As I sit down to write my last blog, I find myself coming full circle. After a long day of traveling, I am sitting in the Philadelphia airport only about 50 yards away from the restaurant I ate at on my way to Italy.

It was our final week of camp and we tried to make it the best week we could. Each day this week had a different theme. Monday was military day, Tuesday was superhero day, Wednesday was wacky day, Thursday was pajama day, and Friday was tie-dye! It was really fun for the kids (and us) to have a little something extra for the week. Most of the center staff was gone for the summer (either back in the states or back in the schools) so instead of my normal 8-5, I worked 9:30-6:30. I mentioned it in my last blog, but this week we lost our future sixth graders and gained the kinders going into first. I spent my mornings with the kindergarteners trying to get them adjusted to the new building and new routine! Our field trip this week was supposed to be going to the movie theater on post but since it’s been under construction all summer the kids weren’t able to go. We tried to give them a fun day still so instead of going to the movies, we had a movie day at the center on Wednesday. The kids got to choose between three movies, enjoyed popcorn, and got to snack on snows cones afterward. Unfortunately, since we were the only staff left, we didn’t have enough staff to take the kids to the pool this week. Thursday night we got to meet the Army Garrison Commander who came to the center to thank us for our time in Vicenza and coin us with a Coin of Excellence.

Friday was a really hard day for both the kids and for us. Since we had been going by our dessert names all summer, we decided to reveal our real names to the kids through one of our camp songs after lunch. We thought it’d be a great idea but it took an unexpected twist and all the kids started crying. We tried to do Pie the Counselor but only managed to get through half of us before the crying got to chaotic and we had to separate the kids. The kids managed to pull it together enough to enjoy snack and the last bit of playground time they had before we did our last closing of the summer. Closing was even worse than when we revealed our names, and more than half the kids were crying that we were going to leave. The tears were bittersweet because it gave me some peace of mind knowing we gave the kids a good summer, but it was so hard to leave them and all their sweet faces. I am going to miss them all so much (some more than others) but I know they’re in very capable hands with the center staff.

Our nights were pretty calm after work this week. We spent most of our nights just packing and preparing to leave. Taco Tuesday was on one of the other bases this week so we weren’t able to have any free tacos. Thursday night we took a little walk around base (and bought some last minute items before coming home) and then went and watched some soccer games that were happening at the soccer field behind the hotel. I switched my shift with one of the other girls on Friday so I had enough time to come back, drop my bike off, and make it to my tattoo appointment. Afterward, we finished packing and had one last get together before we all headed back.

We took one of the Army shuttles to the airport but since we’re nonessential personnel, we had to be on the 3am shuttle in order to create the least likelihood of us getting bumped off the bus for needed space. However, since the first flight of our group wasn’t until 11, we had a lot of time to kill at the airport. And, since we had to be on the 3am shuttle, we didn’t sleep the night before. Most of my friends are flying into Atlanta and it was really hard to leave them this morning. It’ll be weird not waking up to, or working with, or seeing them, or being with them every day.

So to recap, I have been up since 7:25 Friday morning, sat at the airport in Venice for seven hours, sat on the plane from Venice to Philadelphia for nine, have another six and a half hours in Philly, and have a two hour flight back into Detroit. It’ll be quite a long few days but I’m ready to get home. And as much as I’m ready to be home, I’m bummed to be leaving Italy, my friends, and my kiddos. This summer was full of ups and downs but I wouldn’t change any of it. I am so grateful for the experiences I had and the opportunities I was granted through this program. I grew tremendous amounts, gained a wonderful new group of friends, and created many magic moments this summer.

Thank you to all the staff, my fellow counselors, and my friends and family for supporting me throughout this entire process. I could not have imagined my summer without any one of you.

This week was definitely a less stressful week all together. Both my work week and after hours week were great, but my weekend was a little bit of a let down. I can’t believe that it’s less than a week until I come home.

This week I split my time between the older and the younger kids at camp. Monday and Thursday I was in Jurassic camp with the younger kids where we made excavation hats and dug for gems and fossils. On Tuesday I went with the older kids on their field trip to the water park. We got stuck in traffic on the way there so the kids only had a few hours to enjoy the water park, and due to various rules, I wasn’t able to enjoy it with them. I wasn’t allowed to wear a swimsuit and was only their to escort the kids to and from the slides. Nonetheless, I always enjoy whatever time I can spend with my kiddos! Wednesday and Friday I was in archery camp with the older kids trying to improve my shooting skills. I haven’t shot since I was like twelve so it was fun to try it again! We took our last trips to the pool this week and I went with the older kids on Thursday.

