Camp and more in Lauders, St. Vincent, The Grenadines!

To kick off our first weekend in Lauders we climbed a volcano. We woke up early so as to avoid climbing in the hot midday sun, met our friends Prince and Renson and drove an hour to the bottom of the volcano. At the beginning of the hike we set a fast pace, so after about a mile we took a much needed rest and played some fun games like “would you rather.” When we finally got to the top we stayed for a while to drink in the incredible view and to eat lunch, sandwiches, chips and Oreos, feeling exhausted and accomplished. On Sunday we attended church with the Cupids, our hosts in Lauders, for the second time and sang One Day for the congregation. The Cupids and the church community have been incredibly friendly and welcoming, and we even saw some of our favorite campers there. We then headed to a new beach, played some fun water games and attempted (and failed) to get a four person totem pole in the water. On Monday we started our second week of camp. We’ve been talking a lot in the group about effective communication between the LIAs while at camp, and how to be aware of where most of the kids are, and spread them out so as not to overwhelm any one department (arts, sports or games). We started off the week really well with lots of improvement in communication and organization. After camp we brainstormed meals to make for the rest of the week, drafted a huge grocery list and went on a big grocery run, followed by dinner in town. Our meals so far have been delicious, from pizza to stir fry to spicy jerk chicken to chicken pilau, a tasty local dish. We’ve also become pros at hand-washing our own clothes and have come to love the smell of laundry detergent. Tuesday was another fun filled day at camp–it’s finally gotten to the point where we actually know a large majority of names and who is related to who. After camp we headed straight for the Owia salt ponds, which were an hour drive away. We all agreed the salt ponds were one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever been, rivaled only by the top of the volcano. We were surrounded on three sides by three different breathtaking landscapes, and the water was clear turquoise. After swimming and sunbathing on the rocks we all did beach art, led by our leader of the day. Today, Wednesday, we went all out with our camp activities and supplies, making tons of art and running a huge camp wide relay race/ obstacle course. We’re really sad to be leaving the kids that we’ve become so close with, but are excited to embark on a new part of our journey in Bequia, and are determined to make the last day as crazy, fun, and memorable as possible.