California Adventure

Yeehaw! At Rawhide Ranch, we don't say yes, we say Yeehaw! That's right, y'all! It's round up time! We got to the ranch in the evening, and everyone was assigned to a group. Jacky and Calvin, the little ones, and the girls were in their own group. The kids sat in front of the amphitheatre and were introduced to all the camp consellors and staffs. For dinner, we had a buffet and, everyone ate together.

At the camp, all the kids came from California except us. That made us pretty special. There were about 180 students in total and about 35 staffs and 35 L.I.Ts. The LIT stands for Leader-In Training, and they are older teenagers who were there to help out the staff. These older students learn how to become leaders through their program.

At night, lights out was at 9:30 pm, and the boys slept in the teepees while the girls slept in the fort. The overall environment was amazing and very safe. There are no cars or traffic anywhere near the ranch, and there are lots of room for the campers to run around.
The morning call was at 6:30 am, and they rose the flag at 6:50 am. After breakfast, the kids went off and did their duties and chores. First thing in the morning was to clean up after all the animals and to feed them. The kids ride horses everyday, and they also have five other classes to take such as animal science, archery, riflery, driver's education, etc. Once they complete the driver's education, they get a chance to drive a horse carriage.

They also have fun games and sports to participate in. The kids also get to take a dip in the pool after they pass the swim test. Some of the little 5 year-old girls can swim like a fish, and I have to say, our students are pretty good swimmers! They are as good as the American kids.

During the break, Cheryl and I were looking for the boys and I said to Cheryl, "I bet Calvin and Jacky are at the store buying snacks and drinks!" Indeed, they were. Calvin and Jacky were eating already by the time we got there, and they were sharing their goods with others as well. I am really glad our kids got along with the Californians, especially Jordan who is really outgoing, and he's gotten to know a lot of other kids already.


The girls were doing well, and they loved the classes. Valerie is more outgoing than Betty. She socialized with other kids, and Betty tagged along. Overall, both of them are having lots of fun without the boys, and the boys are having lots of fun without us.
The purposes of the camp are to learn responsibility, to gain independence, and to be able to adapt into a new environment. These are the goals and I can already see that they are progressing, and at the same time, they are forgetting how to speak Chinese :P