While studying at the institute, I, like many other members of the student's brotherhood, was actively moonlighting, so that the ends would at least occasionally come to an end. During my studies, who I just was not - I carried boxes with lekarstva in the morning, poured turpentine on bottles in a pharmacy, distributed leaflets, sold sunflower oil. I could not find permanent work until my time, for I studied internally and for free, and studying took a lot of time. Because - had to spin. But in the summer - came the Lafa. No, I continued to work, but the vector of activity changed radically. All free time after the session, I worked as a counselor in a linguistic children's camp.
That was a wonderful time. Firstly, the camp did not have a permanent location, and, most often, a tourist base was rented in the Gorny Altai, on the shores of the Katun, in a beautiful place where unity with nature is felt. Secondly, there was the possibility, albeit a bit, but to practice using a foreign language - the camp was with a full imitation of the English-speaking environment, sometimes, as guests, native speakers were invited. Thirdly, a wonderful team consisting of the same young, and fun-loving guys, like me, simply did not let me get bored. Well, in the fourth, they also paid for it, albeit a little - but the food and "numbers with amenities" seemed to us. In general, what is not a paradise for a student?
The children were different. Since the camp was not simple, but the gold was very fashionable, trendy, and not cheap, then the kids in it were, in the main, not just blue blood, but not the simplest of parents. Because of the usual DALE was a lot of differences.
The counselors passed the selection in several stages, preferences were given to the students of the PED, or the former natives and the same camp as I was. But this did not help in the passage of the selection - everything was on a par with everyone. Test en English, teamwork, interaction with children, team building ... as if I was on the moon, honestly. Unless, in the centrifuge did not rotate.
Selected team of counselors, led by the camp coordinator, developed theme days for the whole season. Seriously, we thought every day, and it was completely different every time.
Fish schedules looked like this:
Flag up
He is a lift, a wake-up, as someone who sounds better. Sleepy pioneers campers wake up, brush their teeth, and amicable crowd go to the flagstaff located somewhere in the center of the camp. There the counselors, in the form of a short presentation, play the theme of the day, after which, selected by several (maybe all) counselors, children from their squads go up the flag. This is considered very honorable. More honorable - only to lower the flag in the evening.
Breakfast.
Well, actually, breakfast.
Cleaning time
A short period of time allocated to children to bring themselves and their houses / rooms / wigwams / huts / anything in complete order.
English club
A group lesson in English with children from mixed groups. Children on testing are suitable for the criteria of a group - beginners, pre-intermediate, intermediate, intermediate, even advanced. Here you do not TOEFl, of course, tested themselves, as they could.
Hobby club.
Entertainment of children by interests. I always led football, because I love this business)
Singing time.
Before dinner, the children and counselors gather in the dining room and sing songs. We learned how to hit, like "I'm here without you", "It's my life", "Numb", "Pieces", and so on. and small chants that used to attract children - "hey-what", "if you're happy and you know it", "head and shoulders", and so on. There was an oar, by the way.
Lunch. Dinner.
Nap hour. Quiet time. The most favorite time for staff, I mean, the leaders. Someone is asleep, someone is preparing for evening activities. All on schedule.
Big game / Evening activity preparation.
Then everything depends on the structure of the day. If it involves an evening performance on the allotted topic, then the detachments, together with the counselors, begin to prepare for this action. If the day provides activity of the type of the game (which is often) - then all the children are enthusiastically divided into teams, and begins, the so-called. "territorial" - a game that takes place on different subjects, each time using the camp territory. You can not even imagine what a vozhatsky fantasy is capable of - we invented children for such games, "Quidditch" did not stand side by side.
If this is a game, then it lasts a long time, and after that the children are given a little (very little) free time. If this is preparation for the presentation, then in the evening it follows, just the same, it:
Evening activity
So, the children give out a presentation, on a previously asked topic. It is prepared with a counselor, in English, and aims, as usual, to be either funny (from a detachment of older boys), or heartfelt (from a detachment of older girls). During the evening activity, children, often, demonstrate completely different talents, in all possible and impossible spheres.
Disco party
Well, as you wanted. What kind of children's camp without a disco? Dances under the main ritas of the summer, ladies invite gentlemen (often, during a disco finding