Thursday - First Day of 4-H Day Camp

Going into today, I had a preconceived idea of what the day would bring; however, I was wrong in what I thought, but in all the right ways. While we started with language barriers and struggles with understanding, everyone worked together to communicate to the best of our abilities, whether that be through Google Translate, Spanish class backgrounds, or social media. Every kid had their own individual personality, and when you sat back and watched, you could see how much the Dominican campers resemble average American teenagers.

Having the opportunity to utilize my three years of Spanish classes, I was able to pick up the basic words in every sentence to work hard to answer and ask follow-up questions. One camper was able to use my TikTok to show me videos of Mr. Beast and even videos of his tia and mama. I never knew TikTok would have been such a simple but deep way I could connect with multiple campers. In the end, every teenager is able to recognize TikTok audios and dances.

Overall, while my day wasn't what I previously imagined, I wouldn’t change what I experienced today for anything else!

-Leah Johnson, Roanoke Co.

Thursday started off with a delicious breakfast at the Westin and then we headed to the Foundation for our first day of day camp! When we arrived, we organized things for camp and before we knew it the campers were arriving. We started day camp with crafts and tours of the ecological center (honey bees, worm cultivation and nursery tours), followed by an amazing Dominican lunch. After lunch we did more crafts, made a healthy snack, and did another tour of the Foundation (Ridgeway Hawks and native trees).  After that, it was time for the campers to head home. The counselors wrapped up their day by the pool followed by dinner at the Westin. I can’t wait for day camp tomorrow!

-Cassidy Larochelle, New Kent Co.