Slovakia. Germany. USA. Australia. Israel.
No, we’re not at the World Cup. 4,973 miles away from Brazil, something more amazing than a group of men kicking a ball around has just begun– in good ol’ St. Paul, Minnesota.
Yes, ladies and gentle-readers, the first day of Un-Camp has arrived (and the crowd goes wild!), bringing with it a host of dynamic girls from every corner of the world.
But let’s face it, first days are usually tough. Hop into your time machine for a moment, and head back to the first day of school, for example. You didn’t know anyone, the teacher could’ve been evil, and chances were, you wouldn’t like lunch. The bottom line is, you wanted to go home.
But rest assured, the first day blues were unheard of at Un-Camp today.
After spending a sunny morning schmoozing over cinnamon rolls, we could hardly call each other strangers. Baked goods just have a special way of bringing people together.
As do Target trips. Everyone forgets something at home, so we piled into a car and headed over to the wonderland of toiletries that is Targé. After all, that third stick of deodorant is a necessity, just in case you miraculously run out. Or the raccoons get to your stash.
Later in the day, after decorating our heads (yes, we decorate heads here), a hearty supper, and an icebreaker where we shared our life stories in 60 seconds, we were ready for our first class.
No evil teacher here at Un-Camp. In fact, one of the first things Rabbi Friedman asked us was, “What do you want to learn here? What do you want to go home knowing?” Seriously, when was the last time a teacher asked you that? Plus, calling out is heavily encouraged in this classroom, which is a good thing when such hot topics are being discussed. From belief in G-d (“Where’s the proof?!”) to sex (“Did a rabbi really just say that?”), things started out pretty interesting on Day 1. And it can only get better from here.
So, dear family and friends, while we miss you tons, we’re not homesick yet. We probably won’t get homesick. We probably won’t even want to leave at the end of this thing. But our adventure is only just beginning, and we can’t wait to tell you all about it.