Friday program and sad good-byes ...

Friday, August 2

Message of the day: In honor and recognition of how everyone on the team has participated enthusiastically in camp activities--Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can..  Attributed to Danny Kaye and shared by Lori

Our last day! Time flew by quickly. Our day again begins at a great Reymontówka breakfast. We particularly discussed how this day would be different with the third and fourth hours being activity stations for which the campers could choose.

When classes began again at 9:30 a major activity was the final preparations for the presentations each class would do for the evening program. Then the fun began at 11:30 as students went to their chosen activities. Lori offered a Head Bands game during which campers had to ask questions to determine what object was pictured on the head band they were wearing.

Jordan and Mark offered a tennis clinic. Everyone had fun knocking the balls over the net.

A friendship bracelet station was offered by Erica, Amanda, and Amy.

Up on the patio Vanessa, with Kamil’s help, provided a chance to the students to make origami objects.

The Beauty Salon designed by Megan, Shelby, and Joanna proved to be a big hit. Customers were lined up for their services.

Students had monopoly money to pay for their chosen beauty treatment. They left feeling relaxed and elegant!

At obiad we could finally relax. No more classes to prepare – maybe :(

Volunteers pitched in to return all the teaching supplies to their proper places to ready the work room for the next team arriving on Saturday. Then a couple of them had time for a nap before the evening program began. Meanwhile the Polish staff was busy making the tent ready for the evening program.

We gathered for an early supper which featured the fish dish. The evening meal did also require a request to the kitchen for another jar of Nutella.

Then suddenly it was 6:00 and parents were taking their seats in the tent and it was time for the final program.

Marek Błaszczyk, Reymontówka Director, opened the program by welcoming the parents, grandparents, siblings, and friends of the camper to the program. He welcomed the Siedlce County Deputy Governor, noting she is attending the final program also in the role of a grandparent of campers. He then introduced the Global Volunteers who participated in the program, followed by introductions of all the Polish staff that were part of this camping experience. Then each class group presented a thank you poster and a Reymontówka T-shirt to their teacher.

Three campers then took the stage as the program MCs.  First up was Lori’s group who performed The Tooty Ta. The class taught by Joanna, Mark, and Jordan first sang the ABC song and then performed part of What a Wonderful World. Amanda’s group followed, singing Don’t Worry, Be Happy.

The campers then provided a dance routine set to the music for the song, New York! New York!

Three more groups performed. First was Erica’s group who sang and performed to I Want to Move It, Move It! Shelby’s group followed. Her students each displayed a map of a region of the United States, listed the states in that region, reported on the major industries or agricultural products of the region, and ended with noting a major city in the region. Megan’s group was next, doing a Macarena routine for the months of the year.

Then the girl campers did another dance routine set to the song, Please Mom.

Two more English language groups performed. Megan’s group sang Hakuna Matata.  Amy’s group ended the language presentations with the song describing what each student wished to be in the future.

Next on the program was the theater performance, Children’s Dreams.

Marek then attempted to close the program and invite everyone to the bonfire area for kielbasa, but we interrupted him to say the program had one more song from the Global Volunteers – a surprise (niespondzianka). Joanna first gave a short speech expressing our thanks to all who helped us have such a wonderful experience at Reymontówka. Then we all sang the Linger Song, ending with singing one verse in Polish, something we were able to do with Joanna’s help. It was made especially special to all of us since we were surrounded by our students while we sang this.

Next everyone went to the bonfire area for kielbasa, conversation, good-byes, and shirt-signing.
 
Quiet began to settle onto Reymontówka except for the sounds of a birthday party being held in the skansen area. 

Saturday, August 3

We gathered for breakfast at 7:30, delighted to find a special treat of pancakes (naleśniki) with plums. There was more good conversation over breakfast. After breakfast, the volunteers went to the kitchen and presented a thank-you poster to the staff there.

Loading the van and car for the trip to Warsaw was the next thing. Joanna, Mark, and Jordan rode with Marek to the home of Joanna’s father. When Marek caught up with the rest of us at the airport he had a gift of milk in a tube for the Missouri volunteers to take home. Those leaving had a long wait in the baggage drop-off lane and while standing there, another departing passenger spotted Erica’s Global Volunteer shirt and explained he had been a Global Volunteer in Romania and Ecuador. So while the wait was long it became more pleasant as everyone exchanged Global Volunteer stories. Soon it was time for the final good-byes.

What a great experience we all had together in Poland!

Journal prepared by Lori