TWI for the Children

New Jersey 
Camp to Kids 
in Bosnia and Herzegovina

 Summer 2005

South Team

Date

Activity

Remarks

19 June

Sunday

• Team (12 People) Departs USA

20 June

Monday

• Team Arrives Sarajevo

  Overnight: Sarajevo

Journal of Activities

The South Camps have made registration numbers history!!! The camp for the disabled kids in Sarajevo was a huge success. We had 46 kids plus parents and sisters-brothers. Three of the dads prepared the lunchtime meals and the mothers brought the rest of the food. The dads cooked 'hamburger' style chivappi just for the Americans and we loved it. The favorite game was the parachute games == the parachute they use is huge.

Then the did some coloring, sang great songs led by Larry, Crystal and their guitars. The favorite song was about Crystal's brother who eats worms, flies, butterflies, etc. and the kids love it. Their songs have all of us acting and sounding like monkeys and everybody laughs a lot.

After this camp time, we packed into our buses -- with the North team taking the kids back to Sarajevo and the South team heading for Goradze. We had a great drive and the weather was lovely. We had time in Goradze to shower before walking to the restaurant by the river for dinner. For one of the New Jersey girls, this would have been her graduation night so her team leader had made a graduation card that we all signed and when presented we all hummed "Pomp and Circumstance". We loved it but the guests thought we were completely crazy. After dinner the young and old separated and went our own ways -- so the American kids saw the city Bosnian style. Then to bed and camp the next day. We had the most kids ever at the school, which surprised all of us because we had told the team that this would be a really sweet day with about 80 kids -- we ended up with about 100 kids plus their teachers.

Then dinner, ice cream, a short walk over the bridge and overnight. The next morning we were up at 6 AM to have breakfast at 7 and then on to Foca. What a day!!! For lunch we had a total of 197 with kids and teachers. Lunch as always was a bit of a hysteria. Things went really well, actually, and the director asked us to return, so that was positive.  They loved the idea of having a 2-part camp next year with the younger kids in the AM and the teens after lunch - between 2-5 and no later than 6 in the school. We explained that we would present these ideas to the camp board.

Now we are at the Mostar orphanage where we were met by all the kids. This overflow of love made the NJ team change our plans immediately so that we stayed at the orphanage "home" and played with the kids until 9 PM. Of course this put us late to dinner as we had 7 PM dinner reservations at the Teatre Restaurant on the Nervata river by the bridge. All was made good when the manager told her not to worry that the change was not a problem. Laura, our volunteer at the Orphanage Education Project (May 2005) had kept the team up to date on the events of their time with the children and the team leader knew all of the children by heart. Really a sweet time. 

Overnight at the Orphanage "Home" and then up at 6 for a 7AM breakfast with all of the kids hanging around and then the drive to Potoci. Great camp with record numbers again!!!!!!!!!! Seems we made history with about 180 kids.

On to Rama where both the North and South Teams came together and we  had a great time - great weather.

21 June

Tuesday

• Camp for Disabled Children at Center for Disabled Children in Sarajevo.

• Travel to Gorazde

Overnight: Gorazde

22 June

Wednesday

• Camp at Gorazde

Overnight: Gorazde

23 June

Thursday

• Camp at Foca
  
  
• Travel to Mostar
  
  

 Overnight: Mostar

24 June

Friday

• Camp at Potoci
  
  
• Travel to Rama

  Overnight: Rama

25 June

Saturday

• Day Free at Rama

  Overnight: Rama

26 June

Sunday

• Day Free at Rama
• Travel to Sipovo

  Overnight: Sipovo  

27 June

Monday

• Camp at Sipovo Mountain School

Overnight: Sipovo

28 June

Tuesday

• Camp at Sipovo School
• Travel to Travnik

Overnight: Travnik

29 June

Wednesday

• Camp at Travnik
• Travel to Sarajevo

  Overnight: Sarajevo

30 June

Thursday

• Camp at Visoko School

Overnight: Sarajevo

1 July

Friday

• Camp at Vojkovici School

Overnight in Sarajevo

2 July

Saturday

• Day Free

   
Overnight in Sarajevo  

3 July

Sunday

• Depart Sarajevo