August 06, 2004
Thursday at Hye Camp 2004
Today was the last time the camp would run according to the normal schedule. After breakfast and morning service, campers went through their class rotation for the last time. Friday will be a special schedule, starting with Hye Camp Director Fr. Aren Jebejian's first ever Badarak at Hye Camp, along with Olympic activity all day long, as well as the beginning of preparation to leave on Saturday. The time has flown by and pretty soon Hye Camp 2004 will be stored away as another beautiful memory of Armenian Christian fellowship.
This morning, Hye Camp was blessed with the arrival of Fr. Yeprem Kelegian from Racine, WI. To the delight of everyone, Fr. Yeprem presided over the morning services and shared a message to the camp. As he always does, Fr. Yeprem captivated all the campers, from the youngest to the oldest, and preached the all-encompassing idea that God is love. All campers were challenged to let God shine through them by living their lives in a Christian way as God would want. The campers love Fr. Yeprem and his words went straight to the heart.
Following the morning service, the class rotation began for the last time. Lisa Mardigian and Mark Akgulian both had an arts and crafts class, Anahit Toumajian and Yn. Patty Dagley both had a culture class, Fr. Zorab had another great religion class, and then there was free time. Yn. Patty's culture classes are always highly anticipated; everyone loves to dance and no one teaches Armenian dances like Yn. Patty. Not only were the assigned classes participating in the dance lessons, but campers and counselors that were on free time were also choosing to spend their time with Yn. Patty.
During lunch, John Chiodo announced the new daily sports competition. John's fellow director of sports, John Nersesian, challenged the camp to a closest-to-the-pin contest. With clubs provided by Mr. Nersesian, any campers that were up for the challenge got to take three attempts. A select few did beat John and they were rewarded with great golf prizes. With a nice cool breeze blowing throughout the afternoon, everyone wanted to get outside and run around a bit. All of the courts; basketball, volleyball, soccer, were filled with kids playing games.
Tomorrow is going to be both the Olympic opening ceremony, as well as cabin skit day. Both of those activities require a lot of pre-planning, which is what most free time was used for this afternoon. Olympic team flags had to be made, and each cabin also had to take the time to come up with a short skit to do in front of the camp.
Dinner came and went, and eventually it was time for a bonfire for the older kids, between 12 and 14 years old. Everyone sat around the fire roasting smores and singing camp songs. After the bonfire, all of the campers and counselors between 15 and 18 years old were treated to the presence of Jason Demergian, college ministry facilitator for the Eastern Diocese. Jason was able to have a nice conversation with the kids about their thoughts and feelings on the trend of religion to drift out of the lives of college students. Eventually, it got to be bed time and all lights went out. Much rest was in order, and for an explanation, I quote Fr. Aren: "I have some good news, and some bad news. The bad news is there's only two more days of Hye Camp. The good news is, there's only two more days of Hye Camp." To all of the parents, we'll be coming home soon.
August 05, 2004
Wednesday at Hye Camp
At breakfast, it was announced that the camp would be dining on grilled kebabs for dinner, and ever since there was a buzz in the air. Visiting priest, Fr. Sahag Kaishian, led the morning service and talked about the process of being born and then reborn at baptism. While a beach ball was passed around the sanctuary, Fr. Sahag made correlations between a full and flat beach ball and people that are with and without the spirit of Christ. Seeing a priest ask people to toss around a beach ball while he was giving a sermon might have been a first for many of the campers and counselors.
The morning class schedule was straight forward. The one major change was the absence of Maestro Khoren. Taking his place is Debbie Der Asadourian, a member of the Hye Camp Board of Directors, who will be instructing in the traditional past time of Tovloo. Mail call, as well as Olympics news, created an exciting buzz leading into the afternoon.
Today's sports competition featured the overwhelming power of Fr. Aren's baseball swing, anchored by his brand new athletic sneakers. The Fr. Aren Home Run Contest proved to be a popular success. Winners will be announced tomorrow. Due to rain, the pool was closed, however this gave most campers some extra time to work on their cabin skits, as well as their Olympics team flag, and their cabin poster.
Dinner was everything it was billed to be. Excellent kebabs, hot peppers right off the grill, and homemade Armenian pilaf. Olympics competition followed dinner, including basketball, volleyball, and soccer. After Olympics competition, the senior staff was treated to nice evening off the grounds, celebrating counselor's night out.
After finally arriving home and relieving the CIT's of their duty, it was time for the camp to say goodnight. Congratulations are in order for all of the campers and staff that worked to enable counselor night out. The main highlights of tomorrow's schedule include more Olympic competition, getting down to the semi-finals in some events, and a bonfire and movie night.
