June 30, 2005
A Day in the life of a Shabalabadingdong…
We woke up at 7:30 and had breakfast and chapel. Today was the day of the Talent Show! During free time and in between classes and sports, we practiced for our dance. After dinner we met at 8 p.m. for the show to start. There were so many acts! The “Stupid Human Tricks” were the funniest!! Our dance was defiantly the best! We stuffed pillows in our camp shirts and did a dance to a combination of 3 90’s classics. “I like to move it” “Space Jam” and Hey Fat Boy. We were the only ones who did a dance and it was a blast!! As soon as we went back to our dorms we went to sleep as we were so exhausted! I was a stupendous day!!!!!
~ Shabalabadingdogs ~ (older Jr Girls)
June 29, 2005
Christmas in July!
Wednesday was another exciting day. IT WAS CHRISTMAS DAY!!! We all woke up to the sound of Christmas songs over the loud speakers and got dressed up in our red and green and some people had Santa hats or reindeer antlers. When we were sitting in the dinning hall having breakfast, someone spotted Gaghant Baba outside. It was so exciting because then he came inside and we sang Christmas carols. There were some creative costumes including Daron as a Christmas tree.
When we got to chapel there were stockings hung up for all of us. Der Vasken’s sermon was about Christmas too, and giving ourselves to God as a Gift, and how we should give to Him. All day we talked about Christmas in one way or another. We had our daily classes but then unfortunately it was dreary out and rained a little so we couldn’t swim or play sports outside.
Even though we couldn’t be outside the staff did a great job keeping us occupied. Also we had picked ‘Secret Santas’ the night before hence we spent the day thinking up and making gifts for them. Some people bought gifts like candy others made jewelry or cards and other fun things. It was during evening program that we exchanged gifts.
The other part of the evening program was some ‘Christmas’ relays such as speed gift wrapping. Then Santa came again and gave us all gifts and Ani handed out Christmas cookies that the staff made for us all. They were so tasty that some of us had more then one. After that we went to bed and dreamt of sugar plum fairies!!
June 28, 2005
A day in the life of the Oldest Teen Girls
Our day started at 7:15 am because Haigouhi and Tarra woke us up in a rush thinking that they set their alarm for 7:30 am. Breakfast went well. Before and after every meal we pray as a group. The prayer is lead by a different group each time. After prayer we went to chapel where Der Vasken spoke about being your own light, and not following the crowd.
Afterward we cleaned our rooms; we were off to sports, which was in the dining hall due to an unexpected rain shower. Although we had to miss swimming as well, we got to play Charades and Pic-tionary. Surprisingly, it was just as much fun as kickball and lying by the pool. Due to this change in schedule, we got a little extra free time before lunch and decided to start our friendship bracelet making for the youngest junior girls.
After lunch, we ran back to our dorms to get ready for class. As usual we lined up in the hallway and counted off for our counselors. We also recited our group cheer that we had made up yesterday during lunch. During our group time we invited the oldest junior girls, Sherri and Adelin’s girls, over for makeovers. They had so much fun and so did we!
Classes were good. The best class was Heritage because the teacher, Taleen, gave us some candy. Electives are always fun because we got to pick which class to take from the following: Drama, Armenian Language, Armenian Dance, Alter Training, and Arts and Crafts.
Dinner was delicious. We had ham and potatoes. Jyl really knows how to cook. The evening program was ‘Game Night’ in the Rec. Hall. But the real surprise was when Haig came out dressed as an elf and read us How The Grinch Stole Christmas for Christmas Eve. His impressions are hilarious! After that we had some more free time so we celebrated our own little Christmas Eve with the other teen group. We ate some popcorn and candy, drank some hot chocolate, and listened to music. Then it was lights out! All-in-all it was a great day.
~ RT 11~
The Weekend!
On Saturday, we C.I.T.’s arrived for our day of camp orientation. We arrived at all different times during the day, reuniting with our long lost family; it had been a long years’ wait. As everyone got settled in, one could feel the excitement and enthusiasm spread throughout the campus. Finally, after we were all unpacked, orientation began. We started off with introductions of all the staff then played the best game EVER!! “WOOSH!” We laughed as we got to know each other and I could feel a sense of belonging. After a day of serious training we got together with the staff for a relaxing campfire. Afterward the female staff and C.I.T.’s gathered in the South Annex Lounge to reminisce on years past, and brainstorm great ideas on making our campers experiences the best ever. We felt ready for the incoming campers.
