Amazing fun…and lots of to-do lists!
Shalom, readers! Hope you’ve all had as great a week as the chanichim (campers)! This week’s post is a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes, a perspective most parents don’t really get to know during the summer. How do we do it? Lots of lists!
Here are 5 examples of what you see and how we get there:
You see: Rikudiyah performances, live on facebook.
How we get there: Hours of squeezing in practices this week, chanichim exchanging clothes to have the right colors, Marcelo and the rikud (dance) team teaching with incredible patience and perseverance, tech/video/lights set-up, early dinner, late-night ice cream scooping, MCs who prepare shtick, and everyone in a total sweat by the end of the night, unable to shower until the next day!
You see: Overnighters, making s’mores by the fire.
How we get there: Phone calls confirming campground reservations, itineraries and directions written-up, roshes counting tents, YFS and madrichim (counselors) loading buses and vans with food, grills, firewood, and supplies, emails reserving transportation, bus passes for national parks secured, hiking trail maps printed out, starting a fire from scratch with slightly soggy twigs and sticks from the campsite before adding our own larger logs, cooking a bazillion almost-frozen hamburgers on two small grills while chanichim are getting hangry, rolling up sleeping bags the next morning, and counting…lots of counting campers every time they go anywhere!
You see: Yom Israel Kef (fun)!
How we get there: Many Mishlachat hours of planning, tekes (ceremony) parts planned and prepped, drummers practicing, degel (flag) dancers practicing, chadar ochel (dining hall) decorating into the wee hours the night before, round robin stations and shuk (market) conceived of, materials printed/bought/procured, shopping for supplies, schedules printed, re-printed, then re-printed again, and then cleaning up camp after a fun and full day.
You see: Happy campers frolicking on the AquaKef.
How we get there: No rain (Halevai), debate over which bunks have already had it, no rain, ensuring enough lifeguards are present to supervise its use when the Agam (waterfront) is also being used for other activities, and oh, NO RAIN!
You see: 75 Best pictures of the week.
How we get there: In any single day: 355 moving pieces (chanichim), 85 moving supervisors (madrichim), 30 or so activities slotted in, 20 or so buildings and outdoor spaces being used, a dozen or so morim/morot (teachers) inspiring, a dozen or so specialists encouraging, 1500 meals served, and 1 million emails, group texts, groupmes, and whatsapps: making plans, changing plans, sending pictures, and keeping everyone updated in real time.
Now you know how we do it! The lists and the details we prepare make it happen, but the madrichim and roshes make it a truly amazing experience for the chanichim each and every day!
L’hitra’ot,
Michi