Since the kids going into middle school will be attending the Youth Center next year, their last week of camp is spent over there trying to transition. Similarly, the kindergarteners who will be going to SAC next year spend their final week with us, trying to transition in. With all the changes happening the last week, we wanted to celebrate with the group of kids we had been with all summer before the moved on. On Friday we had our end of the year party that we call Desserfest where the kids performed in front of their parents and then we all got to eat yummy delicious treats after (and yes, these are the exact words I used to bribe my kids to practice). Our Desserfest was Dr. Seuss themed and we spent all week preparing decorations, skits, blitz songs (the camp songs we sing at the beginning of the day), learning a dance, and practicing the closing songs we do at the end of every day. The kids did so amazing and I was so proud of all the hard work they put in this week. Seeing them perform definitely made it sink in that I have to leave them soon. I am going to miss them so much!

Our week was pretty calm outside of work. I wasn’t feeling the best after work on Tuesday so I didn’t end up going to tacos. Wednesday we went to the bowling alley, but only ended up hanging out and didn’t actually bowl. Thursday night we also went to the bowling alley, but this time it was with all of the Camp A staff before four of our early arrivals left us for the summer. Most of my nights this week were spent working on homework, packing, and writing “plane letters” for my friends to read on their way back home!

Friday night all the SAC staff went out for a nice last dinner. I know I’ve said it a bunch before but I got so lucky with the staff I was placed with this summer. I am so glad we were able to do one last thing all together. Saturday morning our plan was a second attempt at Switzerland but unfortunately, we were unsuccessful once again. We called four times in fifteen minutes for a taxi but there were none available and by that point, we were no longer going to make our train. We were super bummed to not have any weekend plans (not to mention the money we lost out on) but we did our best to enjoy our weekend anyway. After missing our train we went back to sleep and finally got some good sleep which was must needed. We spent the rest of our Saturday planning and making tattoo appointments for the following week! Sunday was another relaxing day with not a lot to do. We had a “fam breakfast” for the last time and then spent most of the afternoon packing. After we finished packing we went shopping for one last time at the mall just off base and went to the American restaurant for dinner. Even though it wasn’t the weekend I wanted, I’m glad I was able to spend one final weekend with the girls that I will now call my “forever friends”.

I can’t believe everything is winding down now. It still feels a little surreal to think about leaving but I’m ready for this adventure to end and to be back home with friends and family.

Here’s to one final week in Italy!

We just completed week nine of the summer and with only two weeks left, emotions are all over the place. I am sad about leaving the kids and my friends but I am eager to return home and return to normal life.

This week challenged me at work more than any week yet. I came into the summer with the goal of improving my behavioral management skills and I am definitely working at that. Despite the behavioral incidents, it was another great week with the kids. I was originally placed in DIY Home & Body camp but got swapped into basketball camp instead. Even though basketball was an all age camp, I spent most of my time with the younger kids this week. Wednesday we took our field trip to Gelato University where the kids got to make their own gelato and learn about the history of gelato over time. This wasn’t the kids favorite field trip but I thought it was super cool. Gelato University is a real university that you can attend to learn everything there is to know about making gelato, so if teaching doesn’t work I guess I can go back to Italy and open a gelato shop! I also got to spend time with the little kids at the pool on Friday. Instead of having the kids pie us on Friday, we got to pie the kids! We didn’t tell the kids beforehand but instead told them that we were just going to switch around our format. Normally, we sit in a chair and the kids just walk up and pie us but this time we had the kids sit in the chair and we squatted in front of them, telling them we wanted them to be able to get a “nice full pie”. Once the first girl was sitting down, we slipped goggles on her and slid a pie over to our counselor. She was definitely surprised and the kids went crazy! Thankfully, she was a great sport about and all the other kids who went after her had a lot of fun with it. I know I enjoyed pie-ing the kids instead this week!

My week outside of work was just as eventful as my week at work. Last Friday we found mold underneath the pullout couch so we were given temporary housing for the weekend. Unfortunately, the problem was only slightly resolved so we were given a new permanent room that we moved into Tuesday night. Moving rooms and having to pack up all of our stuff was definitely a pain but I’m glad it’s mostly done now so I don’t have to do it all before I leave. Before moving on Tuesday we got our weekly free tacos and were able to get to know the Military Family Life Consultant (MFLC) that is in SAC with us everyday. Wednesday night we also did our weekly bowling but two of the staff members who normally bowl with us were with the MST kids in Croatia so it just didn’t feel the same. The rest of the week was spent attempting to work on homework and enjoy time with my friends before we have to leave each other.

