¡Yo soy pilias! – Camp Season

I attended my first summer camp in 1998. I was gone for a week and it felt like two years (wait, that’s Peace Corps). I remember counting the hours until the end of the week, when I would be back in the comforts of home, where I did not have to "care" for myself (which I think just included deciding how much food I would eat at meal times). And now I’ve been living this camp-like lifestyle for nearly 12 months.

I’ve gotten over my fear of being away from home, so now is my chance to relive my childhood. I’ve now completed three camps since school has been out, and I’m convinced that this is my calling (second to being an eternal college student).

Camp #1 took place in Las Marias, Quetzaltenango – site of an environmental education volunteer. A handful of PCVs took direction from one organized leader who planned to teach soccer, basketball, and baseball, to a group of fourth through sixth graders. Mixed in with the sports practice, we gave mini-lectures on health, teamwork, and self-esteem – all important reasons for practicing a sport. I wrote a cheer based on the week’s theme, “soy pilias” (I am motivated, hard working, strong, etc. – not a direct translation). Simultaneously, all the PCVs had fun living together in one house for a week.



Camp #2 passed in San Sebastián, where my site-mate and I took on the energy of 60-80 kids, ranging in age from 6-12, along with other recruited PCVs. For 3-4 hours everyday, we taught environmental themed lessons, expressed ourselves in arts and crafts, and ran wild with reckless game time. And though we had many successes throughout the week, I felt like I got good practice for school (which always needs to be tailored) and recognized new ways to develop better classroom management.



Camp #3 brought me to San Cristobal, Totonicapan, where we performed epic duties as “camp councilors.” The camp in San Cris focused on English classes, outdoor recreation, and arts and crafts. I mostly manned the outdoor recreation part for three groups of younger elementary-aged kids in the morning and old-elementary – junior high-aged kids in the afternoon. My main objective for the relatively random games was for the kids to work together as a team. We sang embarrassing songs and I lost my voice by the end of the week – totally worth it for me.





And now, after successive camps, meetings and Spanish classes at the Peace Corps center, and a Guatemalan Thanksgiving, I have returned to my site, not wanting to travel again for a very long time. Living out of a backpack gets to be a challenge. My own bed has never felt so comfortable!