It started on a Sunday...
Group 1 in Grundtvig, Group 2 in Aristotle. Names on the doors, six helpers-former students, four volunteers and Jon, the main organizer of the event, all standing at the starting line waiting for the first cars to roll in with the first campers...
And so it goes...
One car followed the other as our campers joined the ever-growing multitude of joyful faces. In the end, 19.
Stand on a chair, sign the t-shirts, “wait, what's your name again?...victorious Viktoria, loyal Lina...” Now, we know each other. It's going to be a fun week.
It's time to go to sleep. Excited for it all to continue…
Monday…
We tried some different dishes and tastes from various cultures, we tried some traditional dance moves, we set our inner creative spirits free by starting to work on our artwork and last, but not least, we ended the day with a tumbling disco. One thing was for sure, everyone found something they were interested in or something they were good at. Be that sports, dance, creativity or critical thinking, Monday had a lot to offer. We were, well, tired at the end of it, but we also closed our eyes with huge satisfaction and lots of good vibes in our hearts. We couldn't wait for Tuesday to start...
Knock-knock, it's Tuesday!
We kicked the day off with learning about interculturalism. What makes us all different and what makes us all unique? And how can we live together and share our lives in this uniqueness and difference that ties us all? Time to think youngsters! Time to learn! And time to acknowledge! The world, the future is in your hands!
A lot of responsibility, a lot of thinking, learning and understanding. It was a good day, let's move on to the other one!
Hello, Wednesday!
What a beautiful day to do some research and finalize our art projects! Did you know that the official language in Togo is French or that Grenadines is a group of islands in the Caribbean? Well, neither did our students until they developed their critical thinking and research skills to make some wonderful presentations. Afterwards… well… is there a better way to end our fun-filled week than with a Wednesday-evening student-organized party with crackers, sodas and lots of karaoke singing? At this point, we can't believe the camp is almost done, but let's save the best for last!
It ended on Thursday...
Our final day was mostly about preparing ourselves for the grand presentations in front of the parents. We met with our contact teachers and helpers and did a few public speaking exercises, analyzed the week, good and bad (of course, there was a lot more good than bad), dressed up nicely and with a smile on our faces, just as on Sunday, now together with the students, we stood on the edges of the finish line, waiting for the parents to roll up on our driveway...
And so it went...
From Sunday to Thursday we met 19 incredibly sweet young people, who laughed with us, learned with us, developed with us. When we were waiting on the start line, we were hoping, we planned everything correctly, we hoped to give a great experience...now, after we have crossed the finish line, we believe and we hope, we did! It was an absolute pleasure meeting you all! A big shoutout to our six helpers: Selina, Leon, Caroline and Rebecca (last year's students) and Freya and Jallah (18/19' students), who brought even more colour and fun into the event and whose help was priceless.
Thank you to the volunteers and absolutely, not the least, a massive “Thank You” to Jon for being the brain and power of the whole event!
Thank you all and hopefully, see you soon!