Wales Camp Boys Day 2

Wales Boys Camp – Day 2

Zahir Abbas bha Sumar (Mentor – Mars) + Abbas bha Sajan (Mentor – Venus)

As Fajr time approached, our dreaded alarm clocks started ringing. We all groaned in harmony as we realised the task that lay ahead – waking up the campers!

I walked to my planet’s room and opened the door, immediately hearing the quiet snores of my exhausted campers. Slowly but surely, one by one, each camper from all planets awoke and shuffled along to the bathroom for wudhoo which would then be followed by Jamaat Namaaz in room 2.

The task that seemed like the impossible at first was quiet easy in fact. No campers objected or fought back. In fact some campers, after having prayed, wanted to shower and get ready! Whether this was sleep talking or intentional words is still unknown.

The experience was enjoyable and Insha-Allah as the days go on, the process of waking for Fajr will become a habit.

Being woken again at 7, all campers showered and changed, feeling somewhat refreshed by a nights sleep. As 8:00 approached, the smell of a freshly cooked, full English breakfast filled the campers with a sudden rush of excitement as the dining hall was quickly filled, as well as many of the campers tummys!

Qur’an classes were next, where each camper was placed in a group and taught by one of the mentors. Zainali Bha gave a very good demonstration of just how practice really can lead to perfect! I feel this had a very positive impact on the campers as most, if not all, were enthused during classes. Insha-Allah we aspire that each camper improves somewhat in their recitation and hopefully this will be excellent preparation for the fast approaching Shahr Ramadhan.

The lessons taught in classes today were Persuasion by Abbas Bha, Positive attitude by Zainali Bha and the importance and impact of friends by Zahir-Abbas Bha. From these lessons we did find that there are some very competitive and shrewd individuals and some bright businessmen for the future. Maybe even the next Apprentice???

The phrase ‘Positive Attitude’ came up very frequently throughout different parts of the day clearly indication that each camper had learned a valuable lesson. Alhamdulillah each camper had definitely made some new friends and with the self reflection in Zahir-Abbas Bha’s class, each has realised their own strengths, weaknesses and potential!

Lunch was very enjoyable. Fair enough, beans on toast were spilled on the floor and some of the campers couldn’t eat due to too much giggling, but the overall atmosphere was amazing. Jokes were shared as well as stories and discussions and the Jacket potato, Tuna, Cheese and Beans were all finished very quickly! That however, cannot not be said about the salad served on the side! Boys will be boys eh?
In Dhuhr Salah, the traditional camp Salawat was introduced. One of my favourite memories from the previous CoEJ camps where the Salawat after Salah is recited in a sweet, melodious tune. Immediately we noticed nearly all campers automatically decided to join in the lovely recitation.
Hasnain Bha gave a short story about Bahlool which was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Today’s activities were solely based around Teamwork, Leadership and Communication. A stretcher holding one of the campers was carried over a whole obstacle course. The campers trusted each other and showed great spirit in wanting to complete the tasks.

In other tasks, ropes were tied, untied and lost, but crucial lessons were learnt. Each camper used their personal strengths to participate and overcome the problems. Great spirit was shown as every attempted all parts of an assault course and Alhamdulillah the campers succeeded in all outdoor tasks today.

Chicken curry was served for dinner today and was delicious! Reminded me of home cooked meals and the campers must surely have thought we’d sneaked in their mums and dads to cook for us! The dessert was even better however. A lovely chocolate cake with whipped cream – mmmmmm!

A small debrief session was held with each planet, where valuable words were shared and we reflected on today’s events. We had a small quiz session whereby camper’s memories were tested, their ability to think laterally and also their football knowledge! At present the planets competition is very close with only 5 points separating the top and bottom planets.

Tied in with this, we had our campers make cards for the 12th Imams Birthday and even allowed them to take the initiative to organise a whole event for tomorrow nights kushali. They seem to be very enthusiastic though as we now have 5 majaalis, 8 qaseedas as well as other recitations!
Maghribain Salaah followed where every camper’s energy seemed depleted, a good sign to all mentors!

They all went to sleep quite well after having a good session in the games room. Milkshakes were provided and we now anticipate tomorrows events!

Education