AFS Tuscany Camp

After weeks and weeks of counting the days until the AFS October Survival Skills Camp, the day arrived. I left around 10:30 for the station, where I met Giuditta, my advisor. We then bustled our way to the bus station and I was reunited with fellow AFSer Magali from Belgium. We had a rather uneventful trip to Colle Val D'Elsa. After getting off the bus we were picked up by some volunteers are driven to a villa outside of the city. (The picture left is all of us in the backyard of the villa by the well) The weather was nice and warm and for the first time in too long I got to breathe fresh air. It is amazing, the little things that we take for granted are often some of the things we miss the most, in my case one of the things is the fresh Newport air that I'm accustomed to. 

There were 11 of us total: Oregon, California, Texas, Honduras, Hong Kong, Thailand, Poland, Turkey, Greenland, Belgium, Chile. It was not like an ordinary camp. Instead of being read to from an ominous looking rules and guidelines book, we played games, talked, and laughed. During the scheduled time we played group games, talked about out concerns, and joked that the circle of chairs we sat in made us look like members of an AA meeting. In our spare time we hung out in the garden, talked, laughed, sang really loudly, and played some "Calcho" (a name for soccer.)

Most people ask me if I'm eating amazing food, and still the reply is yes. Even at camp. I was shocked. It was quite an upgrade from what I'm used to. Three course meals, and a waiter. The only thing that I really did not care for came as quite a surprise one morning. I went to pour myself a cup of coffee and though it looked like coffee, it smelled atrocious. I added a little extra milk and sugar and sat at my table to enjoy a pastry breakfast. Here in Italy, I drink coffee every morning. It is really superb, but not this stuff. This is because it was not coffee, but cafe d'orzo. It is a cheep form of coffee that I was informed that most hotels serve. It has trace amounts of coffee in it, but it really is barley water. Why people drink barley water instead of coffee will always remain a mystery to me. So if ever in a cafe in Italy, stick to cafe, stay away from options with "orzo."

The second day there, we got to take an outing to Siena. What a beautiful city it is. (I'm 

really proud of the picture I took at the right.) We just got to wander around the tiny steep roads of Siena, and took "pranzo" (lunch) at a pizzeria. There are so many tiny roads in Siena. And there is also the Duomo di Siena. An incredible church. (Pictured left is Ruyam from Turkey and I at the lower part of the duomo.)

The weekend passed too quickly and soon we found ourselves trying to make the last night last as long as we could. Among the events for the evening was a talent show. We split into three groups and were greatly entertained by a variety of acts including: cultural dancing from Turkey, Thailand, and China, a dance we all learned that is from Belgium and popular in Poland, a skit involving a lot of jam, and some group games. After the talent show we played this game called "werewolf" and had a lot of fun with that and the accusations that you're supposed to make while playing. It got late and the counselors went to bed, while we tried to stay of as late as we could. I don't even remember how late it was. 

The next day we played a game called "manifestazione." We had to sit onto the ground and huddle into a ball while the "police" had to try and pull us apart. It cause a lot of bruises, but we had fun. After lunch things became a little somber as the realization of returning to our new normal sank it. Most of us talked about how we wished the camp could go on for a month. Time rushed by and suddenly it came that time to leave for the bus. We said very loud goodbyes and I had to rush off for the bus. Again, the bus ride was uneventful. When I arrived home, my melancholy was immediately squashed when I saw a package from home sitting on my desk. A big thank you to mom for that!