Chuisuc

Where did you learn to play basketball, play defense and offense, or be part of a team? 

There’s a good chance it was at camp, right? We know that camp is not just a place for kids to spend a fun summer, but an excellent setting in which kids can learn life skills that they will rely on long after the camp experience has passed.

Chuisuc has a nice flavor, that after you have tasted you can talk about it. Camp at Chuisuc is like you're around your family and love ones. The first day we arrived at camp, the kids were treating us like celebrities. Alec was like  "Larry Bird" from the NBA.

When Alec, Tevanah, Manny, and I were directing this camp program, I remember once asking a newly enrolled 12 years old, who was attending camp for the first time: "Well, are you ready?" The kids love when we are around them. 

The most important thing is when you get coaches, who speak a language they don't know and at the end of each camp day they learn a word.

Camp starts like around 2:30pm to 4:50pm Mon-Fri. The coaches get to ride the public mini-bus and after that, we take the "Chicken Bus" to Cantel, Chuisuc.

As soon as we get there, the kids get to what they are supposed to do. The Girls love when Tevanah says "Chicas ven aqui". And you always see a smile on them. Hector (me) is like the translator of the camp, even though the coaches try hard to use their Spanish #whatheyknow, and the kids are really proud of them. 

After the warm-up, we break up into boys and girls and each head coach (Alec, Manny, Tevanah and Me) meet with each kids to review their spot, and how to shoot the ball when playing basketball. We also talk about dynamics, we interrupt and make adjustments to ensure every child is getting the maximum experience possible. 

While our camp continues to run 80 mph. We wish you could see all that's going on at the camp. A snapshot doesn't tell the whole story. In fact- it barely tells anything at all. 

During the time the kids get to practice with coaches, we also get students who are studying in the

afternoon and they would interrupt with us and spend their 30min break from class with us playing basketball or just us watching how the girls play vs. the boys. Some teachers love to join us too.

When Alex arrived to camp, the kids didn't know what to expect. A lesson that they might be learning from now on is that, what's going on and is most important at camp is children learning independence and campers  growing each and every day.

(A very special thank you to Hector for writing this blog post!)