By Neel Kohli
June 24th
Truth: I was nervous getting ready to go on this trip. I didn’t know anyone going, what they’d be like, or whether I’d fit in, so I just tried not to think about it.
June 26th
Truth: The people volunteering are so smart and so far the biggest thing I’ve actually take away. I’m so glad I came on this trip.
June 28th
Truth: I’m actually kind of scared to interact with the kids. I really want to help, and I actually feel for the them. But I am really scared to help, because I don’t know how good I will be at “meeting them where they are.”
June 29th: First Day of Camp
Today I did the classroom session in the Auditorium. What was surprising to me was we had to teach them how to sit in the chairs. It was so crazy. The kids just wanted to run and play. They were genuinely happy all the time.
This was the craziest most chaotic day I could have imagined. Yet my face actually hurts from smiling. It’s amazing. This is the best day ever. I am so happy. This is maybe the best decision in my life. The cliche generalization that “the kids had an effect on me” can’t even describe how I feel. Like, again, my face is sore from smiling. I would never think I would open up and be like this. This trip has already had the biggest effect on my life.
These kids bring the best out in all of us.