When I got to Camp Shutaf, I was told I had the option of joining a group of young campers or going on a scavenger hunt with the teen camper. I was a little hesitant to leave the camp location but thought a day out exploring would be fun. I’m very glad I made the decision I did, as I got the opportunity to see various sections of the municipality and learn about the history of the area. I got to see the Old City, and in particular the Armenian Quarter which I’ve never seen – I was really excited and impressed. Thankfully, I was put in a group where the counselors spoke very good English. One of them even gave me a little history lesson about the Armenian quarter which I really enjoyed. Learning about the rich history of Jerusalem and the Old City would’ve been enough but I also got to relax in the shade while eating lunch and a popsicle.
Today was a very different day to my previous experiences at Camp Shutaf but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I wasn’t running around as much and wasn’t able to communicate as much with crazy actions during activities but I was still so pleased with how the day turned out. Now I don’t know what to do. Do I stay with little campers or do I mature up and go with the teens?
By Stephanie Reynolds, Shutaf summer intern
August 2015