Friday - Final day of 4-H Day Camp

Today was the second day of our Day Camp with the Dominican campers. We had an idea of what to
expect: (tours, crafts, and hanging by the beach), but there were so many positive and things to work on for our future selves and impact we have on these children. During the day, we truly learned to communicate better, because we had a feel of what to say even if it was only one or two words, the kids understood, and we could keep a conversation. The key in this was communication and always staying patient with these kids, playing games with them, trying to speak Spanish as best as you can (using google translate, body language, or even some fun tiktok audios), and having a smile on your face. As I look back on these past two days, I have seen how all of us (teens and campers) are all the same, still if we don’t speak the same language, we all have the same morals and senses of care and kindness towards one another, still if there are some language barriers, we can always surpass those issues. 

Spending time with these kids showed me how much gratitude we have to have in our lives, because for everyone not everything is given on a silver platter, and I have really learned that by working with these kids. I am so proud to see how they strive to be better and never give up. These campers were so much fun to work with and I truly will miss all of them. This program means the world to me and quite honestly impacted my life forever.  I will keep all of the lessons I learned here in my heart. Thank you so much to all of the amazing people I got to interact with and have the best time with!  Dominican Republic…I will miss you!

Garima Patel, Roanoke Co,