On July 22nd we had some special visitors from across the globe. A while back we were contacted by a group that hosts school-age students from Korea. They were looking for some entertainment options during their stay in California. Although we were pretty much set with our numbers and staffing, we decided that a great cultural experience was worth a little extra effort. Friday of Session 4 was the first of 7 days that the group will be joining our camp this summer.
Starting at around 8:00am groups of students were dropped off at The Potocki Center by their host families. Some were a bit quiet and shy and others sped around the center like it was Christmas morning and all of the toys were out and ready to play. Right away they discovered our computer center and snatched up the guitars for some Rock Band on the XBox. We had plans for plenty of non electronic fun for later, so we let the good times roll. Oddly enough, this is not the first group we have had from Korea. Last summer a slightly smaller group joined our camp for a few days. We discovered then that Starcraft is like a national sport in Korea and this year’s group had a seasoned pro. During our morning tournament he dominated all of the competition and lead his team (which consisted of himself and one of our campers who was a beginner) to victory. As the kids played, they were entertained by one of the older girls in the group who played our electronic keyboard like a concert pianist.
After our morning center fun, we headed to Saddleback Lanes for some bowling. To mix things up a bit, we paired their students with our campers as we plugged them into the lanes. We were told by a few of the kids that bowling in Korea is only for adults so they were very excited to try. By the end of our hour, the kids were exchanging high-fives and sharing food. I guess their lunches have been kind of basic and they loved the snack bar fries. With the assistance of lane bumpers, we had some decent scores and Kian almost got a “turkey” (three strikes in a row). Fridays at Saddleback are always good fun and this day was no exception.
Although we had already had a ton of fun, it was only mid-day. When the group got back to the center it was time for some outside play. We tossed out a few different options and soccer seemed to be the top choice. In this activity, there were stars from both groups and the sportsmanship was outstanding. It was hot but the kids continued to play for quite some time. As the group finished up, we cranked up the AC and set up a variety of inside activities for the kids to explore. We rested and played inside for a bit, but we had one more outside game that we had to throw into the day…Capture the Flag.
CTF, as it is know at OBE, is probably our camp’s favorite activity. With both groups combined we had over 50 players in the game! Using every flag belt we could find, we made it work. After some brief instructions and a couple of initial games, it was on. One of the reasons we love CTF is that there is something for everyone to do and it all happens at the same time. Some players love to defend and patrol the center-line. Others love the thrill of racing into enemy territory for their chance to steal the enemy’s flag. With this new group mixed across both teams they quickly understood the tasks and strategies that help achieve victory.
As the CTF broke up, we served afternoon snack with ice cold juice (the sugary good kind), fruit, and graham crackers. After a long day, everyone was ready for some final indoor fun. Back on the computers, it was time for some old school Counterstrike. We’ve got 8 systems that run it and they were all cranking away for the last bit of time. Just like the bowling it was cheers and high-fives each time the round was won. For those who were looking for something different we started some bingo and a few small group games throughout the center.
They say all good things must come to an end and around 5:00pm the host families began to arrive at the center. Their staff and students were incredibly gracious and thankful for what they said was one of their best days of the whole trip. The group was heading to Universal Studios on Saturday, but were already looking forward to their next visit to Outta Bounds. The day went so fast that it took a while to process everything that transpired. One of the greatest things about the camp experience is that fun is universal. If you create and present great entertainment, the kids will eat it up and language or culture is not a barrier. Not to turn this into a political piece but it’s unfortunate that the leaders of nations can’t learn from the example set by children.
We have had an incredible first half of summer at Outta Bounds and this great addition was icing on an already delicious cake. From the beach to Magic Mountain our kids have experienced a ton of great locations and activities this summer. Sharing some time with the kids and staff from Korea will be something that will stay with them as a life-long memory. And we still have half a summer and 6 more days with our exchange students to go.