Since the week was so eventful, it only makes sense that the weekend would be the same way. Friday was one of our favorite coworkers last day so we spent Friday night hanging out with him and some of our other coworkers. Saturday morning we got up in hopes of heading out to Switzerland for the weekend. We tried to buy our tickets beforehand but the website we normally use was giving us trouble so we were just going to follow the same train route and buy individual tickets along the way. However, a late start in the morning threw our schedule off track. We could’ve still gone to Switzerland but would’ve gotten in at 17:00 instead of 13:30 and figured it wasn’t worth our time to visit Switzerland for 18 hours. Luckily for us, our first stop on the path to Interlaken took us to Milan which is where we spent our Saturday. We visited the Starbucks Reserve where coffee is both roasted and brewed. This is the first ever Starbucks in Italy! It was super cool and my coffee was delicious. We spent the rest of the day exploring Milan by visiting the Duomo, shopping, and having a fantastic lunch. Sunday was a much needed day of relaxation where we visited a spa in Verona. Hanging out in the pools and hot tubs was exactly what I needed after a crazy week! The weekend didn’t turn out exactly how we planned but we still had a blast exploring a new city. AND, we officially booked our tickets to Switzerland for next weekend so we will be spending our last weekend there!

It’s crazy to think how fast time has gone by and how quickly it’ll all be over but I’m trying to take in every moment possible. I can’t wait to see what the week ahead has in store for me!

It was another great week both at camp and after! We just finished week eight of the summer and we’re only three weeks out from coming home. Time really does fly when you’re having fun!

This week, I spent most of my time at camp with the older kids. I was supposed to be in “Slime Time” with the younger kids but got switched last minute into “Cakes Galore” with the older kids. We spent the whole week putting our baking skills to the test! Monday we made homemade sugar cookies with homemade frosting. Tuesday we went to the Acropark ropes course for our field trip. I was with the younger of the older kids (eight and nine year olds) and wasn’t able to go on the super high courses, due to age restrictions, but the center director took over mine and another counselor’s groups at the end and we were able to do the big zip-lining circle that went across the park (including over the lake!). It was one of the most fun field trips we went on! In baking on Wednesday the kids made four different types of cupcakes. As much as I love the kiddos, I definitely don’t trust them to make something completely edible so while they were baking (and in between helping them, of course) we made our own red velvet vanilla cupcakes. Since we have to share the oven with the kitchen staff and they were trying to prepare for lunch, we weren’t able to bake all of our cupcakes during camp time. This meant that our Thursday was spent frosting and decorating our cupcakes! We decided to frost our cupcakes with cream cheese icing and since there was so much left over, I had to bake something else delicious on Friday. We made banana cupcakes while the kids made a lemon lavender cake with blackberry lavender jam and buttercream frosting! I also went swimming with the older kids on Thursday and was supposed to go again with the younger kids on Friday but their pool time got rained out so they ended up staying at the center. Since the kids weren’t able to go to the pool, they got to watch a movie and eat popcorn and popsicles and I was able to frost my cupcakes! We had so many cupcakes and left over popcorn that while the kids were in snack, my director and I traveled to all the rooms in the CDC handing out goodies to brighten people’s Fridays! And like always, we ended the week with pie the counselor. It was such a fun week and I learned a lot about my making ability. I’m looking forward to coming home and trying out some new recipes!

Our evenings weren’t too busy this week. Tuesday night was another taco night but this time, with a special twist. One of the staff member’s grandmas sent us a care package filled with a whole bunch of goodies that we received Tuesday night! We also played soccer on Tuesday night. I’m definitely going to miss having a soccer field in my backyard! Wednesday night we went resumed our bowling tradition and I had one of my best bowls yet! Unfortunately, one of our coworkers took a bowl for me (intentionally) and rolled a gutter ball so I ended up losing to him by two points. He later on admitted that he cheated, and I still broke a hundred, but it could’ve been my best bowl ever. Thursday night we had another fun team bonding instead of our weekly meeting where we all participate in “Top Chef”. Each team had to create a pasta dish with a $15 limit, including one mystery ingredient and one sabotage assigned the night of. I had been chosen to be a judge so I had the luxury of just tasting the dishes!

