Youth Summer Camp

Finally back from summer camp... Left at 0500am and rushed directly from Ukiah all the way to San Francisco to attend my first day of school. Holiday over... But I had a really really wonderful experience up there!

Day 1 (22 Jun 08)


The individual counselor groups got together in the morning for a meeting and to give their individual presentations of their lesson plans. The students finally arrived around 4pm and it was an evening of ice breakers! I participated in most of it, then finally left for dharma lecture by Ajahn Sumedho.At the end of the lecture, they invited Ajahn Sumedho to bow on the cushion in the middle of the Buddha hall used only by the Master Hua. It felt almost as if Master Hua was back...

Day 2 (23 Jun 08)

Woke up for morning ceremony at 0330am with Richard and Michael, then our work as counselors began at 0630am...Working at the organic farm, followed by meditation session.


Lunch ceremony followed by classes (Chinese, Art, Buddhist Studies, Recycling), then outdoor activities where we played dodge ball!I was in charged of the Buddhism class in the afernoon and with an age group of 10 - 17, it was really difficult to get everyone's attention. I spoke standing up and was speaking so fast, I kept running out of topics... Its not easy being a teacher....


After that, we had extra curricular activities where you could choose to either learn cooking, lion dance, dragon dance or taiko.Then it was dinner time, followed by evening ceremony, and then sports where I was forced to play basketball since everyone knew I seldom play bball... but I guess it wasn't too bad. Day 2 finally ended at 9pm with night snacks complimentary from the cooking club! =)

Day 3 (24 Jun 08)
Body was beginning to ache from the basketball game yesterday. Growing old.. Joe even plucked out 2 strands of white hair for me today... =( Other than that, everything was pretty much the same, and I did not have to teach Buddhism as the kids went for a seminar . Phew! During the outdoor activities time, we played Re-charge, a modified game of catch. Then for sports, I played soccer with the little kids.

At night, after night snack, we had entertainment from our very own home grown talent... Joe Zhu!!! Lolz... as he played, the rest of the counselors started throwing pennies on the ground for him. Too bad he got robbed by another counselor half way through... Lolz



Day 4 (25 Jun 08)

Back to lessons as per normal, so in order not to run out of topics again, I decided to play some cartoons on filial piety for the kids. As it was in Chinese, all I needed to do was to provide translation to those who didn't understand. Easy job! =) The little kids watched with full attention! But the older kids almost died of boredom...
At night, with request from Jackie, went patrolling around the dorms and we pulled a urban ops door kicking stunt on one of the student's room as he was acting really suspiciously, but instead found him and his younger brother doing prayers. Alexander saw it and kept making fun of me after that, even swung his wet hair on purpose so that some water got onto me and then ran away... Little did he know I was one of the 3 famous slipper throwers of the boy's dorm. Back in the days, my close buddies Richard Tsai, Richard Chiu and myself were the slippers marksman, while Mark was the cards marksman. So my slippers flew through the air and landed exactly on his back, leaving my signature foot print there. Lolz...

Day 5 (26 Jun 08)

Continued playing the cartoons for my class due to popular demand from the younger kids. As the haze was pretty bad due to over a hundred fires burning around the county started by chain lightnings, we decided to stay indoors to play board games instead of sports today.

At night, I had a wrestling game with Alexander, but he was too strong... got pinned down by him twice... sigh... Can't believe I lost to a 16 year old...

Day 6 (27 Jun 08)

The haze still hasn't cleared and thus our excursion to the solar center was canceled. And in place of that, we had a treasure hunt game ending up in a POW water torture session for all the students. But the students were tough and got their revenge soon after on the counselors. I managed to stay dry throughout.. that is until I was betrayed by one of my fellow counselors and soon all the students attacked and not a single person was left dry...

As for my Buddhism class today, I decided to do away with all the preparations that I did with my previous class. It was to be my last class before handing over to Qinzhi, so I decided to tell them stories today. Stories of the Master Hsuan Hua, stories of saints, of ghosts and spirits, of demons and gods...Little did I know that this would turn out to be the best session. No matter what age range, none of the students fell asleep and the entire session was filled with stories after stories, and questions after questions... Soon, I became the camp's story teller. Everyone who met me asked for more stories. That night, I told stories to the counselors who missed my morning session. And it went on till 2am.

