Summer Camp: Week One Down...

It has been a crazy first week of camp! I hardly know where to begin. Being sleep deprived and out of sorts, I think I will start from the beginning.

view from my room at camp

The week before last, we had orientation week for the counselors. I met a lot of very cool world travelers (my colleagues) and this week am meeting a group of very international kids (my campers)! Some of these 12-year-olds have been to more places than I have! Many of the kids are bilingual or trilingual and have parents who are diplomats, in international business, or some other such amazing professions. It's a complete 180 from the summer camp I taught at last year, which catered to scholarship kids and focused on creative writing, French language and math & science*...

This year I will be teaching German (which was quite a surprise to me - I came to the orientation convinced I would be teaching English). It's been fine so far - none of the campers are native German speakers. There are a lot of Russian kids, Lebanese and Saudi/UAE kids, Franco-Swiss kids, French kids, some Americans, some British, and several from other European countries. I'm amazed at the level of English most of the kids have - they all go to international schools, though, so perhaps that's normal.

I was also appointed airport manager for the Munich airport. The kids get to camp one of three ways: they fly in to Munich or Salzburg, or their parents drive them to camp. Those are the two closest airports, Salzburg being 1 1/2 hours away, Munich being 3 hours. My job as airport manager is to pick up the kids, sign their Unaccompanied Minor forms and escort them back to camp. Having never before been to the Munich airport before last Sunday, and having to pick up roughly 40 kids, it was more than a bit stressful. But, there was no lost luggage and no missing kids! Go me.

The kids also get to do some amazing things, like hike through a gorge, a waterfall, go to a mountain hut 2,000 m in elevation and do all sorts of sports, like tennis, football, mountain biking, rugby, basketball, sailing, swimming, etc. I got to do some of these things during orientation week, but unfortunately I'm confined to the classroom most mornings.

Despite all this activity, the kids have an incredible level of energy, and, unfortunately, I feel pooped already! One week down, three to go!

*Upward Bound, for those who are familiar.