Camp

A sudden change of plans and I got to hang out with kids for the weekend. Yay! 

Fourteen kids from the hard-hit part of Iwaki were taken to camp for the weekend, no charge. It was a much-needed vacation from destroyed neighborhoods and evacuation shelters. 

We went to a gorgeous resort area several hours away. There was no agenda but being kids. Pirate games, chasing each other around the room, kicking soccer balls around outdoors, a foot race, long walks in the woods and in a park, a night-time treasure hunt, barbecue for supper, smash-the-watermelon, fireworks, a hot springs bath (some kids took evening *and* morning baths), tons of candy and snacks, playing with balloons, you name it, we did it. And McDonalds on the way home. Teriyaki burgers and Shaka Shaka chicken. Yum. 

It was a place where nothing was broken. The toll road was flat, without the wavy bumps or odd angles. The rain, air, water, sand, and grass were safe. Short sleeves were OK. The older kids knew that. But after playing outdoors for several hours, one of the littlest guys was in a big hurry to get to his bath. "I gotta wash off the radiation." He couldn't quite understand that this place was different. That looking for frogs at the pond in the park hadn't been dangerous. He understood "you're ok." But he still wanted to get to his bath. As far as he knows, this disaster happened everywhere. 

I was Janken-man for the treasure hunt. (Janken is rock-paper-scissors.) I wore a duck head for game time, then a soccer star outfit for the second game time. Janken-man stuck. It's been years since I played that many rounds. 

There were typical kid moments, like the little boy who said "Wow, you sure ate fast! Is that how you got so fat?" Yes, honey, you're probably right. Ahh, honesty. 

Not everything went smoothly. Boys kept trying to open the door to the girls' room, resulting in one of those hallway meetings with the camp director. And the bad language was over the top sometimes. I ran out of steam the second night and swapped places with another staff member to get some rest. 
 
But the boy who was cussing at me at the beginning was respectful by the end of the weekend. And the angriest little girl, who had rather colorfully assured me on the way to camp that she totally hated the new girl, was sitting next to the new girl in the car on the way home with no problem. Not best buddies, but I'll take it. Kids who were unsure about the porch swing (it feels like an earthquake) were enjoying it on the last morning. 

The break did us all good. The disaster wasn't mentioned unless the kids brought it up. There will be other times for heart-to-heart talks. The tension level dropped waaaay down in just two days. The cussing is nearly gone. The kids are relaxed.  

Mission accomplished. 

And boy was it fun!!