The Grizzlies Camp Blog (Seniors):
Our Camping Trip in the Canadian Rockies
Another successful camping trip has come and gone. We travelled to the edge of the Rocky Mountains near Etherington Creek and spent the days horseback riding at Lake Louise, mountain biking through streams and currents, hiking up to a mountain lake, and finally ending with a trip to West Edmonton Mall. The moments along the way will be unforgettable: roasting marshmallows by the fire, cooking warm meals both early in the morning and late in the evening, and finally enjoying the warm sun and bathing in the creek.
July 15th: Tent Games Day
Today our students spent the afternoon in their tent groups. Each group was assigned a symbolic animal to represent, from beavers, cougars, wolves, black bears, geese, and caribou. Each group put together a song and dance number, a poster, and some amazing t-shirt designs together. It was a great afternoon with clear signs that if anything, our students are certainly really fashionable!
July 14th: A Day at Drumheller with the Dinosaurs
Today our students had a look at one of Alberta's coolest treasures: dinosaur bones. We began by hiking into a canyon, and then went to the Royal Tyrell Museum, one of the largest fossil museums in the world. We got to take a look at some huge fossils, including a T-Rex, Triceratops, and a Wooly Mammoth. Afterwards, we went swimming in the village of Drumheller and had a BBQ supper.
July 13th: Golf, Rock Climbing & Basketball
Today our senior camp spent another afternoon out playing sports. After learning to belay their partners yesterday, the students tried out some new rock climbing walls of different difficulty. Later, we practiced using the clubs and irons at the driving range in a golf competition. Finally, it was off to the basketball court to learn how to layup, dribble, and aim for the hoop in basketball. In the evening, we went to Loose Moose Theatre for an improv comedy show. The actors included a number of acting students who, like our students, have come to Calgary to learn this summer! We were going to take quarters for hearing some skits in Portugese, French, and Norwegian, but none of the actors signed the contract...
July 12th: Rock Climbing, Volleyball,
Hockey & Casino Night
Today our students had a busy afternoon trying out a number of new sports during another warm and sunny day. Students learned how to belay each other in climbing, and then moved on to ball hockey on cement, and later to the warm sands of beach volleyball. In the evening, our students got a chance to try their luck with our traditional Casino Night of card games and prizes, followed by an auction with some very interesting Canadian-themed prizes given away. All in all, a really good day!
New Arrivals
Today a few more students arrived to begin for the road trip coming up in the next two weeks. Around noon we picked up Sergei from Russa, Issac, Daniele, and Karla Patricia: all from Mexico. We also picked up Juan from Paris, France, and Shandy from Taiwan.
July 11th: The Calgary Stampede
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Calgary Stampede. All of the city was in a celebratory mood, and the students spent the day at the Stampede today! We looked at all sorts of different exhibits on animals, First Nations peoples, and free shows, as well as went in line for many different amusement rides throughout the day. The students got to try out some Stampede favourites as well, including mini doughnuts, cotton candy, and even poutine! It was a great day out in the sun and enjoying the friendliness and welcoming nature of "the greatest outdoor show on Earth."
July 10th: Shopping & A Movie
Following lessons today, the students got to go to the largest mall in Calgary for an afternoon of shopping. After dinner, we then went to the movies to watch some of the latest English releases with friends. At the end of the day, everyone went to bed early to get ready for tomorrow's big activity: The Calgary Stampede.
July 9th: Kayaking, Karate, and Football
Today our students kicked it old school with an afternoon of some great sports. Kayaking races and water fights ensued on the Glenmore Reservoir in Calgary, followed by football touchdowns and tranquil meditation in karate. All in all, a great day with a number of different sports and some great teamwork and cooperation along the way.
July 8th: The Great Calgary Race
Today we got to see the highlights of downtown Calgary with the Great Calgary Race. Each team had to complete a series of challenges, including visiting a number of downtown monuments, asking strangers to dance, draw, or pose with them for pictures, and finally to try and get everything done first! After our day downtown following our excursion, we all met up for a nice pasta dinner to celebrate our work and the cooperation of each team.
July 7th: International Supper
Today we celebrated another Wynchemna tradition: the creation of different dishes from each nation and learning to cook and eat with one another. Each dish was prepared with a few head chefs from each country, and a lot of help from students from around the world who helped to prepare all of the food. It was another success this year, from Taiwanese bubble tea, to Russian pancakes, bruschetta and pesto pasta from Italy, and a flambé dessert from France. The meal was really well done and the students did a great job sharing a bit more about their own cultures with the rest of their classmates. After supper, we sang along to English classics via karaoke.
