Stay True Blog » Alexis

Outward Bound

Alexis — Sat, 30 May 2009 00:55:28 +0000

When I was about to go on the trip I had mixed emotions. I was scared, happy, sad and excited. We came to school on 5-18-09 with our bags and we were ready to go. We waited in the classroom for the rest of the people to come and also for the Outward Bound instructors to come. Then when they finally arrived we went outside and put ours bags in the back of the truck. We all divided up into the two cars and drove to base which was right around the corner from the Philadelphia Zoo. When we got there we played a game to get to know every bodies name and I found out that our instructors were going to be Brea and Tom. Then we emptied our bags out and the instructors told us what and what not to bring. They gave us boots, rain gear, thermals and our sleeping bag. After we got everything and put it in our bags that we would be carrying for the next five days we ate tuna. Then we were off to the Delaware Water Gap which was a three hour drive. When we got there Tom explained the rules and then we started hiking. The first day I thought my legs were going to fall off. We had to go uphill for a while then we finally made it to the camp. Brea taught us how to tie the rope to the tree so that we could hang the tarps up. We ate macaroni and cheese and hung up the food so that the bear couldn’t get it. The first night while I was sleeping I had a dream about my mom and I missed home so much. The next day we did our daily routine which was having fifteen minutes to stuff our sleeping bags into the bags. We had our morning circle which consisted of the instructors distributing the jobs, stretching, and set our time goals for how long it would take us to clean up camp and take the bear hang down. After we were finished that we would put our hiking boots on and start hiking for about forty-five minutes and then stop to eat breakfast. There were designated cooks everyday and some days we had cereal or oatmeal for breakfast. We had to drink 4-5 bottles of water a day and when we ran out of water we found a stream or lake and put the water in our group water bottles which we couldn’t drink out of, but we could share with the group when there water was gone and we put iodine in it and shook it up and it had to wait for and hour until we could drink it. For our personal water bottle we pumped water in it and that meant that we could immediately drink it. When we were hiking it was very humid and I thought I would pass out because the bags were so heavy and my back, shoulders and hips were hurting. When we were hiking every body told jokes even if they were lame and it made the walk quicker. One day Mr. Saar came up with this game called the bad joke game and you could make up any joke, but it had to start with someone or something walking in a bar. One of my jokes was that a tree walked into a bar and he saw a dog and the dog started barking and the tree was like I know I have a lot of bark. Ha Ha. It was funny then, but not so much now. Even though the first day was really hard I thought Thursday was the hardest because we had to hike for like seven miles which was crazy, but at the end I felt like I accomplished something and I was very proud of that. On friday we woke up extra early so we could get ready to get to the cars. While we were walking we all saw a deer, but I wasn’t surprised because when I went to the bathroom I saw a deer and I was scared for my life. Anyway we walked for about a mile and a half and when we finally got there the cars weren’t there. I was real shocked, but the the instructors got the cars and we packed everything in them. The drive back to base was three hours and when we got there we had to clean the dishes, wash the cars and clean the clothes and we put our clothes on that was in our bags that we brought there. I was so excited and thankful that Mr. Saar chose for me to go on this trip because I never really experienced something like this and I never think I would’ve if I didn’t come.

5 day camping trip

Alexis — Sat, 16 May 2009 03:53:11 +0000

On Monday we are going on the camping trip. I have mixed emotions. I’m happy because it is a new experience, but I’m also sad that I won’t be seeing my family for almost a week. I’m excited to see how everything is and the challenges that I will have to overcome. I’m a little scared because I don’t want anything to happen to me like a bug crawling up my ear. I hope that I come back and be proud of myself since I accomplished being in the wilderness for 5 days.

Beautiful

Alexis — Tue, 12 May 2009 20:01:13 +0000

I look outside and see the beauty that is there;
I watch the birds fly by, they are very rare;
Red, blue, black and yellow
All the flowers are lying down; they seem very mellow
Chirp chirp I hear the birds say;
It is such a wonderful beautiful day
The orange and red and green leaves fall off the tree
Buzz buzz, It’s a bee
The large sun is shining awfully bright;
I look up in the air; a little boy is flying a kite; I stand still and look around; there are many fascinating things that I have found. It is such a beautiful day;I hope you can come out and play;

Trevor’s Place

Alexis — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 00:18:26 +0000

Today we went to Trevor’s place and I didn’t recognize some of the faces so I assumed they were new. I said hi to almost everyone and I started doing work with Tah’Diyah. She had to do math work and I helped her by counting on my hands like if the problem said 5-2=? I would put up five fingers and take away two and ask her how many were left. After I finished helping her with her packet that consisted of math and spelling we just drew. At the end we gathered all the kids around to put stickers on the chart. I had a great time like usual and like always I’m excited to go back.

