Though we’ve had to suffer through a couple crazy thunderstorms, the weather has been for the most part cooperative and we’ve been able to enjoy both the extensive outdoor space the camp offers (ping-pong table, basketball court, soccer pitch, volleyball net, and tons of grass and concrete) as well as the villages, rivers, and beautiful trails in the surrounding landscape here in Cayón.
On our first day, we wasted no time after getting settled in the bedrooms and chatting a bit with our new campmates before we were off on a scenic hike to the nearby village of Totero, where we played some games and most importantly learned about some strange, scary, and silly mythological creatures native to Cantabria. That evening we got to know our new friends through the creation of the four teams at this week’s camp: The Fierce Tigers, The Fiery Phoenixes, The Furious Dragons, and The Raging Red Bulls. In these teams we compete in competitions that take place during morning activities with our English teachers, afternoon activities with the monitors, and night activities.
Every morning after breakfast we have input groups (different from our teams) during which we practice English with our teachers. We write in our journals and play some fun games such as categories, fizz buzz, and bomb. For the rest of the morning we play more games with the teachers practicing English, often outside if the weather permits. A memorable one has been ‘human sculptures,’ where we competed in teams to make the most creative sculptures out of our bodies based on certain rules.
In the afternoons and evenings we’ve done some great things so far! On day 2 we took advantage of the sunny weather to hike to a nearby gentle spot on the river to do a bit of swimming, play with our new friends, and see the area surrounding camp! That night, remembering what we learned about Cantabrian creatures the day before in Totero, we had a race with our teams around the camp to find these creatures and pass some of their tests in order to fill our forest passports.
On day 3, as it was unfortunately rainy and wet, we stayed indoors for the afternoon playing with clay, making cool bracelets, and doing other fun arts and crafts. That evening we did an English karaoke night with our teachers, attended by special guests the Village People (..”Y.M.C.A.!”) and KISS!
On day 4 the sun poked it’s head out again and we walked to another nearby village, Lloreda, where we spent a couple of hours learning several traditional Cantabrian sports and games, such as bowling, wrestling, and vaulting with long sticks! We also learned about the signals, such as arrows, circles, and numbers that Cantabrian people have used for hundreds of years to communicate to each other on paths….these came in very handy during our night activity when we had an “American quest” which required the reading of these signs with our flashlights on a pitch-dark hike near the camp!
Today, day 5, we were blessed with beautiful weather and after a morning of English we packed up our backpacks with a towel and our lunch, pulled on our bathing suits, covered ourselves in sunblock and went by bus to Laredo! There we spent the afternoon horseback-riding, swimming in the ocean, and sunbathing or playing games on the beach.
Check back in the next couple of days for photos of Laredo and tonight’s night activity, a fashion show, as well as for updates and pictures of the fun to come!