Since we didn’t travel far this weekend, we stayed in Friday night. My roommate and I went shopping at the Px and then spent the night in watching a movie and doing our nails! We left around 8:00 on Saturday morning and headed for the train to Lake Garda. We were in the southern part of Garda where we visited the beach, went standup paddle boarding, and explored the little shops around town. We got back relatively early on Saturday which meant I had time to work on some of the homework I have to get done! We headed back to Garda today, this time to the northern part, with some of the MST staff with the hopes of hiking with alpacas. Unfortunately, most of Italy goes on holiday in August and they were closed when we got there. Since we couldn’t do what we had planned, we found a tasty spot for lunch and then wandered the little shops again. Both places we went to in Garda were so beautiful and if I had to stay in Italy (or if I ever moved back), I’d definitely want to stay there! The weekend wasn’t super busy but a whole lot of fun. I know I keep saying it but I’ve gotten so lucky to be placed with the amazing staff that are here with me. I couldn’t imagine driving two and half hours to not be able to do what we’d planned with anyone else!

It’s so crazy that our time here is almost done. We have 19 more days in Italy and only 15 more with the kids. I’m trying to hold on to every single moment and remember each day as best as possible. I’m ready to be home but not ready to leave these kids or these people. I can’t wait for another great week with more challenging, joyful, and life-changing experiences!

What a week at camp! I spent my time with the older kids this week in Game On club where we played a wide variety high and low active games. The kids really got into ‘Mafia’ and ‘Kick the Cones’. I even got to teach them one of my favorite Playworks games, Chi Master! The field trip this week was to a water park, but as Camp Adventure we’re not allowed to go on water park field trips for different safety/accountability reasons. This meant that I stayed at the center all week! Since we didn’t go on the field trip though, they had to pull staff over from the CDC to go with the kids and we had to send some of our staff over there. It felt really weird to be without the whole team for the two days! Everyone was back on Thursday and I got to go to the pool with the older kids.

We did Pie the Counselor on Friday again but this week was my favorite! We have twin girls going into second grade who both have a developmental delay that come on and off to the center. With the delay, they tend to be more emotional and follow directions less often. This also means lots of tough days. The girls came to camp this week and I was able to spend a lot of time with one of them, creating a really strong bond with her. Their favorite thing to do is play tag so I definitely got my workouts in! On Friday she was so awesome during snack (including eating a muffin and grapes AND wiping down her spot when she was done) that she earned a ticket! I wrote her name on it and walked her over to the bags asking her which bag she wanted to put it in. She chose mine and when the time came, I pulled her ticket! She was so excited and did such an awesome job doing it. It was so memorable being able to be part of that joy with her! They day got even better though when we ran into them at the commissary later that night and she remembered my name (she doesn’t know any of the other Camp A names!). She ran through the store playing hide and seek with me while we finished our shopping and then didn’t want us to leave after we checked out. In camp, we call times like these “magic moments” and they are definitely going to last me a lifetime! I’m so glad I’m able to be here with such an amazing group of kids that are going to stick with me forever.

My evenings weren’t too busy this week. Monday night we went to the thrift store where I found a pair of cleats (told you I was gonna go) and then went and played soccer afterward! It’s a really nice turf field and it’s right behind the hotel so it’s the perfect evening activity. Taco Tuesday was in full swing again on Tuesday and then we finished the night by working off our tacos at the gym. Despite our best efforts to start a tradition of Wednesday night bowling, we did not go last week. We went to the gym and called it quits early that night instead. Our PC was sick this past week so we didn’t have our weekly meeting on Thursday which meant another evening without a lot to do. I ended up going to the gym and then going and playing soccer again. It was kind of nice just being able to have me time without having to be go, go, go all the time (even if I don’t really know how to slow down)!

This weekend was also not too busy! We decided to stay in Vicenza this weekend to relax and save some money. Friday night wasn’t anything exciting. I had to make some phone calls to people back home about RockeTHON so that’s what I spent most of my evening on. The time difference isn’t too bad except when I’m trying to talk to people who work all day! We slept in on Saturday and then spent most of the day with some of the center staff. We went and had delicious pizza, got gelato, and then came back and played some games. They’re super awesome and I’m so thankful to be here with cool people like them! Sunday was a little more eventful. We had planned on going to a spa for some relaxation but didn’t realize until we were already in Verona that the place was another hour from there! Thankfully, we had already planned on going shopping after the spa so we just spent the day at the mall checking out all the good sales. We ate dinner at the mall on Sunday and had some great barbecue food. The whole day definitely felt like being back in the states!

