The Final Day
Saturday came with a sleepless energy for most of the camp. Many
students had stayed up all night and so when I woke up around 5:30 for my
morning cup of coffee and devotions, it was hard to find a quite place, very
unusual for that time of day. I sat sipping at my coffee and praying out on the
balcony of the meeting room. The room hummed with the slap happy sounds of
teens finding new forms of humor in the simplest of things. Around 6:30 there
was a lull as some of the students finally did take a little nap before
breakfast. Some may have even extended that nap right through breakfast.
At 9 o’clock there was a simple farewell ceremony. We gave the
students certificates of completion and had rather drowsy class pictures.
Around 9:30 to 10:00, parents started to come to collect their kids. The Czech
team has come up with a great way to spend this otherwise awkward period of
time when some students are waiting and others are rushing off. Slightly before
any parents arrive, everyone at camp takes a plane white piece of paper and
attaches it to their back, and then we go around writing final notes to
everyone. You can walk up to anyone and start writing on their back and
suddenly someone else puts their hand on your shoulder and tells you not to
move. Before long, there lines form as students and leaders seek out the next
person they want to leave a note for. Sooner or later, most people have to flip
their paper over so more people have room to write. At the end of it, you are
left with a page, front and back, filled with notes from people you have grown
to know and love.
By 11:00, all the students had been picked up and it was time for the
teams to clean up the rooms and put them back in order. We quickly worked to
get the classroom’s put back to their original use. The rooms were cleared out
and all the luggage was gathered ready for the cars and vans that would
transport them back to the church or homes they came from. The American and
Czech team shared lunch one last time at camp (not the last shared meal, just
the final meal of potatoes at Lesanka).
After lunch, we packed the vehicles and dispersed. Most of the
Americans went to stay with host families. My fellow team leader and I went to
stay at a Bed and Breakfast near Česká Třebová in a town called Semanín. Our
host was an amazing man named David. One of his jobs is caretaker for a ancient
church that is next to his house. He has done this job very well and the church
and grounds have been beautifully kept. We had a dinner of grilled trout (that
we caught for ourselves out of David’s small stocked pond) and kielbasa with
bread and vegetables. Very Czech and very delicious. We finished the day with a
hike around some of the mountains and woods near the house, a great end to a
wonderful week.
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