July 6th: Iceskating and Rollerskating
Today we spent the afternoon skating on Calgary's Olympic Oval, the same oval used for the Winter Olympics in 1988. The ice was cold, but our students were ready for anything and soon warmed up to the idea of skating around and finding their balance!
Afterwards, we spent the evening rollerskating and rollerblading at a large Roller Arena. The arena was covered in flashing lights with a live DJ and was one of our students' favourite activities thus far!
Afterwards, we spent the evening rollerskating and rollerblading at a large Roller Arena. The arena was covered in flashing lights with a live DJ and was one of our students' favourite activities thus far!
July 5th: Stampede Breakfast, Exams, Canoing, Baseball, & Soccer
Today was a busy day for our students to help adapt to Canadian Mountain Time! We woke up in the morning and went to a pancake breakfast to lead up to the Calgary Stampede, and enjoyed some great pancakes while asking Canadians their thoughts on their country, their province, and their favourite dish they think we should try. After that, the new students wrote their exams and had an interview. After lunch, we played a round of baseball and went canning together at the Glenmore Reservoir in the south end of the city. Everyone got a little bit wet, but the sun was out and everyone dried very quickly! Finally, we went and played indoor soccer to end the day.
July 4th: New Arrivals, New Faces, New Friends.
JuLy 3rd: Laundry, Pasta, Waterslides & Badminton
Today we had a busy day beginning with lessons in the morning. In the afternoon we did some laundry and then went out for pasta for supper. After supper, we spent a few hours playing badminton and basketball. Some really great games got underway! After, we all went on the watersides, pool and hot tub at the Southland Leisure Centre, taking some time to splash each other and get refreshed for some new students to join us tomorrow!
July 2nd: Banff & Sulphur Mountain Hike
Today at camp we spent the day in the gorgeous setting of Banff National Park, Canada's oldest national park. We hiked up Sulphur Mountain, ending up at the peak with some beautiful views of other mountains, the village of Banff, and surrounding lakes and rivers. The hike up was pretty smooth and the weather was good. Lots of English was spoken, and the students felt very accomplished! After we celebrated with a trip to the historic Upper Banff Hot Springs. Afterwards we went out for pizza and then came home.
July 1st: Canada Day CeLEBrations
Today was our national holiday, and everyone was in high spirits. Lessons talked about all things Canadian, from learning about the different provinces, listening to Canadian rap music, and learning about why Canadian money is so colourful. Before spending the day in the park celebrating with Calgarians, the students heard a rendition of the national anthem by the teachers, and spent the evening cooking together! Students also got to see the Euro soccer match win for Spain, and we greeted a new student, Randy, who arrived today from Taiwan!
June 30: Beach Day & Loose Moose Comedy Show
Today after lessons and lunch we went to a beach at the edge of Calgary in the provincial park. We started off with a sand castle building competition, and the girls in apartment 514/516 swept the competition away. After that we had a great time swimming, playing frisbee and volleyball, and cooking kebabs for dinner. In the evening we went to an improv comedy show called Loose Moose. It was very entertaining and everyone was laughing throughout.
June 29: Lessons, Ice Caves, and an Evening BBQ
Today was the first day of lessons for students, two before lunch, and one after. In the afternoon we went hiking up a mountain to another interesting attraction in the mountains: caves. We did some light spelunking with headlamps and helmets, exploring the ice caves of Moose Mountain, then a BBQ along the river!
June 28: Exams, Bowling, Soccer & Game Night
Today was a busy day at Wynchemna. All of our new students began with breakfast in their groups, followed by taking the oral and written exam. Then, we went out to play a few lanes of bowling, followed by soccer, cooking supper together, and an evening game circuit in the apartments!
Arrivals on the First Day of Camp
Francisco "Paco," Lizaldo, and Artem with Jessica at the airport.
Our first day of camp has began, and new students have been arriving throughout the day! Juan arrived this morning from Chile after visiting New York City, and earlier this afternoon our first airport arrivals came in. Paco & Lizaldo arrived from Mexico, and Artem arrived from Russia.
Josh, Juan, and Dustin head out to play some basketball.
Afternoon Arrivals
Deborah, Diego, Regina & Danilo arrive at the airport.
Later in the afternoon we had a number of students arrive, including Regina, Deboarah, and Diego from Mexico, Hitomi from Japan, Danilo from Italy, Tim from Germany, Pavel from Russia, and Brieuc from France!
Hitomi & Dustin at the airport
Li-Yining, Gao-Linyan, Anny, Amy, Karen, Li-Jinze, Ethan, Tim & Pavel.
Brieuc & Cam at the airport baggage carousel.
Sara, Gabriel, Jose, Angela, Jose, Eze, Carlota, Group Leader Rafael, & Alejandra.