unprepared. we were utterly unprepared for moroccan summer camp. oh there was planning, months and weeks and hours of planning. shuffling papers, highlighting fluorescent stripes across those papers, endless phone calls, frantic convincing in a different language, countless meetings, smiling promises, rescheduled meetings, flustered conversations, misunderstandings, collaboration of funds, late nights carried by anxiety and excitement, anticipatory children, clamoring to escape village life. and remarkably after these rushing months of plans, we felt ready. arrival at the campgrounds with the counselors the day before camp proved to be a flurry of dust and debris as we swept, mopped, scrubbed, and aired out cabins. fresh mountain air nursed us to a sound sleep and the kids arrived (much earlier than scheduled) the following morning. the next few days disintegrated into crying children not used to being away from home, screaming counselors who didn’t understand the camp theme (environmental) despite an informative workshop before camp, frustrated americans who couldn’t communicate as they wished, mealtimes that weren’t on time, and a general plethora of ailments and minor chaos. where was the moroccan flag? where are all the dishes and utensils? how do we get cleaning supplies, how can we refocus the camp to its original intent, who knew we needed a sound system, why didn’t he tell us he doesn’t eat anything with oil? fortunately, with the aid of fellow volunteers, meetings, and some liaisons between moroccan and american staff, the camp was sorted out to as orderly as a camp of 150 kids can be – and the children loved it. in fact, the majority wanted to return next year. the chaos was no one’s fault – it was due to many factors, including very different ideas culturally of what ‘camp’ consists of, unfulfilled promises from our counterparts, and the composition of workers we used. but in the end, a 10 day environmental summer camp was completed and if nothing else, it paves the way for future similar projects and collaboration between american and moroccan associations.
