Camp has started and things are going well. The things that surprise us are minor and most problems are fixed quickly. The hitch that has surprised us the most is how big of babies Ugandans can be! They are always coming to us with stomach aches and headaches. They want medicine immediately. We had prepared for basic first-aid which includes Tylenol and ant-acids. I’m finding myself encouraging drinking of water and telling campers to suck it up, in a nice way of course.
Monday night greeted us without power. Everyone took it in stride and you wouldn’t have thought we’d ever even needed power. Tony led the girls in relay races passing toilet paper between their legs while counselors stood by shining the light from their phones. Relays were followed by a cheer off. All the girls have been divided into groups with African animals for names. Our counselors created cheers to create identity, unity and pride for their groups. What followed was 16 cheers with thick Ugandan accents. The girls jumped and sang with enthusiasm. They called themselves gee-rafs (giraffes), beautiful cheetahs, leading buffalos and the mighty mighty antelope. It was the gorillas who thumped their chests and deeply grunted who won this cheer off. As I watched them all go back to the dorms for that night it was the gorillas who continued to run, jump and yell with excitement and happiness.
This continued enthusiasm and excitement is so fun to witness. The girls are seriously glowing with positive emotions. It makes me happy to see everyone enjoying themselves so fully. May we continue this high throughout the whole week.
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