WORK WORK WORK WORK

So eColonias hired me as an English Immersion Camp Counselor for children around ages 10-17. Basically, my job requires me to be present and speak English (and help keep kids from speaking Spanish. The other stuff they need me for is to help keep all the kids speaking English during their time at the 3 day camps, organize games and sports to keep the kids busy, sing and play guitar at the camp fires, and basically hang out and have fun for 3 days. Already I know it’s the best job I’ve ever had and maybe ever will have. 

Each counselor (meet them here: I love how Matt's the only one pictured at the top of the page.) is assigned a group to be in charge of.  

 

Left to Right: Boots, Matt (Aus), Sarah (Pasadena), Lola (England/France), Becca (Virgina), Chris (Cupertino), Lance (Ventura), Big Boss Mike (D.C.). 

To start each camp, we make them go through Customs: they take an oath to speak only English, get a passport and nametag and then have all their items with any Spanish words (unless it's blacked out or taped over) confiscated as contraband.

We get divided into competing groups ("crystal" economy) and share each and every meal with them, including snacks and late night snacks. This is Lorraine (Ireland) and her group.

It's small quarters during meals, and on the 2nd and 3rd day, we move around to other groups so the kids can ask us different questions and be exposed to counselor's accents.

On the first day, we always do a campfire with group dances (chicken dance, sally walker, "bill") campfire singing and s'mores (marshmallows have to be purchased through an actual smuggler to get them in Argentina). Their favorite songs to sing around the campfire are things like Oasis – Wonderwall, One Direction – That’s What Makes You Beautiful, The Beatles – Twist and Shout and anything by Bob Marley. Unfortunately I can’t remember songs off the top of my head so it always turns into kind of a crazy and awkward singalong, but they always like it. Then my fingers get tired and things get sloppy and I stop the song with a big "HEY" and applaud them. AND Then we give them s’mores (with random sticks from the ground), bring them inside for cake and chocolate milk, and turn them over to their teachers/chaperones full of sugar and excitement for the night.

I'm the one elected to play guitar (check out this mini travel guitar. it's super quiet/uncomfortable to play and never stays in tune) for the campfires. Watch out, Wayne Brady.

Truly foreign concept to them. Typical reactions - "What's this white thing?" and "It's so hot!"

At some of the camps, they have a Hollywood theme where the kids prep for weeks on creating scenes from popular movies (Terminator 4, Toy Story 3, The Tooth Fairy, Hocus Pocus) and acting them out to be filmed and screened at their own Oscars party. You can tell these kids come from money based on the costumes and props they bring. I had to shoot two different movies for the kids, and my teams came in 1^st and 2^nd place in two different camps: HAY-HAAAAY. At one camp, they asked me to be in charge of “entertainment” for the Oscars ceremony, where I took a bunch of kids and came up with a dance routine (to LMFAO), counselor/teacher impressions and corny introductory jokes (e.g. What kind of car does Indiana Jones drive? A Harrison Ford! Ba-dump-CHISH). Never realized how hard it would be to come up with puns that ESL children will understand and find funny. After the Oscars, there’s a dance party for the kids. It’s only about 5-6 songs, but they go CRAZY. They also get mad when I’m playing DJ and can’t get to their song request. But it’s fun. It’s the only time I’ve been ambitious enough to put on the necktie I brought from home.

 An example of elaborate costumes/props. Meet the Simpsons.
 
 If we have extra time to kill, we make them make a movie poster of their movie. The oscar goes to...

We try to dress the part for the theme. Check out the Japanese businessman on the left.

Boundaries in the teacher/student interactions are pretty loosely defined here. Check out this teacher (actually a really good one) gettin jiggy wid em.

For some reason, these boys immediately switched from around the neck to around the head once the music came on. A lot of them.

We play a LOT of games. Some of the games they play are capture the flag, water balloon volleyball, Splat, and graveyard. We also play more involved games like ultimate soccer (ultimate frisbee with a soccer ball in hand), baseball and futbol. I love this part, because I get looked on as a super athlete for being able to use my hands to catch and throw. And hit baseballs. Easy games, but the kids constantly complain that some aren’t following the rules. Although the Argentinian kids are very cool and not spoiled/annoying, they are always cheating in games and complaining about one another cheating. Uber-competitive, even when there’s no prize or anything when they win.

SPLAT - Elimination by banana guns

Red Light/Green Light

Also the kids apply for and are hired for "jobs" at the camp. There's a candy shop at the end where we smuggle in skittles and american candy, and they go through the exercise of changing Argentinian pesos for USD and then buying US candy. They go crazy for this stuff. Also, they can work together to make a funny magazine.

Kids working at the candy shop. Some of them spend like $10, and about all of them regret buying Big Red gum.

Here's a shout out from an "Amazing Race" Themed camp's magazine. Holler at your boy JON JOHN.  

During the camps, we get put into hotel rooms either in the same place as the kids or down the street. Also during the camps, I don’t pay for food as we’re fed 3x a day and more with decent tasting food. I get paid a small stipend for each camp, so it’s like I’m double earning by saving on housing and food and still getting paid. Plus it’s actually fun, so I’m liking this gig.

The most difficult part of these camps is saying goodbye to the kids you’ve gotten to know so well in 3 days, knowing that you’ll most likely never see any of them again. Everytime they get on the bus to leave, the goodbye waving session lasts about 20-30 minutes. It's a good time frame though - enough time for you to like them and not enough for them to get tired of you. Then our transport is either provided back to BsAs or we find our own way to our next destination.

Safety first

Here's some shots from the Gold Rush Camp:

 

One of the worst activities - cardboard wagons, decorate them, race them across a field without ripping it. hooray.

Potato sack costume for the wild west

Wanted Posters of Counselors/Teachers - some pretty racist stuff goin on here.

but pretty accurate.

 Some professional-caliber line dancing.

And here's the Amazing Race camp:

 These last two camps were at Carcaraes, a big hotel/campground resort about an hour from Rosario. This place looked nice, it was huge, and it was warm for the first week.
The river

 La lechuza - possibly first wild owl sighting. Add it to the bird list (with "penguins" and patagonia flamingos)

 Foosball table - we jacked the hotel's foosball table, put it in our suite and spent hours playing after the kids went to bed.

 This group had a bunch of teenagers who had super bueno english. These 4 were part of my group - the Potato Smashers.

 They usually will try to imitate the counselors during their celebration banquets. Can you guess which one is yo boy Boots?

 Showin the kids wussup on the field

 The Potato Smashers - conversations in perfect English about Argentinian Politics, Superstitions, and Culture as well as religious beliefs. Solid kids.

 One of the things I wish I brought home with me but forgot - Australian dot painting on a boomerang.

 Go Lakers! 2013 baby!

And on to the main attraction...Rosario! (pretty, pretty-pretty...)

P.S. If you're that bored, feel free to peep the movies my groups made (good, but about 4 minutes each):
Terminator 4
The Tooth Fairy