#campchibbiko

Sorry it's been so long! These weeks have been passing by so quickly! My first week at the East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center was amazing! For my first week, they hosted a camp for kids Kindergarten through sixth grade so I was tossed right in the mix as a co-camp counselor for the kindergarten class. 

Let me just say first that there was a time in my life where I hated kids. I think it was more like  I was afraid of them. They are brutally honest with no filters and I had some bad experiences with bratty kids so I was a little traumatized.With that being said, I was more than a little wary about being in charge of little kids. 

But I am so glad I was put into that situation because I LOVE MY KIDS. I love them so much. Let me backtrack a little again. The camp is a place where these kids can learn about the Japanese culture through various activities. The week was jammed packed with activities that raged from racial/multi-cultural awareness, knowledge of world war II through worksheets and speakers, and traditional watermelon smashing games. It was simply amazing. We even went on a field trip to the Japanese American National Museum and a old mom and pops sweets shop called fugetsu-do. The itinerary was great in that I feel as though it was a good balance between learning and fun. I would have loved to have gone to a camp like this.

But the best part is obviously meeting all the kids. In just a week, i grew to love all the kids in my room which I believe had seven little rascals. Each one was so different. There were shy kids, the kids that always listened, the ones that couldn't keep still, the ones that defied authority. I loved them all. It was especially amazing to grow close to the ones that were shy at first. That meant that through those couple days, I gained their trust enough for them to be able to laugh with me and confide in me. That feeling was amazing. I really am considering if I want to work with kids in the future. 

Things weren't always happy dandy as, I knew I needed to be the authority figure. It was funny because I could say a child's name and give a look and they would know they should sit down and do their work. kindergarten-ers have short attention spans, they always want to play with your phone or your hair and get piggyback rides, but they are the most adorable kids.