This was by far the easiest week of camp. We only had six kids… and our best kids at that. We spent one hour on theatre, Jordyn was in charge of that, and then one hour on dance, which I was in charge of. Then at the end we gave them so crafts to do. So easy. I loved it.
Monday June 28:
Jade started the morning by stretching the kids out. Jordyn and Stephanie did some warm up theatre games and started working towards skits. I played a rhythm game with the kids then started teaching them a short dance to Kanye West’s Touch the Sky. Beca and I split the kids into two groups of three. They “battled” each other. Then they made mosaics and masks.
Tuesday June 29:
Jade gave them breathing exercises. The kids tried but didn’t really get how to meditate. Jordyn and Stephanie gave the kids words to build “pictures” out of it. They worked in pairs. Beca and I continued to teach the dance. We ended by having a soul train and a dance circle. Then they made lanterns and collages. Elnur made one of George W. Bush and a terrorist with bubble captions saying, “Neftchala Summer Camp!” And the terrorist saying, “I like it! I approve!”
Wednesday June 30:
Jade skipped the breathing and just went into stretches and jumping jacks. The kids started writing their own dialogues for the montages to build real scenes. Steph and Jordyn did some improve examples. Steph had studied theatre at NYU. I could have watched her perform all day long! Beca and I finished teaching the dance. The kids were already so good after just three days! We skipped the art project.
Thursday July 1:
The show had arrived! At first we were going to perform in an outdoor stage in the park but it was next to some chayxanas (teahouses socially exclusive for men) so the girls didn’t feel comfortable dancing there. We decided to have it at the youth center instead. Spent the first hour rehearsing theatre, the next hour rehearsing the dance, then did a sound check on the three songs that were going to be sung. Show started at 12:30, finished a little before 1. The kids were amazing! They had accomplished so much in just four days. It was incredible to watch. After, they said an unexpected “thank you” to Jordyn and I for the summer camp. I could have cried… that is, if I cried in front of people.
I should feel this great sense of accomplishment, and believe me, I do. I think the biggest emotion I feel though is just pride in these kids at their willingness to work hard and try something new. I do have to be honest that at times, some of the boys gave me a reason to call them little sh*ts, but the kids that stuck in out… they’re my kids, you know? They’re the ones that have been to my conversation clubs, were in the talent show, run to me on the streets and now I feel like I have a real relationship with them and that feels AMAZING.
Along with these grand emotions of success, I feel… nervous. I was hit with some bad news today. My host family really is leaving. I’m happy for them. They get to see their husband and father, but I’m selfishly going to miss them. At first they told me that today might be the last time they see me before I go visit them in France next year. Fortunately they aren’t leaving til after I return but still, what is it that I’ll be returning to now? I currently have three homes. My home-home is in Berkeley, thousands of miles and a 36 hour trip away. Nate’s my other home but we’ll only be able to see each other for 12 days this year. And then there’s Neftchala, my home for these two years. I really thought of it as home, just because of this family. They are my family now. After 23 years, I finally have sisters… and a Russian grandma. What I always wanted! If they left while I was in Spain, I would have nothing to come back to. My final home would be gone. So much of my service is about them. I was lucky to have met them. They were my allies in this journey; my liaisons. I attribute most of my accomplishments as a volunteer to their help. I have been able to work more in these initial months than any other AZ7 I have talked to. I just got lucky. I got lucky with great daring students, a nice enough and supportive enough director, counterparts who speak good English and want to do more in the classroom, and a host family who helped me with everything from reserving a stage to buying yarn. It’s such a hard thing having people you’ve grown to love continually leave your life. I’m pretty sure at this point I’m going to have to reevaluate how the rest of my service will continue. But at this point I guess I should just move on and just say one thing: good luck is what you make of it and I think, I mean I hope, I’ve made the best of it.
Thank you Hemidova family! You’ve changed my life and I’ll be eternally grateful.
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