Today was a very fun and different kind of day because it was my first whole day with the same group. The ages of the kids are around 8-9 years of age and were full of so much energy. It felt nice to finally have a specific group to be with because it allowed me to bond more with those kids and the counselors. I also got the opportunity to experience a broad range of activities with the same group which made it possible to see the different sides of the kids.
There a few extra special moments today one of which was when one of the kids leaned on me and held my hand while we were in a session with animals. I always heard that children have the best intuition and judgement of character and for a child who doesn’t even know me to trust me like that was very heartwarming. Throughout the day kids were asking me for help and coming up to me which was also a great feeling. Another fun activity with the kids was when we got to play outside with bubbles. We were playing together and I got to take some awesome pictures. Seeing the smiles on the children was very satisfying. To have children respect me but also enjoy my company without us even really speaking to each other is simply another heartwarming moment.
Campers and counselors alike were engaging in conversation with me and I think it was then that I started feeling really good about the day. Getting to know a few of the counselors was also really great because it allowed me the opportunity to bond with people around my age and I also got to learn a little about life in Israel and at Shutaf. Making new friends is sometimes difficult for me but being with this group at Shutaf was pretty fantastic. Once again there was the obvious language barrier but when you are around certain individuals for a certain amount of time you start to build a great relationship!
By Stephanie Reynolds, Shutaf summer intern
August 2015