We only have 20 days left with the kids (really it’s 19 because today already happened) so I’m trying to savor as much time with them as I can. Even when they’re rowdy and not following directions, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else! I can’t believe we have less than a month left. Time is really flying! I’m looking forward to coming home but I’m definitely going to miss the kids and my camp friends, especially my two roommates who both live in California!

P.s., sorry for the short blog this week! We really didn’t do much (which was needed) so I don’t have a lot to write about. A lot more to come next week!

It was another great week at camp this week! I can’t believe it was week five of camp and week six of the summer. Time is flying by! This week I was in soccer camp. CYS contracts two coaches, Coach Gon and Coach Gam, to run most of the sports camps held at the centers. This meant that not only were we with our SAC kids, we were also with the kindergarteners and the kids from the youth center. There were a lot of kids but the coaches were great and we all had so much fun. It felt great to have a ball back at my feet! I’m even thinking about stopping at the thrift store to try and pick up a ball and a cheap pair of cleats to use the rest of the summer! Soccer camp was all ages but I spent most of my time this week with the older kids since I went on the field trip with them (on Tuesday) and to the pool with them (on Thursday). Our field trip this week was to a science museum. It wasn’t exactly what I pictured based off the science museums I had been to in the states, but it was still cool to see! And of course, we finished the week with Pie Day, Friday. I’ve made so many great connections with the kids and I’m already dreading leaving them at the end of the summer.

The rest of the week was just as fun as camp was! We went to another Taco Tuesday this week and then hit up the commissary again. Tuesday night we finally got our 24-hour gym pass and got to use the gym for the first time! It’s a little intimidating to workout with all the soldiers but the facility is really nice so it makes up for it! Wednesday night we decided to go bowling again (starting a new Wednesday tradition), but invited some of the staff to join us. I am definitely not a good bowler but it’s a great mid-week pick me up! Instead of our typical meeting on Thursday, we went on a scavenger hunt that ended with us receiving letters from our loved ones. It kind of felt like I was on Survivor, getting my loved one letter/visit. Guess that means I’ve made it pretty far! Thursday night we also started playing sock assassination. Each person was secretly assigned someone else that they must assassinate. To kill them, you must hit them with a sock without anyone else (even a stranger) seeing it happen. I haven’t died yet but we’ll see how the rest of the summer goes! We also got a home-cooked (and delivered) dinner from one of the staff on Thursday. Everyone has been so great to us. I couldn’t have asked for a better placement!

My dad and step-mom flew out to visit for the week and even though they flew into Venice, we decided to spend the weekend with them in Florence. We left Friday night and got in around midnight. We walked to our hotel and called it a night. Saturday morning we headed over to Pisa with just enough time to take pictures with the Leaning Tower and grab a few souvenirs before returning to Florence to meet up with my dad and step-mom at the Uffizi Gallery to view some medieval and renaissance art. After the museum we explored Florence a little and got to see the outside of the Duomo. The architecture and detail is incredible to see, especially considering how long ago the work was done. Saturday night we had a nice dinner in a room decorated with cat paintings. The food was delicious but the ensemble was a little strange! We ended the night with gelato before venturing over to the Accademia to see the original David sculpture and the artwork displayed there Sunday morning. It was another culturally enriching experience. Our time in Florence ended with the best meal I’ve had yet!

Despite a relatively easy trip into Florence, the way home was not as fun. We were supposed to have four train changes, departing at 3:10 and arriving back in Vicenza at 8:20, but our first change (the second train we were supposed to catch) was over an hour late! We ended up stuck at one of the smallest train stations we’ve stopped at, sitting on the ground in the sun, for 79 minutes! And since were so delayed, we missed all the rest of the train we were scheduled to get on. Thankfully, we were able to buy a cheap ticket home the rest of the way. This trip had only one change where we ended up eating KFC in Padova for an hour. Our five hour trip turned into a little over six hours but we made it! As much as I hate having to travel for so long on the weekends, we’ve been able to visit a lot more cities and explore Italy more than the girls who get on the direct trains!

I’m so glad to be having this experience, and to be able to share it with (part of) my family! It’s already week seven and even though I’m starting to get ready to come home, I’m having the time of my life. I can’t wait for what this upcoming week has in store!

*TW: This blog contains details and pictures of Dachau Concentration Camp and the Holocaust*

Another eventful week at camp! This week I was in “Mario Party” camp where we did various Mario related arts and crafts and then played different Mario games. The kids really got into it! I was with the younger kids again this week so I went to Gardaland (another amusement park) on Wednesday. We couldn’t go swimming this week because the pool was full of algae so we did water play in the center instead. The kids were a little bummed but we made the most of it and had a water gun fight and ended up turning the playground slide into a water slide. We ended the week like we always do, with pie the counselor!

