los campamentos / camps

10 days. 24 hour bus ride (each way). 240 teens. Bread 4 times a day. 8 hour hikes. 2 bonfires. 1 badly sprained ankle. Endless beautiful views. 20 madrichim. 4 directors. 1 American. Welcome to Jewish Argentine summer camp!

I spent the past ten days with over 200 teens in beautiful Bariloche in the Patagonia region of Argentina. After a long 24 hour bus ride (we were 5 buses traveling together) we arrived in Safariland (what a great name!), our home for the next ten days. Teens between the ages of twelve and sixteen were divided by age in groups and each group had a slightly different schedule. The youngest ones would be going on two short hikes, spending two nights in a refuge at the top of a mountain and the oldest ones would be spending five nights in five different mountains and valleys. The rest of the time was spent at the base camp, Safariland. The teens were staying in tents for the next ten days so the first task was dividing the teens into tents and setting up all the tents. The next morning, I set off with all of the thirteen year olds (eighty of us in total) to hike to Mount Jacob (sha-cobe en castellano). After a long and difficult eight hours, we arrived at the top covered in dirt, dust, and sweat, exhausted with smiles on our faces. We spent the night in the refugio, a beautiful cottage at the top of Jacob, overlooking Lake Jacob and the surrounding mountains. The refugio was one-of-a-kind...no electricity (aka candlelight dinners), incredible views, and time to relax and reflect. 

After the wonderful two nights there, we set off on our seven hour descent back to Safariland. 150 meters into our 18 kilometer hike at a part with lots of unsecured rocks, I twisted my ankle. Now if you know me, you might know that I have extremely high pain tolerance.  A pain tolerance that has taken me through lots of sprained ankles, wrists, etc. in the past without shedding a tear. My first reaction was OWWWW this really hurts. After the shooting pain stopped I stood up and attempted to walk. Tears starting coming down my face, I had never been in this much pain in my life. If you know me, you know that I am also stubborn and proud...no matter what it took I was going to get down that mountain. The medic bandaged my foot, I found a walking stick, and I continued (slowly) with the rest of the group and our seven hour hike. On our way up the mountain, there were times the teens would stop and say "no puedo más". I would say to them "soy vieja. si yo puedo, todos pueden" (I'm old. if I can, everyone can). One of the girls on the way down said to me, "Kate, remember on the way up you told us if you could do it, we all could do it? It's really true now with your foot, if you can do it, we all can do it" (it made me smile). We arrived at the bottom, this time covered in dirt, dust, and sweat, exhausted with a smile only because I didn't have to walk anymore. A bit later I went to the clinic to get an x-ray, because my ankle had a huevo (egg) as the teens told me, and we wanted to make sure it was just a sprain. After waiting in the waiting room for over two hours (thank you Argentine bureaucracy and public healthcare), I finally saw a doctor and he assured me it was just a sprain although it was going to hurt more than usual because I had hiked on it for a long time after I hurt it. Ice, elevation, and some muscle-relaxers and I would be good to go in no time! 

The next days of camp we spent at Safariland, taking small trips to nearby Lake Moreno, playing tug-o-war, fútbol (soccer), learning Spanish camp songs, singing around the bonfire (although they don't have s'mores in Argentina), welcoming the other groups as they came back from their hikes, and taking part in fun activities the madrichim had planned. 

I loved my first Argentine summer camp. Although I came back exhausted physically and mentally from all of the Spanish I had been speaking and listening to, I am so glad I got to take in part in Hebraica's Ofakim summer camp. The camp deepened my experience and impressions of Jewish life in Argentina. Interacting non-stop with Argentine teens for ten days by listening to their conversations, taking part in their activities, and observing their interactions has broadened my understanding of their culture, their importance of relationships and community, and their passionate and kind demeanor. 

Thank you Hebraica for letting me experience the wonders of Ofakim!