LAL Summer Camp 2013 part 2

      All and all getting to know everyone at the camp was my favorite time including the staff. Coming from diverse backgrounds and upbringings It was a real educational experience for me. Stephanie M is a sweetheart and one of the most fun loving people I ever met. Stephanie S has  a positive outlook on life. Robercy T  is a fun and outgoing girl, who loves to be the life of the party. Rebecca C has a  great work ethic, and is a great person to talk with. It my time of getting to know her I discovered she has a humorous side. Raul M was a person whom I thought had the most interesting journey out of everyone at the camp.

 He traveled the world, and his love for music made him explore all corners of his passion. 

Brandon K was our education coordinator. He has a great work ethic and he is good at instructin. He made me see what life is like if you work hard. Aruna K is a sweet girl. I enjoyed joking with her. She has a great sense and a great sense of style.  Jordan is  a cool dude, very family oriented guy who is a great person to talk to. Jesus G is a jokester and loves to find humor in anything he does, he is also a great person to talk to. Kady M was a great person to be around. She loved to laugh and enjoy life. Her ability to  go with the flow was something I grew to admire.  Kady B is a fun person who loves to laugh, she has a sarcastic way of making the simplest thing seem funny. Patrick W is a laid back  dude, who doesn't  reveal much in the beginning, but once you get to know him,  he is a awesome person. Michelle C is a sweetheart, soft spoken and a person who thrives on doing a good job. I had a great time getting to know her. Kirsten B is a great person to be around, I had random times with her.  

          One moment that stuck in my mind was our trip to Washington Square Park in NYC. It  was a moment  I would never forget  because it was our last time we ever spend together as a group. Lindsay D is  a great friend. I had a great time sharing  personal stories with her. She is a great person to talk to. Carrie L is  a great person who loves to laugh. She has a carefree way about her, which makes you gravitate towards her. Julia Z would have to be the most outgoing persons  I ever met,  full of vibes and a positive outlook on life, she was a great person to work with . Heather A is a fun person who loved to be around the  kids which, I loved about her. My time getting to know her was like looking at a female version of myself in the mirror. A interesting past with ambitious future. I had a great getting to know her. Margo D was the craziest and most outgoing one in the group. I recalled our first meeting as a staff  and she showing us something we were not expecting to see and I thought to myself this girl is so cool. I recalled our conversation in the cafe, she really wants to be something special one day, which I admired about her. The Sense was my favorite person getting to know at the camp. 

             We identified with each other and we understood each other. While most people observed him from the surface, I explored and discovered the human side of sense from the inside. He has fought, he has loved, and now he is freed. In our conversation, I learned to look at life differently and let go of the painful past that haunts us. I've  leaned about courage, and not folding under pressure. The camp wouldn't have been the same without the IGL's. Urkus  is  the most fun loving and enjoyable person I've every been around. She loved life and enjoying it to the fullest. My time with her in Central Park was the most impressionable and unforgettable. Marta V was wild and fun.  I never met a person who loved joking so much. Yuri B was amazing person, and I enjoyed sharing my time and stories with him. He is the coolest guy  I ever met. To the other IGL's it was a pleasure to get to know each and everyone of you. Thanks for sharing your lives with me and also your culture. To the LAL students, it's  because of you I love to do what I do. I will never forget this experience. Thanks for the memories. One Love.

LAL International Summer Camp 2013

This summer had to be one of  the most unforgettable times ever in my life, thanks to a group of international students.  I was able to  take a time machine into the past and live my life as if I were an adolescent again. When I first decided to take  the summer position as an ESL teacher/Activity Leader/House Parent, I didn't know what to expect. All I knew was at some point my body was going to take a toll on me, but I knew when that time came, I had to fight through it  and prove to myself and the kids I will be there for them. The first week is always difficult. Getting to know colleagues, staff and your new environment,but with time I have learnt to roll with punches and take as an opportunity   shine. The first week would be a testimony of that.

   In my first week of teaching my organization was a bit off, so I had come up with different ways of reaching the students , so I used games, media, social networks,  books, and personal stories to make the lessons more interesting.. Over the counts of days I found the method to have worked and both the students and I had a mutual respect  for one another. The second job I took was activity leader. In being an Activity leader, I had to learn to be active and engaging with the students. The house parent position was no cakewalk, but It was my second favorite position, because it allowed me to spend time with the students that would  help each other in the classroom. At the house parent meetings we sang , we joked, clown around , but in between I learned about their culture, foods, way of life, and the history of their country.  We even sang the most recognized song in Italy. "Volare" a song that would remain in my head for the rest of camp.

  The Italian group had a long and lasting impression on me. Maybe it was the song,  which made  me even more curious of wanting to visit Italy someday. I also got a chance to learn about the Taiwanese culture, thanks to a bunch of fun, outgoing, crazy and wild teenagers. I got a history lesson on Taiwan. It was our sharing and our curiosity for one another that helped form a great friendship. My favorite moments with them would have to be hearing them talk about the American girls. I had a great time learning about the German culture. I had a great time learning German from the German students. They were amazing and very receptive when it came to  sharing their culture about Germany.

   My favorite moment with them would have to be learning German at the Yankee Game. It was my first intensive German lesson that I had, which the kids where great at explaining the rules of the game to me  as I was learning about their individual likes and dislikes. The group from Spain where fun. They talked about their love for food and culture and why Spain was ranked number 1 in the world in soccer. I was close to two students from Spain.  Ricardo and Carlos. I had a great time getting to know them, and spending time with them. The Russian students was more a pleasure getting to know because beforehand I knew very little about Russia, but the students were great filling me in about the current state of Russia and the history. I enjoyed learning Russian, but of all the languages I found it to be the most difficult to learn. The students were great at being patient and teaching me their language.