Adventures of Super Mai, Summer 2008 (pt 1)

So here begins our story of our magnificent superheroine, Super Mai! lol Just kidding. I wasn't very good last year in blogging my adventures last year, but I'll try to be good this year. Anywho, let's see, where to start...

On the day that I left, I got to the airport at about 11 or 12. My flight was to take off at about 3 in the afternoon. I waited at the gate where I would depart, unfortunately, I should have mentioned to the team members on facebook that perhaps we should wear something or tell one another how we looked like so we could meet up. So the whole time, I was looking for Tony, whom I went to school with and was coming to tokyo with me on the same plane and team, but I couldn't find him anywhere. Right before I was to get my seating ticket for the plane, Tony comes in (late as always, even when we had class together!) and we also meet someone from our team there, Jewelly, whom I eventually figure out to be someone that had volunteered at Jane Adams where I had worked and volunteered before and she also knew one of my friends who went to the same school with her and had also worked at the ssame place.

On the plane, I met Ger and John who are also on my team. We talk and play cards during our 11 some hours flight to japan (it's a direct flight from minneapolis) and sleep (or try to) most of the flight. Eventually, we make it to Japan and meet up with the rest of our group when we reclaim our bags. Machiko, whom I had worked with last year, is now a Japanese Director (JD) on Team 6 whereas I am on Team 5 this year. Both teams are in Tokyo, and though our orientation and first camps are in the same place, we separated later.

Orientation lasts for about four or five days (can't really remember) and there, we bond quickly as a team and a family because we would be working together, rooming together and bathing together( yes, in the same room, but not co-ed!). The facility that we stayed at had a magnificent view of Mount Fuji... on days that weren't cloudy. My camera couldn't take good pictures so I'll steal them off someone from my team later. On the first day, we also met Guy Healy, the person who started USA Summer Camp. I met him last year and had a chance to talk to him again this year. He still looks the same as last year and was wearing a shirt that slightly resembled my pajama pants that I left at home.

Despite slight... problems that the American Director (AD) had with our team that ended up with our AD having to tell us to stay away from the other team, we ended up having a good time hanging with the American Counselors (AC) from Team 6. I miss them already. I met the sister of a friend of mine and two other hmong girls on the other team.

Our first camp had about 120 students. On the first day, we did orientation with them by having them make nametags, a name for their groups that they were put into and introducing ourselves as well as our team song that we had created ourselves during orientation). After that, we changed groups and did an activity called "one minute drill" where we time the kids for one minute and have them say as many english sentences as they can. The first day, we would teach and have them memorize a sheet of english sentences and the second day, we would start testing them.

After that we did "my story" where the students would write about themselves, hobbies they had or any of the like. Actually, for this camp, they focused on dreams that they students had of becoming a doctor, a lawyer, and so on, and how they would achieve them. then we also had "camp skit" where the students would come up with a short skit and write all the lines, make all the props and the acting themselves. They would perform this on the third day which would be the last day and eigokai which was where they would perform both their skits and my stories to everyone. During the evening, we did campfire. There, the ACs roasted marshmallows witht he campers, sang songs and did short skits to entertain them. I think it went well and we all had a lot of fun.

the second day was about the same as the first but we also did recreational games that we learned during orientation (which is basically a bunch of games we did as children, but they're still fun anyway!) and also played outside doing basketball and whatnot. One different activity we also did was "american carnival" where the campers had a chance to experience an american carnival. It's actually more like a carnival you'd go to at a school. Nonetheless, the students had fun. That evening, we also had dance party and put on a lot of songs like ymca (a popular one that the students knew), thriller, soulja boy, electric slide, chicken dance and some others. that was fun too, but everyone was tired, wiped out and sweaty. Unfortunately, like the first day, my campers only had about 10 minutes to take a bath and we had a long way to run to take a shower. By the way, I also shower/bath with my campers like during orientation.

The third day was eigo-kai. The students studied hard and practiced hard and I could tell that they did it because they did really well.I was very proud of my students, whether or not if they won a place in skit or my story. They did a very good job in the end and had fun, that's all that really matters to me. It was hard parting with them at the end and I ended up crying, yes, I cried. I felt that I realy connected with my groups that I worked with and they really went a long way. Some girls cried too and we waved goodbye to them when they left. I miss my girls already.

My team left that same day to go to a hotel and stay there for the night before going to our next facility. Some ACs from Team 6 joined us, as well as Team 7b. Team 7a arrived the same day to do their orientation. They left with us and we went to a creepy hotel that looked like the outside of Rarig, and looked very geometirc inside like tetris and looked like a placce where murder could happen. I'm serious! You could do a murder mystery in there! We ended up drinking that night, but had to walk 15 minutes to a convenience store to get the booze and snacks and 15 minutes back to party in our room. We played president and never have I ever. Needless to say, I learned a lot about some people that I never though was possible! lol

the next day, we went to the next facility and found out that we walked into a death trap! lol well, hear me out. We were told that there were killer bees, perhaps one of the most deadliest bees in the world there that would keep stinging you until you were dead. It'd kill you in a matter of minutes. There was thunder also and if you were out wandering around when there was thunder, it was highly likely that you'd get hit. And the stairs! My god the stairs!!! There were a gazillion of them! It was like climbing, and I quote, the "Great Wall of China." We just had to keep walking and climbing and walking and climbing. I was about ready to die! Never before had I climb so many stairs just to go to take a shower and go eat! lol We ended joking that there were snipers on the hill waiting to shoot us too. lol

the campers came the next day, about 160 of them and that's not the worst part, they could barely speak english! Ok, actually, that's not the worst part, it was the part that there were actually about one fluent enbglish speakers per group. now THAT was the hardest part! the students would turn to the fluent speaker and copy off the fluent speaker and wouldn't even try speaking english to the ACs at all! I had one girl who refused to attempt to speak english with me and was always saying crap about me in japanese and sadly enough,I understood everything she said about me and had to pretend that my japanese was little to none. She was what I really hated about the camp, but other than being complicated and the fact that this was a new schoool to the program as well as having teachers who kep[t changing our schedules and being completely of no help to us, I'd have to say that we did rather well. We got good reviews from what I heard, but I hope we have less students next time and no obnoxious little preteen bitches. FINGERS CROSSED!

Unfortuantely, our ET, the person who evaluated our team as well as the other ACs from Team 6 and 7 had to leave. We would forever be separatd from them! NO!!!!!!!! They were pretty cool and I miss them already too. One of our JCs who was doing her orientation with us was leaving as well and I totally miss her and her vallygirl-like english. aw....

åThe same day (which was yesterday), we went off to our homestays, but mine turns out to be the farthest. Our group split up into three and my group had to take the train for an hour to get to their stop and mine was about another 30-40 minutes. I finally got to my stop at about 9 and met my host mother and three adorably kids. I think they liked me right away because they were pulling me everywhere and kept talking to me. I'm now at their house sitting here and typing this. I'm tired, but the kids want constant attention. I've been detained from them long enough so I have to get back to them.

Anyways, my adventures are done for now. Till then, enjoy yourselves and be good! (^_^)