I also had eventful evenings this week! Monday night my roommates and I went to the Px after work to get a few essentials. The rest of the night on Monday was spent trying to plan for Munich this weekend. Some of the girls have Eurails and some do not so we struggled a little bit finding transportation to get us all there, but it all worked out! We went to free tacos again this Tuesday but got caught in a rain storm on the way home. Biking in the rain has definitely not been one of my highlights! Wednesday we decided to have a little mid-week fun and a group of us went bowling. It was a long week at camp this week so as a pick-me-up, the staff took us to a music festival Thursday night. Most night life doesn’t begin until late but since we have a curfew we had to head out early. I’m sure it would’ve been great to have stayed later but we still had a great night and I loved experiencing the culture.

Friday night we had a few hours to shower and pack a few last minute belongings before heading out to Germany. Those of us without Eurails (three total) headed out to Venice and then walked (really it was more of a trek) over to the bus station to catch the overnight bus to Munich. The bus was cold and crammed but it did what it was supposed to and we made it into Germany at around 6:30 Saturday morning.

Since we had been traveling all night, we were starving and decided to hunt down some breakfast food. After breakfast we headed to the hostel to wait for the other girls to arrive. Since they had also been traveling all night, they wanted to get breakfast as well which gave us the perfect amount of time to go see the new Spiderman movie at the English theater! We had all intentions in heading over to Dachau to visit the Dachau Concentration Camp later that afternoon but it had been raining all day so we decided to just stay in the city. We explored the underground mall (located between the train station and the metro station) and then braved the rain to walk around downtown Munich. Thankfully it didn’t rain for too long while we were outside and we were able to enjoy the pride event that was going on. We ended our night on Saturday at the Hofbräuhaus for a traditional dinner and then popped over to the Hard Rock for some dessert.

Sunday morning we headed over to Dachau before returning to Vicenza. Most of the camp is still standing so we were able to see the gate they walked through, the bunker (prison jail), the barracks, the gas chamber, and the crematorium. The camp had been remodeled when the city decided to turn it into a monument so there were also some religious monuments that had been constructed. Likewise, only two of the barracks remain so they had been remodeled to show what they looked like throughout the years as the camp grew. Finally, the original maintenance building had been turned into a museum. We ran a little short on time in the museum but overall the experience was worth it. Visiting the camp was a very impactful and educational cultural experience that I am so grateful to have been able to have.

After visiting Dachau for a few hours we began our trip home. We had all intentions of traveling the whole way back as a group but there was a mix up in the tickets so we got to have an extra little adventure on Sunday! We took the train from Munich to Brenner, Northern Italy with the other girls but the train had been overbooked so those without a Eurail (aka me) had no place to sit. We ended up sitting/standing in the back of the cart, near the door and the bathroom. Fortunately, a family of four left only a few stops in so we were able to take their seats for the rest of the ride. We had a few hours in Brenner to explore the city (which was surrounded by mountains) so we decided to have a picnic and enjoy the view. We found a great little market and got some meats and cheeses to enjoy before continuing our journey! We then rode the train another three hours in Verona and took a train from Verona back to Vicenza for the night. We ended up traveling for about nine hours that day but I wouldn’t give up the experience for anything!

I can’t believe it’s already week six! I’m loving everything about my time here and I’m looking forward to seeing what the second half of the summer has in store.

I didn’t get photos of pie the counselor this week and I forgot to take a dinner of my food from the Hofbräuhaus but I promise they were both great!

Another great week of camp and festivities down! I can’t believe we’ve already been here for a month. It feels like I’ve been here for a year but it also feels like it has only been a week.

Camp this week was a little different since we had a such a small amount of kids due to the holiday. We even had Thursday off for the fourth! Nonetheless, it was still a great week. I was in extreme sports camp this week and boy, did it kick my butt! We started each morning by doing different running exercises and then followed them with martial arts on Monday, HIIT workouts on Tuesday, a nerf war on Wednesday, and parkour on Friday. Since there were so few kids this week, everyone went to the bowling alley on post on Wednesday and to the pool on Friday. And of course, Pie Day, Friday again this week! I’m really enjoying my time with the kids and I’m already getting sad about leaving them in 47 days.

