Ranjana Srinivasan-Wednesday August 17th 2011

Well, I wish I could say day three ran just as smoothly as day two, but I would be lying. Even though we planned and structured the sessions in the same way as Tuesday, the kids had a shift in mood and it was quite a chaotic day. They are starting to get into the routine of the camp: the day starts off with a group hello and a few activities, then to the first two group sessions, followed by snack time, one more session, and a group goodbye. They have also started to associate the members of Team Cayman with different activities. For example in the drumming group there are specific songs that they are used to playing and they know what to expect when they walk into the room. This is also similar with the Singing room. They have songs that they are working on for the final concert and have that to concentrate on. However, when they walk into the movement room , it seems as if all they see is a big space that they can run around in. They are way more interested in running in circles than singing "The Wheels On The Bus" with Channing and me.  At times, Channing and I struggle to maintain their attention and keep them interested in the activities we have planned. However we have now been able to develop a new approach for tomorrow. We have realized that they do not like repeating activities. We need to come up with new and exciting games that they have never done before. We could use a familiar song, but the concept needs to be something fresh. Also, the activity needs to include clear and simple directions. For example, at one point Channing had to run out of the room because one of the children decided they did not want to be there anymore and they left. The activity we had chosen was not exactly working the way I wanted so I immediately stopped, and made up a quick game. I told them that it was called the "Freeze Game." Here are the rules: When the music plays, move in any way you want to, but when the music stops you have to freeze in a pose. I literally felt like I had accomplished something so big because all of the kids LOVED it! It was incredible. It taught me a lot. I was able to give them simple and clear directions and they were able to take that, and manipulate it however they felt comfortable doing so. It was an amazing learning experience. After the sessions Team Cayman decided to venture off into the city to see what we could find. We discovered many different little tourist shops and a few of us bought little wooden flutes to keep as a memory from the trip. I bought two different ones to hang up in my room. We had some delicious ice cream and later on went snorkeling for a little bit and watched the sun set. It was a beautiful day. I love being near the water every day. It really soothes me. Team Cayman really believes that I am obsessed with the beach because I honestly could stay there all day and be completely happy. It was really nice to spend the time with the team as well. Jeniris and I have really been able to spend some quality time together. Today we had some discussions about our families and our futures and because of conversations like this, we feel that our connection has grown throughout the course of the trip. After spending so much time with this group and both working with them and having fun, I can say that these are people who will be in my life for a very long time and I hope we continue to do trips together! Where to next?