best thing you can do is sit prepped for the lessons it presents as an eager student.
That was part one of the week. Part two was the beginning of my employment as a robotics camp counselor. The duties of this job each day expanded beyond what they had been the day before, but as my own responsibilities increased, I found that my aptitude to address them did as well. The first day admittedly was highly distressing. I have done robotics before, but it had been a few years prior. I found myself needing to quickly reorient to the world I’d left so long ago, thinking I never would return. Meanwhile, I needed to prove to my boss that I could make sense of everything myself that I was aiming to teach to the younger students (ages 7-14) under my influence. Though I only have worked there for five days, the upsides inarguably outweigh the challenges. The campers all really want to learn for one. They enjoy being guided through the complexities of robotics and first lego league (the elementary and middle school competition). All throughout the day kids come up to me and wrap me in hugs. They run to me smiling and asking, “Ms. Jolisa, can we…” though I have told them many times that just Jolisa is fine. One of the younger girls made me a string necklace of pink and purple diamonds. I also received a picture of me holding the hand of a camper with a label above our figures reading “you” and “me”. So did I fall a bit this week? I would say yes, but after some tumbling and cuts against the cliff face, I finally sprouted wings.
I figured I'd start adding in the audio elements. Wanna hear today's entry in French? Enjoy!!
Last Friday, I spoke to you all about my anticipation of Discovery, which is an exploratory experience offered by my school in which upperclassmen lead freshmen on 3 day excursions into the outdoors. Our group, consisting of myself, 5 other counselors, and 12 kids who had spent the past week together engaged in bonding exercises, claimed camp sites kept under the shadow of a thick forest. Hugging the other side of our site was a dirt path road the width of a single car that led to the toilets, the lake, and passed all the other camp sites on the way. I’d never done the whole sleeping in the wilderness thing, and my tent mates were not fond of some of the inconveniences it posed, namely bugs, lots of bugs. I found that in the end positivity prevailed. Late night story telling sessions with kids piled in Enos in groups of twos and threes warmed my heart. On the last day, when all the tents had been packed up, the Enos removed from the trees, and the last of the snacks rifled through by the boys who’d volunteered to finish them off the night before, the students for the most part gravitated towards the positive when sharing their final reflections. Granted, this session was less intensive than some of the others, as we’d driven back down to Piedmont Park one day to partake in a scavenger hunt. However, to hear everyone talk about the new friendships they’d formed and skills they developed (cooking for such a large group, starting a fire with only slightly damp twigs for kindling, interpreting the cryptic schematics on the outside of tent sleeves, etc.) proved that you can never predict going into an experience what all it will bring you. Perhaps the best thing you can do is sit prepped for the lessons it presents as an eager student.
That was part one of the week. Part two was the beginning of my employment as a robotics camp counselor. The duties of this job each day expanded beyond what they had been the day before, but as my own responsibilities increased, I found that my aptitude to address them did as well. The first day admittedly was highly distressing. I have done robotics before, but it had been a few years prior. I found myself needing to quickly reorient to the world I’d left so long ago, thinking I never would return. Meanwhile, I needed to prove to my boss that I could make sense of everything myself that I was aiming to teach to the younger students (ages 7-14) under my influence. Though I only have worked there for five days, the upsides inarguably outweigh the challenges. The campers all really want to learn for one. They enjoy being guided through the complexities of robotics and first lego league (the elementary and middle school competition). All throughout the day kids come up to me and wrap me in hugs. They run to me smiling and asking, “Ms. Jolisa, can we…” though I have told them many times that just Jolisa is fine. One of the younger girls made me a string necklace of pink and purple diamonds. I also received a picture of me holding the hand of a camper with a label above our figures reading “you” and “me”. So did I fall a bit this week? I would say yes, but after some tumbling and cuts against the cliff face, I finally sprouted wings.
I figured I'd start adding in the audio elements. Wanna hear today's entry in French? Enjoy!!