Trevor’s Place

Alexis — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 00:41:00 +0000

Today was a very fun day at Trevor’s Place. When we walked in the kids were excited to see us. When I went in I spoke to the kids and then I sat down and started talking with one of the little girls. She looked upset so I asked her what was wrong and she said that she didn’t want to come to the program anymore. I felt bad because I knew there was nothing I could do about the situation so I just told her that it’ll be okay and I’ll try to make it fun for her. I read books to her and then we played tic-tac-toe. I think I cheered her spirits up and she had a smile on her face and that means the world to me that I could make someone happy. For the most part the kids were very good since they wanted to get their stickers for their good behavior. When they put the stickers on at the end they were very excited except a few who didn’t get a sticker because of their behavior. When we left I had a smile on my face and I’m excited to go next time and create bonds with the other kids.

Lovely

Alexis — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 15:02:20 +0000

The thing that most surprised me about the kids at Trevor’s Place is how dedicated they are to learning. When I first came there I thought that the kids would only want to play games or go on the computer, but that’s not the case. When we ask them if they want us to read a book to them they get very excited and come in a group. When I read stories the kids actually listen which is surprising because young kids often get distracted. Something that also surprised me about the children is how well they listen to us students. I would’ve thought that the kids would only listen to the adults there, but they actually pay attenton to what we say.

Trevor’s Place

Alexis — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 19:31:15 +0000

When we went to Trevor’s Place we were there for only a short amount off time. When we arrived there everybody was on the computer on pbs.org. The kids enjoyed the website with all the fun games. I sat and watched the kids play games and tried to help them if they didn’t understand them. Before we got there we wrote down the rules, consequences and rewards for the kids, but to are surprise they already put it up. We stayed there for about thirty minutes because they were leaving early. My favorite kid wasn’t there, but in a sense that was good because I got to spend time with the other kids which was really fun. All the kids there are so fun and all of them are precious. I enjoy myself every time I go there and I feel like I made a connection with most of them. I’m excited for Tuesday because we came up with an idea that we will have a chart with all the kids names on it and if they do well they can put a sticker on it and at the end if they have a lot of stickers we may throw a party.

Trevor’s Place

Alexis — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 00:18:58 +0000

When we arrived at Trevor’s Place we didn’t have that much time to spend with the few kids that were there. The reason for this is because at school we collected books and put different stickers on them according to what type of reading level it is such as easy or hard. When we went to Trevor’s Place we set up a little library with a bookshelf and put all the books on it. The kids seemed very excited about us coming and bringing books. When I was there I read a few books to this little boy and even though he was distracted by Fernado and Marquis building the bookshelves he still paid attention for the most part. I had a good time because the kids weren’t very hyper today and when we got there basically there wasn’t anybody doing their homework. I had a great time and I really am looking forward to Thursday because I want to see what the kids that weren’t there reaction to all the books that we brought for them to read or for us to read to them.

Trevor’s Place

Alexis — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 00:21:28 +0000

Another week at Trevor’s Place, another magnificent time. This week the kids were very energetic and quite a handful. Since there are six helpers that are kids three of them including mw colored with the children, and the other three gave the kids a reading test so that we know which level each kid is on. I was very glad that I got to speak to most of the kids because before it seemed like everyone was focusing on one kid, but I tried my best to get around to every kid. I’m really glad that I joined up for this program because I enjoy myself every time I go there and I look forward every Tuesday and Thursday. When we leave Trevor’s Place the kids don’t want us to go, but I always tell them we’ll be back next time.

Trevor’s Place

Alexis — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 22:07:04 +0000

When I went to Trevor’s place I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was very nervous because I’m always nervous when I meet new people. I thought the kids there would be bad and rude and wouldn’t appreciate us coming;I thought wrong. When we arrived at Trevor’s Place we set up the games that we had brought from Toys R’ Us. After that the kids came in and I helped one of the little boys in 4th grade finish his math homework. After that we played charades and the kids enjoyed acting different things out as well as guessing them. Even though all we did was play games with the kids and talk to them I think it made a big difference. I felt good knowing that I made someone happy and maybe even brightened up there day. I think the kids look forward to us coming every Tuesday and Thursday and I’m sure they appreciate us coming enjoy our company.