My oldest daughter, my three youngest children and I attended Korea Camp hosted by Dillon International last week in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We have been hoping to attend for the past several years, but the timing and the finances were just not in place. I am so excited to report that we had a WONDERFUL time. It was exhausting, but amazing! I am still recovering from ‘event withdrawl’.
This week, I would like to share some of the things that I learned from Korea Camp. Some of these things I learned while preparing to go to camp, while traveling to and from camp and while at the actual camp.
1. Be flexible….be very, very flexible – try not to develop and hold on to any unrealistic expectations. Just relax, go with the flow and have fun!
2. A five hour trip can actually take more like eight or nine when you have younger passengers in the automobile, so allow for a lot of extra time.
3. When planning a long road trip with children who require car seats, check to see if there is adequate padding in the hard plastic seat. I learned this the hard way after a few hours, all three of my little ones where crying because their backsides hurt so badly!
4. Plan for organized chaos the first day of camp. It really is under control, even if it does not look like it.
5. When meeting people face to face first time after ‘knowing’ them via the internet (i.e. forums or online groups, etc) or phone…plan on the fact that they will never look in person the way you picture them.
6. The Korean Culture is awesome and amazing!! Some of it you will like and some of it will seem different, but learn to appreciate it all!
7. Some of our favorite moments of camp were watching the Korean dancer with the ribbon on his head, meeting new friends, catching up with old friends and answering the question, “Where are you from?”…which meant what state or town, not country you came from!
8. When trying to locate your child in the crowd, you cannot try to find the one with the dark hair!
9. One of my children came home from camp the first day so excited that they made a new best friend. When I asked which one, she said, “the one with the dark hair and eyes like mine”. So sweet!
10. The camp coordinators begin working on next year’s camp as soon as this one ends! I believe it! They are amazing! Thank you everyone from coordinators, volunteers, parents, Korean Musician group, counselors, campers and anyone else who made Korea camp a success!
11. Before returning home, stop by a craft store and buy some foam padding to put in the car seats for the ride home…much more pleasant for everyone…backsides of the little ones and for the hearing of the other passengers!
12. If you decide to get ice cream after the long drive home, wait until you actually get home before you pass it out to the kids. Either that, or get a flavor that actually complements the interior of your automobile. Does anyone know what flavor compliments a grey interior?
13. Even if your vehicle does have 154,000 miles on it, ‘recycled’ ice cream still stinks!
14. Pack plenty of Pepto-Bismol and paper towels….and have them ready to hand out in a split second!
15. Make plans now to attend a heritage camp next year! It will be worth every minute, every mile traveled, every inconvenience and every single dollar of expense. It will be a precious and priceless experience for your entire family!
I would love to hear about some of your camp experiences no matter which camp or heritage event you have attended this year. Did you learn anything that you would like to share with others? Please let us know!
Cherri
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