Being Just Like One of the Kids

Our primary goal for camp was to create a camp for kids and second to encompass diabetes education. This may seem counter intuitive to the basic premise of a diabetes camp, but it is important to realize that these kids are just kids and we wanted to make their experience not only educational, but also entertaining and interactive.
Since my usual role at any hostel is social coordinator, I thought it only fitting that I help organize the night activities. On the second night, I organized the game, Busca el Gringo, which is essentially go find the gringo like hide and seek. I hid 9 gringos throughout the camp site and each group had to find them all. The first group to find each gringo received the most points with less for each group after.

I placed Carlo up a tree and felt bad later when he almost fell out of it. I stuffed Kendra inside a trashcan she's 4'10'' and could fit inside. I put April in a cupboard, Merith behind some curtains in the auditorium where we started the game, Corey in a shack, Jackie in a flower bed, Nadine in the bushes, Natasha behind the cabins and Randy found his own spot behind a whiteboard. I think I made the game too hard because the kids took awhile to find the gringos, but when they did, they were so thrilled! It's similar to the feeling of finding the big Easter egg on the egg hunt. The game was a smashing success and everyone had fun especially the hiding gringos.
For the other night activities, mainly Kristen and Carmen organized them because I fell seriously ill. I was so ill I laid crying in my dorm unable to get up to get medicine from the docs. Thankfully, Caitlin found me and retrieved the medicine for me. I thought I had swine flu, but Nick, the doctor, said it was just a viral infection despite my sore throat, coughing, runny nose, body aches, fever and lack of appetite. So, I spent much of the next 3 days bedridden. Many others fell ill during the week as well. Sadly, Randy ended up being quarantined at the Quito hospital for several days after his host family took him there. He almost missed his flight home because the doctors had to blood test him for swine flu. I'm glad no one took me to the hospital.

Kristen and Carmen created a flurry of phenomenal activities including the talent show, twister, costume party and dances. I only wish I had felt well enough to participate more than I did. My kids felt bad that I was so ill, and I was careful not to infect them with whatever I did have. Thankfully, Jairo and James took the reigns and watched over the kids without me until I was well enough to join back in.
Despite being MIA for most of the week, the crew remembered my bday and made a cake to celebrate. They asked me to come to a meeting where they presented the cake and I received my sugar high.
Other groups organized the sports and arts activities. All in all, the kids were just kids and learned how to better manage their diabetes in the process of having fun. And I had fun just being like one of the kids.