A Very EIC Summer

It always begins with a hotel by the lake on a warm summer’s day. The characters and the plot may change every year. But the setting remains the same. At a hotel whose stairways and corridors echo with old memories of laughter and conversation. No matter how many times you’ve been here, you’re always greeted with a thrill running down your spine.

 

Like the countless elevator rides you found yourself in every day, life during camp had its ups and downs. There were mornings when you had to drag your ass off the bed at 6:45 in the morning and brushed your teeth with eyes closed, looking like a zombie. There were times when your head was spinning and you felt like you were being flung off into space. At times like these, it’s the voices of your fellow camp leaders and camp staff asking, “Are you okay?” and their reassuring smiles that kept you from drifting away and anchored you in the moment.

 

If someone told you three years ago that you would and could take care of children and nurture their young minds, you would have scoffed and laughed at the idea. Who in their right mind would think you fit for such an important job? You couldn’t even take care of yourself well most of the time. Then along came some special people who believed in you. And three years later, there you were, helping young minds to learn, grow and gain confidence. What a wonderful feeling it was to have someone believe in you and to be able to pay it forward by helping others believe in their own potential!

 

Green was the color of this year’s Kumon English Immersion Camp (EIC). A befitting color for a camp which is all about growth, harmony and hope. You are grateful to be a part of this big EIC family, which accepts you for who you are and at the same time, gives you opportunities to become a better person. You really do think the C in EIC stands for Crazy talented, Crazy caring, Crazy kind and sometimes just Crazy in general.

 

It’s been an amazing three years as a Camp Leader for EIC. Your dream in life is to inspire and be inspired. You don’t know if you’ve inspired many people in life. But you do know that you’ve lived your dream in EIC for the past three summers.

 

Finally, you put your hands together and say, “Thank you for the lovely memories.”