AFS CAMP 2008

I love summer. I love what summer represents, and the mood that it brings to everything and everyone. Ive honestly been trying to think of how to explain the joy in my heart, for this is the best summer of my life. Ive just returned from a camp full of exchange students, and some Japanese high school students. And in the moments we spent hiking, cooking, swimming, and even bathing together....It confirmed my beliefe that youth are the key to world peace, and programs like the one I am in now is a vital tool to achieve that peace.
Ill be honest and say, at first I didnt want to come to camp, and my fears were realized when they showed us this building we were to sleep in......

There is no bathroom inside, no beds, and no AC (lol) just floor to sleep on and some shelves to store your shoes...In the end it wasnt so bad.....

I met the cutest Korean boy. I was trying to have a picture to remember him by hahaha well some Japanese girl jumped in the picture hahaha

Funny thing is he loves black people and rap music. He watches American TV shows, and remembers the curse words from them hahaha

Its funny to hear someone who doesnt speak english to well curse like a pro. He loves 50 cent and Tupac. He kept me laughing, hes full of surprises.

This girl is awsome. Ami. She helped me out the whole time if I didnt understand something, not to mention we had some awsome girl talk during our hike. Shes so funny and she loves anything American lol

She says shes American in her heart, I believe her. Shes such a wonderful person and I know we are going to be friends for many years!

Every night we made dinner. Like real camp style. We made the fire and everything. Obviously Im not in this picture lol so I was standing to the side looking beautiful haha. It was about 10 people in my group, some people cut up the veggies, some people made the fire, and some people cooked! I cut up veggies, yay!!!

Me and my sister from Paraguay!

Vane is so awsome, and when we saw each other for the first time in 4 months we were jumping up and down and screaming "HERMANA, HERMANA" which means sister in Spanish lol

Shes such a sweet person, I cant wait to go see her in Paraguay one day!

Each one of these people is from a different country! Isnt it great! Dont they look so happy? I love this enviroment. It took me until the last day of camp to realize that I was the only black person there. I didnt notice at all. Its wonderful to be in a place and feel completely accepted and loved. These young people are the future, and will do some good for our world. I just know it, I feel it.

On our last night, we had a camp fire. We danced around it four hours. at the end of this clip you can hear me and someone talking some nonsense lol Its kinda funny. It was alot of fun. Im going to remember this forever.

I am so lucky, and this expereince confirmed for me why I am in Japan. It reminded me that Its not just about my Japanese expereince, but meeting other youth from around the world who have the same hope, ideas, and love for the planet . Its about creating lasting bonds that surpass nationality, religion, or race. Its about learning, sharing, bonding, living, and laughing together. But right now, and then we are sheltered, in our perfect diverse world,secluded and separated by mountains and rivers from the people who dont share our own views. So we have to learn to be each others support, and spread the love and respect that we share for one another to everyone we meet. I think its going to be a domino effect. And it started in the deep woods, on a mountain in Japan.

I wish some of our world leaders could have been there. To see Japanese, Americans, Germans, Brazilians, Australians, Coasta Ricans, Chileans and more, jumping around a camp fire together, staying up talking until 5 oclock in the morning. And coming away with so much love and respect in your heart. Thats how I want the future to be like. I sincerely hope that when I come away from this, I can apply what Ive learned to my life, and help others to have the same expereince. To help others feel the Love. To help others understand why its so important to have peace. Its so vitally important, I feel as though Im chosen, by a higher power, to do this. It was always my destiny to travel. I am a person with so much love to give. So much that I never really knew what to do with it. Being an exchange student has shown me part of the answer. Its to share that Love with everyone I meet, so they will share it with everyone they meet.

So it you are reading this blog, I invite you to start the domino effect that I mentioned. I invited you to open your heart to others and truly try to understand them, their ideas, and their culture. I invite you help us; To help all these wonderful people that Ive had the pleasure to meet and be friends with, to find that peace. It can be something as simple as making a friend from another country, or trying your best to let go of your stereotypes, or learning another language. All of these things are fun, and will benefit us all in the end.

With so much trouble, war, and death in our world, we can often forget that wonderful things are happening, wonderful life changing things. Strong cross cultural bonds. Be a part of the movement. Share the Love. Just Share the Love.