Sharing Cultures – some Canada love

Canada was a tad neglected in our national night recaps…so here’s some love just for them (in photos)!

 

Born in the USA, part 3

The last part of our national night came a few days later.  We were waiting for a clear night with no rain so we could have a campfire and roast s’mores!  However, Mother Nature had other ideas.

So we did the next best thing and made our own campfire!  S’mores melted in the oven, songs around some candles.  And if you ever run into some Footprinters out in the real world, offer them some s’mores and they will be your best friends!  (S’mores were very popular).

 

Born in the USA, part 2

That evening, Canada and the USA both showed presentations about our countries, cities, and families.  Then, it was time for the whole camp to break it down!

A little “Crank Dat” from Soulja Boy…

And a little line dancing to “Wild, Wild West” from Escape Club.

There were also appearances by Abe Lincoln (who looked a little bit like Will), Indiana Jones (very Thomas-like), and two members of the US gymnastic team, Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin (who are almost as talented as Darci and Delaney).

Abe and Indy

 

Gold medalists

And a special screening of “Steamboat Willie”, the first Disney film with Mickey Mouse!

We had one more surprise up our sleeve, but it had to wait…due to some inclement weather…

Any guesses what it was?  Stay tuned for part 3!

And thank you beaucoup (getting their official languages of English AND French in there) to Canada for being such a great partner for our national nights!

 

Born in the USA, part 1

No, this is not a post about Springsteen.  (Although we were back to watch him play the Super Bowl halftime show).  It’s a long-awaited post about OUR national night!

We shared the day with our North American neighbors, Canada!  It was a really fun day.

In the afternoon, we shared an activity period.  Canada had a rotation of three activities – basketball (which was invented by a Canadian), hockey, and making dream catchers. 

Then we created an obstacle course for the camp to go through.  There were four teams – the white, the red, the blue and the green.  Unbeknownst to the teams, the white and red teams had much easier obstacles to go through than the blue and green teams did.  But those differences soon became obvious…

This is easy...

This is harder...

 

This is easy...

 

Blindfolds make it harder!

So why did some teams have an easier time than others?  Well, the United States, in it’s short history, has sometimes discriminated against groups of people.  And not that long ago, African Americans were forced to use separate water fountains, separate bathrooms, and even sit at the back of the bus.  They had a much harder time doing daily activities, simply because of the color of their skin.  And while there is still racism in the US today, we have come a long way.

There are two big reasons why we chose to talk about civil rights as a part of our national night.  Number 1, in January, we celebrate the birthday of one of the greatest civil rights activists, Martin Luther King, Jr.  And Number 2, we were less than one week away from the inauguration of Barack Obama.  We were so happy with the discussion that we had – all the Footprinters contributed great thoughts!

After such a busy afternoon, we headed to snack.  Pancakes with maple syrup (Canada) and ants on a log and Gatorade (USA)!

Stay tuned for part 2…what happened that evening!

 

Sharing Cultures, part 3

Our latest national night was a fun event from Peru and Costa Rica!

We started with the Perutica Fair (Tica is a word for a Costa Rican person).  We played musical chairs, pin the tail on the donkey, jump rope, and a game with a very large elastic band that you jump through.

Peru shared a delicious dish at lunch today – pastel de papas – made from potatoes and cheese.  We also got to see two dances.  One is traditionally done before a marriage or wedding proposal and the other is a harvest dance.

Peru Delegation and the Staff

Costa Rica shared snacks – a sweet snack made from guava and condensed milk – and their national dance as well.

We ended with a small dance party!

Muchas gracias, Peru and Costa Rica.

 

Sharing Cultures, part 2

Yesterday, we had two national activities – Guatemala and Australia!

Australia let us write a story using Aboriginal symbols and gave a clinic on how to play Australian football.  The Australian football is similar in shape to the American football, but is much bouncier.  We also tried Vegemite and learned a song and a dance.

The Crocodile Hunter, an Aboriginal person, a beach lifeguard, an Australian football player, and a kangaroo!

 Thanks Mates, for a great day!

Guatemala started their activities with Loteria, a Bingo game with Spanish words.  Later that evening, we had pinatas, a video and an amazing traditional dance.  And one of the best parts – frozen chocolate covered bananas for dessert!

Thomas trying to hit the pinata

Muchas gracias, Guatemala!

 

Sharing Cultures

So far, we have had two national night presentations.  National nights are our opportunities to show a little bit about our different countries – what we eat, what we do, who we are.

Argentina was the first national night.

(The Tango)

We ate empanadas filled with beef, peppers, onions, and egg.  Darci liked them so much she ate 6!  We also saw two traditional Argentinian dances, including the tango.  Gracias, Argentina, for a great night!

France was next.

(Lyon´s Salade)

We ate a Lyonnaise meal, went on a scavenger hunt to learn about France (the current capital is Paris, the old capital was Lyon, the higest mountain in France is Mont Blanc, and we know more French words than we thought we did!)  Merci beaucoup, France, for a wonderful evening!