Since we didn’t have to work on Thursday, we had the whole day to ourselves! I was able to sleep in a little before my roommate and I headed into downtown Vicenza for some site seeing. There is a beautiful olympic theater (that they still use for shows!) we were able to visit. We grabbed a burger for lunch before heading to a museum featuring Palladio’s architecture. Finally, we enjoyed some gelato before heading back to base!

There was a huge festival thrown on base to celebrate the Fourth of July which included food, music, carnival rides for the kids, and a firework show to end the night. The base was also open to the Italians so it was super crowded but the firework show made the experience worth it! I would definitely recommend anyone who has the chance to spend the fourth on a military base to do so. I could feel the American pride running through everyone’s veins!

For our trip this weekend, 10 of us (six Camp A girls, three youth center staff, and one spouse) traveled to Pula, Croatia. We left Friday night, drove the four hours into Pula and checked into the villa we were staying at. We headed to bed shortly after settling in and prepared for our day in Croatia! Our first stop Saturday morning was to exchange our Euro for Kuna (the Croatian currency) and then headed into town for breakfast. We stumbled upon a farmer’s market while looking for something to eat which was super fun to explore and join in the culture a little. After our short pit stop, we headed to the beach to relax in some of the clearest water I’ve ever seen! We spent most of the afternoon on the beach and then headed back to shower and change before exploring more of downtown Pula. The shops were great and the architecture was beautiful! We took one more trip into town Sunday morning to grab breakfast and then headed back in the car to return to Vicenza.

This week was filled with tons of travels and fun experiences. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the summer has to offer!

This is something our Dean of Students, Dr. Sammy Spann, used to say to us every time he would visit one of our training sessions and it’s something I’ve had in the back of my head for the past three weeks. And the quote has never been more true than it was this weekend.

It’s been crazy hot this past week and I’ve been trying to be outside as little as possible. The humidity is pretty brutal and makes it feel about 15-20 degrees hotter than the recorded temperature. I mentioned last week that my roommates and I started doing workouts together and the heat has definitely not made those enjoyable. We haven’t been able to get up in the mornings to run when it’s cooler so we’ve been having to do our workouts at night when the sun starts to go down, but we’re doing them!

It finally happened! Monday morning, at about 9:45, I was finally cleared to be with the kids. I did some active observing the first day and then hopped right in on Tuesday. The SAC caters to grades 1-5 and splits their field trip and swimming days by age group. Tuesdays the older grades(3-5) go on their field and the younger grades (1-2) go on Wednesdays. Similarly, the older kids go swimming on Thursday and the younger ones on Friday. The center staff runs smaller camps in the morning that we assist with, and then we do our programming in the afternoon. I was in gardening club with the younger kids all week, and went on the field trip with them on Wednesday and swimming on Friday. This week we went to a small amusement park called Leolandia (about two hours away)! We’re also doing “pie the counselor” each week. The kids can earn tickets for being good throughout the week and they can choose which counselors bag they want to put them in. On Friday we have a raffle for which kids get to pie us that day, and boy did my kiddo get me good! It was a little messy but a lot of fun. The first week was a blast and I’m so excited for more great weeks with them!

Back when we first got to Vicenza we bought tickets to participate in a trip with the MWR (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation) and the ODR (Outdoor Recreation center) to go canyoning in Lake Garda. There were 10 Camp As (with about 15 others) that headed two hours out to Lake Garda. After we got geared up in our wetsuit, waterproof socks, trail shoes, harness, life jacket, and helmet, we started our adventure. Canyoning consisted of a 150 meter hike (straight up) and about an hour of repelling and sliding down waterfalls, and venturing through the Rio Nero. This was followed up by a delicious meal and another two hour bus ride back. Canyoning was definitely something that pushed me out of my comfort zone but was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. I would absolutely do it again!

After we got home Saturday we decided to head back to Verona to go shopping at Primark, one of the stores in the mall. It was a giant, super cheap department store and we will definitely be making a trip back there with some more time.

Sunday we had a little bit of a delay in the morning that changed our plans and we ended up in Trieste, Italy (on the border near Slovenia and Croatia) for the day. Trieste houses one of the four transit camps occupied by the Nazis during World War II. “Once just a local rice mill or risiera, in September 1943, the Risiera di San Sabba took a dark turn. The complex became a Nazi concentration camp, used for the detention and killing of political prisoners and Jews” (https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/risiera-di-san-sabba). A lot of the buildings were destroyed as the Nazis were fleeing so much of the camp had been remodeled/turned into a museum. It was definitely a heart-heavy experience that I will never forget. We also got to explore Trieste a little while we were there and it was beautiful!