August 04, 2004
A day in the life of a 15-year-old boy
Day two at Hye Camp is when campers, counselors, and staff begin to settle into the daily schedule. After working out all the kinks over the course of the first day, everyone gains a pretty good idea of what to expect from a typical day at Camp Hickory. Using the general daily routine described in Monday's entry as a guide, you will now experience "A Day In The Life" of a 15-year-old boy at Hye Camp:
"I woke up to the sounds of a bullhorn siren screaming across the campgrounds, and counselors prodding and pleading for us to get out of bed and get to breakfast. I'm not really sure why it seemed like such a good idea to stay up so late last night. The egg and sausage sandwiches looked ok, so I ate a couple. Our table was quiet; everyone is still tired. Where do those 10-year-olds get all that energy?
"The chapel was a little chilly, as usual. Fr. Tavit led us in prayer and talked to us about unconditional and unwavering love and faith in God. We left chapel and had to clean the cabin. At the end of the week, the cabin that was the cleanest through the whole session will get prizes. One of the girl's cabins will probably win, but you never know.
"Our first class of the day was arts and crafts class with Lisa. We spent most of the time making bracelets and necklaces. Breakfast is starting to kick in, and I'm not feeling so tired anymore. In fact, it's getting harder and harder to get Olympics off my mind. All we were told was that we were going to do a Scuba relay tonight, and no one is quite sure what that is. I think I'll make myself a necklace with my name on it.
"Next we had a culture class with Mrs. Toumajian. Her classes are always great, and today was fun as usual. She hasn't been to Hye Camp in three years, but she still remembers everyone, and of course we all remember her. First we learned a couple phrases in Armenian, and the root of their meanings. Then we got to hear some of Mrs. Toumajian's great stories, like what happened when Noah drank the Manjra, and how the snake's tongue and the swallow's tail became forked. All of the sudden, it was 10:45 and time to move on to the next class.
"The third session was free time for us. When every other cabin is in class, it doesn't leave a lot for us to do, especially considering there's only six of us in our cabin. I took a nap, other guys cleaned up or sat around talking. Soon enough it was time for the last morning class.
"The last class was religion, in the chapel with Fr. Zohrab Konstanyan. Yesterday, we talked about using our god-given talents and not hiding them or wasting them. Today, we talked about the difference between earthly and heavenly treasures, and what kind of importance each should have in our lives. Fr. Zohrab is always so excited about what he's taking about. After religion class, it was LUNCH TIME!!!
"To practice being a counselor-in-training, we've all been assigned to a cabin who's kids are anywhere from 9 to 14 years old. I have the 10-year-old kids and they go to the pool for their first afternoon sports class, so that's where I go. Swimming is always great, and afterwards we headed on over to the sports fields for our second sports class.
"Following in the footsteps of yesterday's Garo Yepremian kicking award, today was the Lisa Mardigian Shooting Challenge. Lisa claimed she was hurt, but I’m not sure I believe that yet. After she set the mark pretty high, making 12 baskets in 30 seconds, she was quickly knocked off as best shooter. Final results will be announced tomorrow. After sports, we had some free time to catch up with other cabins or swim some more.
"Finally, dinner rolled along and it was great; chicken, potatoes, and some home baked cookies. After dinner, the competitions for the night began. Unfortunately, our team is not the best and we barely managed to stay out of last place in all our races. Olympics concluded with the young kids being sent to a bonfire, while we went into the chapel to watch a movie about Armenia. On Thursday, we'll be at the bonfire while the younger kids get to watch a movie.
"It rained pretty heavy through most of the late evening, which made evening free time a bit more crowded than usual. The game room was packed, and the snacks were running out quick. Eventually we'll be going to bed, maybe even on time. See you tomorrow!!!"
August 03, 2004
First Full Day of Hye Camp
Hye Camp 2004 began to follow the normal schedule Monday, and by normal I am referring to a general plan with constant adjustments and tweaking. For those of you who remember our 2003 schedule, you will find many similarities, and many differences. With our record number of campers (144 to be exact), our class schedules had to be changed to accommodate the limited hours in the day.
In the morning, there are four class periods that each of the seven age groups will rotate through every day of the week. There are seven possible classes, attended by one age group per class period. The seven classes are: two arts and crafts classes, taught by Mark Akgulian and Lisa Mardigian; two culture classes, taught by Maestro Khoren Mekhanejian and Anahit Toumajian; a religion class, taught by a number of our resident priests (most of whom are visiting from The Holy See of Etchmiadzin) led by Fr. Tavit Boyajian from Palos Heights, IL.
