Another week has passed during my 5 weeks working in Romania, so here’s what I’ve been up to:
I visited Sighisoara and Sinaia, and am in the middle of the 4th of 7 camp sessions. On my last post, I was in the midst of my 2nd.
For the 3rd camp session, I had older kids. Rather than 8 or 9, they were 13-14 years old. My current group is around the same age.
I continue to get to know the other trainers better, and we’ve even gotten a few new ones.
One trainer joined right before session 1, while another joined at the start of the 3rd session.
The Romanian trainers continue to cycle in and out, with some of them only around for a single session and others remaining for the whole summer. They have to work a lot more than we do, though, so I think it’s pretty fair.
The Continued Camp Experience
Every group of kids is different, and I don’t just mean the ones in my lessons.
The students in every camp session carry a certain overall vibe with them, and the 3rd session was one of general apathy and disinterest.
We had a lot of older kids for that camp, and while they participated in the activities, it often seemed like they didn’t want to be there even if they were fully invested.
To give an example, my group often had straight faces and looked bored. We played games like Mafia and Hedbanz. Yet, even though they seemed bored, they kept asking to play again.
This can be demotivating when it seems like your students don’t really care to be there, and yet their investment in the games still managed to shine through.
The “Problem” Kids
During the 2nd camp session, one of the teachers brought their kid along, and he kept wandering between lesson groups and generally acting like a creep. He wasn’t one of mine, but every trainer knew who he was.
Then there’s one of the kids in my group, who will remain unnamed. He was a bit of a weird case.
From the moment we saw him in camp, we could tell he’d be difficult. He dressed and acted like a troublemaker, but was extremely invested in the camp and seemed to genuinely want to do the activities. He was excited for whatever games we did, and clearly really wanted to be there.
But he also caused a lot of problems. He liked to wander around, picking fights with certain kids he already knew before coming here, and always when he thought the trainers weren’t looking.
When he interacted with us, though, he was a nice kid. Taking our dishes for us, giving someone his own ice pack to soothe their leg pain, and interacting with us a lot.
While I bear no ill will towards him, it was a tough spot to be in to make sure that everyone felt like they were being treated fairly all the time.
I introduced him to D&D and showed him how he could find people to play with. He loves stories, so I’m hoping it’ll set him down a good path. I truly think he just needs to be set in the right direction and he’ll be fine.
Making Friends and Making Plans
We’ve definitely started to find little niches of friend groups. That’s not to say that we don’t all talk to each other, but some of us definitely interact with certain people more than others. I try to jump around and talk to everyone I can!
I could easily see myself staying in contact with a lot of these people well after our time here is done.
In fact, I’m already thinking about joining two of the other trainers for a trip to Moldova and Dubai for a few days after we’re done here!
Fearghal, one of the most outgoing and charismatic of the trainers, left after 2 weeks to go to a different summer camp in Hungary. He wished he could stay here, but had already planned that camp before this one. I’ll definitely keep in contact with him as much as I can!
The Trips
I’ve now visited Sighisoara, which is a beautiful, colorful city and citadel with a mountaintop church and graveyard.
I also visited Sinaia yesterday. It’s a big tourist town with a massive castle, gondolas, Eastern Orthodox monastery, good sights, and good food!
Both trips were absolutely worth it. I’ll write more about them soon!
Conclusion: A Good Experience so Far
There’s been some drama between the trainers, and it continues to build. But it doesn’t involve me, at least not directly.
I like knowing what’s going on just for the sake of not being taken by surprise, but I don’t plan on taking sides in arguments that don’t concern me other than just trying to help resolve them.
In spite of that, I’m having a great time here, and meeting some great people!
Romania is an amazing place!
So happy to hear you’re having fun!