Next week is the Fourth of July so we only have a four day week! There’s a big event thrown on base for the day but we’re going to try and get up to make a day trip before getting back for fireworks at night.

My first week of camp was great and I can’t wait for the rest of the summer with the kiddos!

We finished week two in Italy and this one felt a little more eventful than the last. Unfortunately, the center is still waiting on some of my paperwork to go through so I haven’t received my clearance from the army to be with the kids. That being said, I was unable to participate in the first week of camp. My fellow counselors all told me how great the week was but I can’t give any personal statements on how the kids are or how the activities went.

Since I’m not permitted to be with the kids yet, I’ve gotten a lot of behind the scenes work done! One of the biggest things we do as a day camp program is created different themes for each week to plan activities and songs around. And with that theme comes posters. Typically, we would spend time after work painting posters for the upcoming week but since I’ve had nine, eight hour days where I haven’t been with the kids, I have gotten 30 of the 80 posters we will have to complete this summer finished! As much as I wish I was able to be with the kids, I am so proud of the amount of work I’ve gotten done on these posters (and the less work we’ll have to do through the rest of the summer).

Thursday night I received and email saying all my paperwork was through and that all I was waiting on was confirmation and a memo from the army to CYS saying I was cleared. We were hoping it was going to go through on Friday but I’m optimistic about getting cleared for the new week!

After being trapped in a room all week working on posters, I’ve been itching to get back into working out and being active. I went for a run on Monday and then dragged my roommates with me for another run on Thursday. It gets pretty hot in Italy, and the sun is up most of the day, so running after work is a little brutal. My roommates and I decided to keep up our healthy living and started four different 30-day workout challenges and a couch-to-5k plan. To avoid the heat, we are trying to run Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays, at 5:30am. We’ve done one day already so we’ll have to see how this week goes but we have been keeping up with our 30-day workouts, four days in and doing great!

We finally got our commissary privileges on Thursday, but since we have our weekly staff meetings that night (and since my roommates and I have already been to the grocery store twice), we decided to wait until after work on Friday to go. With intentions of only grabbing a few necessities, my roommates and I biked over to the commissary with three reusable bags. Despite good intentions and a grocery list, we stuffed our cart full of food for lunches and dinners throughout the week. Since we only had a few bags with us, the baggers shoved as much as they could into each one and they were definitely not easy to carry. Now we had to get these groceries home, and if you remembered correctly, we rode our bikes to the commissary. It was quite the adventure trying to get bags that weighed almost as much as we did back home on our bikes, and after a good 10 minutes of struggling, a very kind woman offered to drive our groceries back for us. We have plenty of food for the week but we will definitely have to plan better the next time we go!

Saturday was quite the adventure but the best day I’ve had so far! We got an early start (leaving the hotel at about 6:15) and started our journey. We biked across base, hopped on the bus to the train station, and then grabbed a train into Mestre, Venice. We detoured to a small cafe to enjoy coffee and a croissant before getting on another bus into Jesolo, and then took one more bus to our final destination of Aqualandia. We definitely should’ve checked the weather before we left but we didn’t, and ended up caught in a little rain. But hey, everyone enjoys a good waterpark when it’s raining, right?

The rain actually made the day better because even though it sprinkled on and off, the lines were very low and we were able to ride the rides as many times as we wanted. We even got to go down a slide that was 42 meters tall (twice)! The park reminded me a lot of Disney, with small shows and everything, and it was a lot of fun to enjoy the water and each other’s company.

We stayed at the park for about seven hours (leaving right before the thunder rolled in), and ventured our way back to Vicenza. After three more buses and another train, we ended up back on base for the night.

We got to sleep in a little today and departed the hotel at around 9:15 to journey back to Jesolo. The bus was running late this morning so instead of catching the 10am train, we got to explore downtown Vicenza a little before hopping on the train at 11. We have only driven through downtown thus far so it was fun to walk around! The trip was a little shorter this time with only a bus to the station, a train into Mestre (with a stop at the same cafe of course), and another bus into Jesolo.

This time, instead of getting on a bus to Aqualandia, we walked through town to the beach. It was crowded and definitely hot but a great day to get to know new friends and enjoy some sunshine. Since we have to work tomorrow morning, we headed home earlier (following the same crazy path), and relaxed in our room after a busy two days

I’m hoping that my paperwork goes through this week and I’m able to finally enjoy some time with the kiddos but until then I’ll be enjoying my time in Italy and working hard on posters.

Ps, I’ll let you all know how the workouts are coming along, 5:30 tomorrow is going to come too soon!