Following lunch, there are two class periods where the campers participate in sports and swimming. The younger age groups are separated from the older age groups. Each group participates in either sports or swimming for the first period, and then they switch for the second period. Preceding dinner, all the campers get a stretch of supervised free time, which leads up to dinner. The evening schedule various from night to night. Sometimes all the campers will be together, other times it is more appropriate for younger and older campers to have their own agenda. Bed time processions begin at 9:30 and by 11:30, all lights are off.
Aside from the regular growing pains of adjusting to a new daily schedule, the morning events fell into place as planned. Pancake breakfast was followed by the morning church service. Fr. Tavit led the campers in prayer, and offered a message based on the parable of the master and his three servants (Matthew 25:14-29). Fr. Tavit stressed the importance of using the talents that we all possess in the name of God and the Armenian Church. Campers left the morning service feeling mentally charged and ready to absorb a full class schedule of Christian learning. Maestro Khoren's singing instruction was as welcomed and anticipated as it ever has been. Mrs. Toumajian, after a short absence from the Hye Camp staff, has returned to the delight of the campers who dearly missed her, and Hye Camp alumnus Mr. Akgulian is providing a fresh new face to the camp staff.
Returning for his second year as sports director, John Chiodo initiated his daily athletic competition with the Garo Yepremian Longest Kick Contest. John's afternoon athletic counterpart in the pool, Adam Abajian, presided over the swimmers with his trained staff of assistants. Preceding dinner, this year's Olympics competition was introduced. Ten Olympic teams, each with for or five counselors and 15 or 16 campers for a total of 20 athletes per team, were introduced. Following dinner, the first Olympic competition, the money hunt, took place. Results after day one of competition are not in yet, however check back for daily updates.
Evening activities included more singing with Maestro Khoren, as well as a question and answer period with V. Rev. Fr. Zohrab Kostanyan, V. Rev. Fr. Hayrig Hovanessian, and Dn. Artur and Dn. Ardag from Etchmiadzin, who have been studying in America. Campers were given the opportunity to talk to the deacons about life in Armenia and all sorts of questions. The evening snack was highlighted by a slide show presenting all of the pictures taken during the first days of Hye Camp 2004. After a little more free time in the cafeteria and game room, the cabins began to shuffle off to bed, youngest first, till the oldest boys and girls, our 15 year old group, turned out the lights. Another busy day begins tomorrow, highlights including a second day of Olympic competition, an evening bonfire, and movie night.
August 02, 2004
Hye Camp 2004
And so it begins!!! Welcome to Hye Camp 2004.
An exciting week was kicked off with an exciting day. Parents began dropping off their kids in the early afternoon and the first bus, arriving from Cleveland, created a commotion that signaled to all the staff that camp was indeed underway. Shortly after Cleveland's arrival, two busses from Detroit pulled up, creating an even bigger commotion. However, the sudden addition of around 80 kids to the campgrounds couldn't trump the excitement generated by the blessed presence of His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamian.
His Eminence spoke to the campers about each individual's ability to understand God. He summarized that no matter your studying of the bible or your diligence in going to Church, you cannot understand God until you can love everyone. God's love is shown through you and the love you show one another. So God's love is shown through you, and you receive God's love through the love others feel towards you.
Later in the afternoon, as the open house continued, it was time for a big barbeque cookout. Hamburgers, hot dogs, and brats were grilled and everyone was able to catch up with old friends, and meet new friends. V. Rev. Fr. Aren Jebejian, camp director, called the camp together for our first official meeting at around 6 p.m. During the meeting, the majority of the staff was introduced, guidelines were set, and opening announcements were made. At that point, all parents still on the grounds were asked to say their goodbyes. The campers spent the next hour enjoying an evening snack of watermelon, popcorn, and soda, while the staff went through their orientation.
During staff orientation, Fr. Aren read a passage from Mark 10:13-16, describing Jesus being indignant at his disciples who were trying to turn away children who were seeking His guidance. Fr. Aren related the parable to the staff, explaining that as a staff, we had to accept all of the children and bring them closer to God. Our large staff listened intently and the week is looking like it will be a very enriching environment for the campers.
Our evening activity was an excellent opportunity for the campers in each cabin to get to know each other a little better. Each cabin was given a disposable camera, with the assignment of taking pictures that represented the characteristics of each camper. The pictures will be developed and, later in the week, the campers will use the pictures to create collages representing each cabin. Following the camera activities, each cabin was given a poster board and some markers and the task of making a sign showing the cabin name they were asked to create. As always, the youthful creativity produced excellent results.