Day 7 (28 Jun 08)
Despite sleeping at 2am, I still got up at 0330am for morning ceremony. And i guess, inspired by the stories, this time a group of counselors joined me - Ali, Ken, Andrew, Richard, Davy, Raymond. After that, we just hung out till breakfast time at 0600am. Caught a bit more sleep after that before waking at 10am for our hike today.

It was a pretty fun hike. Got to see many of the herbs that I learned from the Curandero last time. And the weather was very nice today too! No haze! Must be a response to our sincere praying in the morning. Lolz...

In the afternoon, the older kids played basketball while the younger kids were just hanging around. Tom, one of the residents in the city then handed me a water ballon. So I ran to the midst of the basketball game and threw it at Alexander, but pity it didn't burst and he caught it instead. In the midst of trying to escape, I fell and scarred my knees pretty bad as I was wearing slippers. But because of that, all the little kids were roused up and form the "Jonathan's Army." And soon, my single action, avalanched into an all out water ballon war between the older counselors and students and the younger kids. Everyone got drenched again though this wasn't in the plan of the day. =P

Day 8 (29 Jun 08)

It was yet another beautiful day so we brought the kids out to Mendocino Lake for a day of swimming, volley ball, board games and picnic!

The brothers Fredrick & Jeffrey, Billy & Jackson, and the instructors walking about looking for stones to throw at the students! I mean uh... into the water...Lolz.. A really fun day and everyone played so much that they forgot about the sun. In the end, many were aching from sun burn.

Day 9 (30 Jun 08)

Today was basically another regular day of class, but since my substitute teacher came, I basically just woke up at 0330 for morning ceremony, then slept till 6am and went for breakfast, then slept till 1030am then went for lunch, then slept till 2pm before waking up. Shiok! Lolz. After 2pm it was games where many got wet again.


At 4pm, brought all the chao keng onez for their torture session! Lolz... In the army we have the IV drip, here we have the acupuncture needles and the fire cups! Lolz.

I was suppose to have returned to SF by now, but at it was 2 student's birthday, I stayed. But this birthday celebration was different. Throughout the whole day, nobody mentioned a thing or even wished them. Half way through their last event of the day, we gathered everyone in the main hall and called this 2 out, and started scolding them real bad instead. Then we switched off the lights and told them to go reflect upon their conduct. At that time, Ben and I brought out the cake and presented it to them. It was a total surprise for everyone. None of the students nor counselors knew about it. Only the instructors. Hope this really turn out to be a memorable birthday for them.

Day 10 (1 Jul 08)
My official last day of summer camp, and 1st day of school. In order to send me off, many of the counselors woke up at 0330am to go to morning ceremony with me. One of the students too - Alexander. Well, he said he would go last night, but when I went to his room, he was still lying in bed, and I had to wake him up. Asked if he was still gonna go, and he immediately sat up and said "Of course! Becoz I love u Jonathan!" And gives this really cheesy smile... yah right man... But I was really touched... In the end, about 14 people followed me to the ceremony. Joe, Richard, Ken, Jackie, Alexander, Ben, Chris, Steve, Justin, Jack, Xavier, Ali, Raymond, Alex. Think the assembly was surprised to see so many people in the morning ceremony.

Ceremony ended at 5am and it was time for me to go. Pity I didn't get to say bye to the kids. Last night, Tom Li, the youngest in the group still gave me a good night hug and said "see u tomorrow"... Guess he didn't know I was gonna leave... Felt really bad... So did our good bye hugs, and when it came to Joe, he hugged but didn't stop walking until both of us fell on the floor... gheez.. more bruises for me... then when it came to Alexander, he basically hugged and lifted me off the ground and carried me towards his room =.=... It was another half an hour before I finally got to go...

It was a 2 1/2 hour journey before I finally arrived at my school. Had no time to return home for a shower or anything. I crashed in the student lounge for half an hour before making my way to class, and forcing myself to stay awake the whole day. School finally ended at 4:30pm... What a long day... 13 hours of continuous toil... Think I'm gonna have a reaaaalll good sleep tonite...