Last week I got back from the YMCA. I got myself clean. I had a few good meals and an overall fun stay at the YMCA. The “Y” didn’t have everything, but I did get to hang out with all the boys… at the Peace Corps’ annual BUILD camp!
I’m sure you’re wondering, “Justin, what does BUILD stand for?” Well Clifford, BUILD is an acronym for Boys United in Leadership Development. We help facilitate a weeklong camp for teenage boys with Georgian counselors; it’s edutainment at it’s finest. Boys learn how to improve their communities, their health, and their professional careers. Overall, it was a great camp, only two kids went to the hospital (concussion & high fever) and food poisoning was minimal.
Observation: Georgian Kids are Way too Competitive
Georgian kids go nuts for competitive games. They basically become Michael Jordan going for his fourth ring. They are going for the win at all costs, and they will put their bodies on the line for the “W.” Let me use the story of how the first kid got hospitalized as an example. We were playing “extreme bingo,” which, in retrospect, was a terrible idea. Extreme bingo is a myriad of teamwork-based challenges where you have to go under and over a limbo rope creatively. One particular challenge required getting one person over the limbo rope without touching the rope. In theory, I imagined the boys working as a team to lift one of the boys over the rope and help lower him down gently on the other side. Confidence was high with this belief-I can’t stress that enough. Confidence was so high that I rejected the initial limbo rope height. “Lets put the rope higher and give them a challenge,” I said. We moved the rope up to five feet. Guess which hospitalizations story this will be. I remember my thought process exactly, and it went like this:
I’m holding the limbo rope. One team is boosting up their scrawniest kid on the back of another kid. Great! They’re working as team! Wait… Why is human stool kid getting up from all fours? He’s boosting scrawny kid higher. Oh dear God, that scrawny kid is up high; he’s up seven feet standing. Scrawny boy is losing his balance, and he’s putting his hands on the human stool’s shoulders for support. Whew…He’s balanced now. The rest of the four boys that aren’t part of the scrawny boy human stool combination are getting behind both of them. Why isn’t anyone on the other side of the rope to help lower scrawny boy down? This doesn’t look good. IS ANYONE ELSE SEEING THIS RIGHT NOW? The pack of boys are flipping scrawny boy over the rope. Oh god he’s cleared the rope and falling. THUD! He landed flat on his back. It’s so painful; I’m cringing watching him writhe. I’m looking right in the eyes of the other counselor holding the rope, and I can tell were both thinking the same things. We should have kept the rope low.
If you’re concerned with the kid’s health, have no fear. The concussed kid ended up being okay, and we took the proper measures to notify his parents. He left camp with a cool, cold cloth on his head, a trip to the doctor, and a story to tell.