Day 4: Constant Evolution of a New Lifestyle

Almost all participants at T-Rex Village are now adapted to a new way of living, we are moving forward with what will be a marvelous experience in life. We can now understand everything that is being said in a language we might have just heard some days ago, that can seem a little weird, but I just think it's the way we CISVers are wired. Multiple harmonious expressions seem innate to us and will help us express what we cannot with words.

Our life at home has officially stopped, we're all at the same place now, we evolve as a group and we're learning how to work as one. Activities are now more fluent and although some problems may come and go, our new friends are always there to lend us a hand. Group building is essential to the Village and we've felt we could not have gotten a better set of groups ever. Our Leaders are completely amazing and although we've only just met, we've been working like if we've known each other from a long time ago. 

Activities in a Village need to be fun and challenging, we've found that children work better when they've got a challenge to overcome and when they see they can have a benefit out of winning or completing the challenge. Whenever children overcome a challenge, they gain a bigger amount of knowledge because it has a greater meaning to them.

We had our first encounter with debriefing, children started to speak out loud about their opinions and what they've learned from the activities. Although we did not have any deep thoughtful activities, we had a very good approach with the debriefing model and we realized children were even readier than what we thought. The best part about the day was talking with the children and realizing that we could commence with these debriefings and have successful conversations about topics they could use further on in their lives. 

Day 3: Making New Friends

Once a camp begins there is absolutely no way stopping it, what is done will continue moving our lives and what happens will make a permanent mark on all of us. Children are the fuel that move the day to day life of a CISV Camp; Leaders, Junior Councilors and Staff work hard even though exhausted to improve and organize every day that passes by. As long as the camp moves along, our lives will be left standing still back at our own countries and cities. 

Sudden friendship is not an uncommon thing to see at a CISV Camp, specially in the Village Programme where the age group lets them decide that their new friends are the best friends of all. As days pass they unite and make an everlasting bond with people from other parts of the world, a huge network of souls united by one same principle and one same love. CISV Friends are forever, and forever is not a finite thing to come by. 

Leaders become their role models and someone to look up to, at the same time Junior Councilors become their keepers and someone to come to. It's incredible to look at time passing by and realizing that what you though was a lifetime now is just way to short and will pass by with no hesitation. children that homesickness is no longer a possibility, it just becomes a burden and a reason to not spend time with their new found friends.

As time moves on, we all realize we are not individual beings at a same location in the world, we are all parts of a same mechanism that needs to function like clockwork to get somewhere. We begin learning how everyone likes their food, how we speak differently, and most importantly, how to communicate without having to use words. Three days have gone by, but it seems that it;s just tomorrow when we'll have to miss everyone, and then the roles will change. 

I know for certain, when writing this blog, that all pieces are moving in unison, our T-Rex Village is on its way to greatness, all components can start to roll like if we knew each other from a lifetime ago. As we learn from one another, we learn from ourselves, things children speak seem so mature and so true, we realize we're all part of one family, one heart. 

 Although this seems like a short while, three days seem like an eternity of knowing someone when you're at a Village. Friendship endures, strives and will blossom while we continue to mature, children will in a future reunite with their CISV Friends at a new programme and although some years have passed they'll take off where they left. I now know for certain that the last day will be one of the hardest for me, because although I don't want it to come, and I'm not ashamed to say it, I'll be completely Campsick. 

Day 2: Some Explaining

While it's really complicated to understand another human being from a different part of the world, CISVers are great at this just because we really believe in one same principle. When we come together we can understand each other in signals, other languages we do not comprehend, or by just asking for a helping hand. Communication and peer-to-peer relations are a must in CISV, and we are the best at just forgetting about troubles and talking to someone who we've just met.

As the camp starts to evolve, we begin teaching the children what life at camp will be like, we commence with activities, and we bond as a big CISV Family. Leaders, Junior Councilors and Staff play a fundamental role in developing the camp and getting things running for the children to enjoy all the lessons and benefits that the T-Rex Village will bring to them.

 When children start meeting new people at a CISV Campsite they quickly begin to gather new lessons that can be used in their day to day camp life. Our day started with various games and activities that led to the children knowing one another, their names, favourite food, music tastes, and other fun facts that can lead them to understand people from other parts of the world. One interesting thing is the fact that the outside world does not seem to affect the interior of the Campsite and we start living in our own perfect little world where we live in peace and friendship.

Integration, friendship and group building is all we look for in the first days of camp, evaluating these two days we've come to realize there has been absolutely no problem with bonding and creating a healthy environment in the camp. As days move on we'll realize how this village will change perceptions and most importantly how it will become a life changing activity for all Participants, Staff, Leaders and Junior Councilors.

Day 1: A Journey Starts, A New Life Begins.

A CISV Village is the perfect explanation of what the CISV World and Experience means, as such, a Village is the gateway to a new life children will endure as CISVers. Not everything is perfect in our little world, nonetheless, it's really important to start looking at life through these goggles we've been gifted with and step up to make a change. Nothing defines us better than CISV's own principle, we want a more peaceful and just world, we want to stand and make a change. This, our village, is only a start. 

 Although it seems like much, a day passes in a mere second, you blink your eyes and can see the children already getting used to camp life and making new friends, their arrival has made us realize that a month will not be enough, but that the complete CISV lifestyle will endure with them. 

 Not knowing a person is no excuse in a CISV Campsite, we all respect and act with politeness, children take that as an example and start speaking, even if it means using signals or drawings, with other children they knew only a second ago. Also, being a CISVer gives you a unique set of traits to endure this path and come out with new knowledge, skills and attitudes each and every time.

 The Staff has worked hard to make sure every single detail is set and although some trouble may arise eventually, our wonderful group of Junior Councilors and Leaders have been there to help us and make sure we do not stumble. Villages demand an exceptional group of adults to organize and set everything, as a Staff, we are completely sure and confident we will have the best Camp and the children will learn from a wonderful experience. 

 We've learned from every single moment we've been together as a group of leadership, we've laughed, talked, planned and gathered knowledge from one another. One thing we can relate to as fellow CISVers is the need and urge to learn from other cultures, even if it's a song, a poem or a word. Evidence of this is easily gathered, we are confident that we all learned one more thing today when we celebrated Håkon Havre's (JC) birthday.