Sunday morning we started our day with chapel service then were off to breakfast. We got our last pep talk before we dispersed and began our last minute preparations before our campers began to arrive. In the blink of an eye camp was full of kids and our ‘family’ was complete. We gathered in our individuals groups for introductions and explanations of the grounds and rules. This was SUPER exciting! Seeing and melting new faces. It had started t down-pour so a few of us brave ones, danced in the rain. Later we went to orientation, dinner and then ice breakers. We played some fun “getting-to-know-each-other” games. After a long days work we headed back to our dorms for a last minute meeting and then off to bed.
June 27, 2005
Our First Days
On Sunday all of the campers began to arrive. Some of the veterans came and were glad to see some of their old friends, but many of the kids at camp are new this year. We began to welcome them into the St. Vartan Camp family. Once everyone was registered we began to meet all of the kids in our counselor groups and we were taught about the safety guidelines of camp. After this, it was time for our first meal as a St. Vartan Camp family. We ended the day with ice breakers for us to become more acquainted with one another.
Monday was the first full day spent away from our families. We began to the day with our days beginning early in the morning. After breakfast we got ready for sports and we played basketball, soccer, and volleyball. Next it was time to swim. It has been very hot so the water was nice and refreshing. After lunch we went to our three classes of heritage, religion and Armenian performing arts. Then it was time for us to participate in our new class -- the electives. We were able to chose from Arts & Crafts, Dramatic Studies, Armenian Language, Alter Serve Training and Armenian Dance. The last portion of our first day was a discussion lead by Yn. Arpi and Der Vasken. The topic was “carrying the Flame.” We discussed all the ways that we can pass on our Armenian Heritage to others. After the discussion we spent the last part of the night around the campfire; telling stories and making s’mores, and spending time with our friends. This concludes our first full days as the St. Vartan Camp family.
June 25, 2005
Staff Training
We sure have had a full week here at the Ararat Center!! On Tuesday, the staff arrived in full force ready for the 2005 camp season. This included Yn. Arpi, (of course!!) as well as St. Vartan Camp veterans and newbie’s. We began the training with some ice breakers to help us get to know each other. In partnered groups we found out about each other then introduced our new friends to the group. We found out some interesting facts, the most interesting being that one of our staff members actually has a bullet lodged in his hand (don’t worry it was just a childhood accident!) We ended the night with a “staff only” campfire, which consisted of s’mores, and singing.
Wednesday, we, the staff started our first full day of training. After breakfast, we had bible study with Jason Demerjian where we dissected the Hayr Mer. We sustained the day with more training and trying to understand what a GREAT staff member is. After dinner we had “exhibitions” of the electives the campers will be able to choose from (which is a new feature this year at St. Vartan Camp) to see what the campers will be experiencing. It was also a good practice for the instructors to work out kinks! First we were able to experience what the campers would be doing during sports. But seeing as it was raining on and off all day, we had indoor sports, which consisted of sports charades. Afterwards, we experienced Arts & Crafts, where we made posters of positive messages that we hung up around the Rec. Hall so that the campers will be able to see them everyday and maybe will inspire them. The last class was dance. All the staff members had trouble in the beginning, but after a while we all got the hang of it.
Thursday began with breakfast, of course, then bible study with Jason which was again very interesting. We discussed the 10 commandments and tried to figure out why they were in the order they were. We continued our day with more training but the afternoon the staff seemed to be dragging. With the permission of the higher up’s we were able to have pool time! This was a well deserved break, after all we had been working hard training and getting ready for days! After we had relaxed it was time to get back to work! We had two more exhibitions of classes. First, was drama, where we were shown a movie then asked how it was related to a passage from the bible afterward we played a fun game of WOOSH. Then, for Armenian performing arts, we were told about a play which performed in Albany at the Egg Theater, and some staff was actually asked to participate in it for a reenactment!
Friday was the last day of staff training before the CIT’s arrive on Saturday. It began with the same routine of breakfast, bible study and training. In the afternoon we spent hours trying to get everything ready for the children, making sure nothing was forgotten. After dinner we went through some more training in which we had to put ourselves in the place of the parents who choose to leave their children with us. It was certainly an enlightening experience. We ended our evening with another “staff only” campfire which was filled with off-key singing of all sorts of songs.
This week has been a great week because it has not only prepared the staff for what is to come for this season at St. Vartan Camp, but it has also united us as one and helped us bond and become a close family. Together we know for sure that we can conquer anything that comes our way, and do it with a smile!