Day 5 - Misawa AB

AOMORI CAMP 2006 - MISAWA STYLE!

Before I even start the blog for the day, I must give credit where credit is due -- my heartfelt thanks to the parents and escorts. Without each one of you, the day-camp at Misawa would not have been a reality! And may you all be blessed in return for your generous donations of food, drinks, and time. Many of you went above and beyond they call of duty! It truly made this day an extraordinary one!

God bless you all!
~ May's ~ Missel's ~ Edward's ~ Mical's ~ Watson's ~ Olivares' ~
~ Winslow's ~ P.Palmer ~ J.Lanenga ~

FIRST STOP - SKI LODGE

Right off the bus, the kids dumped all of their gear at the ski lodge and stretch their legs before any activities begin. Tent assignments were handed out and kids started setting up tents. The Yamada High School bus had to leave by 2pm to return to Aomori (another night of Nebuta), but we managed to get a quick tour of the base in before its departure.

Beth Missel gave the group the base tour around the back of the flight line and a few other key locations before stopping at the Weasel's Den. Thanks Beth!

NEXT STOP - WEASEL'S DEN

The kids were let loose for about 1.5 hours in the Weasel's Den to have some FUN! The Japanese kids try out rock climbing and had a blast. Thanks Jacob and Ashley Winslow (certified in rock climbing)--without you, the kids couldn't have enjoyed the wall.

Aki (counselor) runs with the kids in a game of soccer.


Kids start signing t-shirts and continued throughout the day.


NEXT STOP - SKI LODGE

We had just enough room in the parents's and escorts' vehicles to shuttle the kids back to the ski lodge for the remainder of the day. The first task at hand was setting up tents. It would seem there was one puzzle for the day--trying to figure out how to set up Emily's tent! Luckily her father showed up and set us all straight. Once the kids finished up, they played a game of Capture the Flag and The Blob. As they played, the adults were busy beavers at work...

preparing the grill, chasing kids, avoiding the camera ;) and
preparing fixings for hotdogs, hamburgers, and Korean beef...



And some seized the opportunity to rest...ahhhh...



And the crazy kids PLAYED! No camp is complete without a WATER FIGHT!




DINNER TIME!



TALENT SHOW!

Each group of campers (5-6 groups) had to come up with some sort of "talent" to present for the Talent Show. The kids were a bit nervous, but excited that they all had something to share. They all did great! I think Noah was the only kid in almost every group (not only for the Talent Show, but the whole camp).

The audience - campers and families.


WOW! Human pyramid!


This group had a Q&A in English and Japanese.


Lianna Oritz plays charades for her group. Way to go!




This group had their own comical version of The Three Little Pigs. They shoot the wolf to save the pigs after they were eaten!

CAKE IN A CONE!

The kids enjoyed cake in an ice cream cone, topped with frosting and their sprinkle of choice. Is it smart to load them up on so much sugar when we're ready to head to the campfire? Hmmm. The kids LOVED the dessert--thanks Beth!

I gave all of the kids the basic instructions on S'Mores and we were off to the campfire pit (a.k.a. Camp Falcon). A special thanks to the Olivares' for getting the marshmallow sticks--what a lifesaver!!

CAMPFIRE - S'MORES - SONGS

The fun continued around the campfire. The kids dove into the bags of sugar, umm, I mean marshmallows and chocolate. When all had their fill of eating and scaring each other in the dark, we gathered around the fire for a few songs.

My Hat
My HAT,
It has THREE CORNERS,
THREE CORNERS,
Has my HAT!
And had it not,
THREE CORNERS,
It would not be,
My HAT!

Flea
Flea
Flea fly
Flea fly flow
Vista
Coomalata coomalata coomalata vista
Oh no no no not the vista
Enie meenie desimeenie eskimini saulomeenie
Enie meenie desimeenie ooo wall-oh-wah
Bee biddly oaten doten bo do skadeeten dotten shhoooo!

The night concluded in their tents after 10:30 p.m. and beyond. There were lots of giggles, girls sneaking out to go star gazing, and other girls off to who knows where. Sen had to set some of the kids straight--this is not any location in Japan, this IS a military base and they need to respect the rules that are in place. We didn't seem to have any problems after that. The adults with the biggest dark circles under their eyes were the ones who stayed up until just after midnight to be sure everyone was fast asleep...

I headed back to my house for the night to tend to the baby. She had a decent day back in her bed for some much needed rest and cuddle time with her daddy.