Brazil Camp - A Day in the Life of Camp - by David Rains

A Day In the Life of Camp Brazil

A typical day at camp started for me around 6:30am as this was time my campers decided to wake up everyday. In Brazil you don’t greet people with a good morning but rather the Portuguese equivalent which in “bon gia.” Breakfast started each morning at 8:00am, it usually consisted of a lot of fruit including watermelon, mango, papaya and local oranges. After breakfast we would have a 20-minute compass check where we would talk about the different elements of the zone and the day ahead.

After compass check we then would begin the days activities, each day we would have two different activity blocks each being an hour and fifty minutes long. We used these long activity blocks to help teach and then play new sports with the campers, we taught them how to play American football, ultimate Frisbee, kickball, baseball (with a whiffle ball and bat), capture the flag and speedaway. The campers loved learning all the new sports, and while it was a challenge at times to teach them a new sport with the language barrier once they learned they were hooked. Some of my favorite moments from camp come from the enjoyment I experienced while teaching and playing sports with the campers. After the first session of sports in the morning we then had our regular Christian Living class, they were usually conducted by the local members in Portuguese and then translated into English for us by Mr. de Campos. Then we would enjoy lunch, which usually included a fresh salad and some combination of rice and beans with meat. After lunch we would have one of my favorite activities of camp, English class. I loved English class as it was a way for us to use our knowledge to teach them something, and it was also a great way to interact with the campers. While we were helping them learn English they were helping us learn Portuguese. We would then have our second activity block in the afternoons and teach them a new sport, from the list I mentioned above. In the evenings we would have dinner, which would consist of everything from chicken to fired or boiled fish to beef. The kitchen staff worked tirelessly everyday to help provide the camp with fresh delicious food and we were all incredibly grateful for their work and sacrifice.

After dinner we would have a variety of activities including a minute to win-it game, a dance and even a game night. The dance in particular was a hit with the campers who enjoyed learning the different American line dances. What I just described was a typical day of camp in Brazil. The camp itself and people I met were truly inspiring. It’s an experience that I would not trade for anything.