Camp Ayandeh Blog

Day 5: Helping Others, Expressing Ourselves

2007-07-06T12:19:00.000-04:00

After 4 days of enjoying the trails, fields, and forests of Hemlock Overlook, Day 5 of Camp Ayandeh was the perfect time to start giving back. The trails of the park are lined with logs and mulch, and after so many groups enjoy them repeatedly, they often need replenishing. So our campers set off to give back by carrying logs to line the trails, and shoveling mulch to protect the trail and help promote healthy growth in the surrounding forest.

After another rousing game of 4-square and a healthy lunch to promote our campers' growth as well, the afternoon was spent working on activites related to a method known as "Theatre of the Oppressed," a form of pedagogy that uses games to play and learn together, mixing the notions of discipline (clear rules) and freedom (absolute creativity). These games included, "Columbian Hypnosis," in which campers pair off and must lead each other in silence, each following the other's extended hand. Other games played were: "The Vampire of Strausburg," "The Wooden Sword of Paris," and the exercise known as "Image Theater."

Image Theater has participants act as clay to mold images of oppression that they have personally experienced. One camper at a time arranges and "molds" the participants, making the image change with each camper to express their reaction to the previous image. In this way, campers use theater, movement, and non-verbal expression to examine various oppressions that happen in everyday life.

With the games and the theater of the afternoon, counselor groups were warmed up for their first chance to create and practice for the talent show! Each group will perform a skit, musical performance, or dance for the whole camp on Friday night. From the looks of it, there will be plenty of lezzat for everyone!

After dinner, the campers were split into groups by gender, and with staff and counselors of the same gender, shared in discussions that perhaps they wouldn't want to have in front of the others. The bonding continued around the campfire, where we heard the final chapter of Yusef's tale of Parivash, accompanied by performances on tar and dombak. As the last campfire of Camp Ayandeh, campers were treated to s'mores around the fire, and sing-along songs ranging from "Age ye rooz" to "Lean on Me."

Day 4: Iranian-American Culture Day!

2007-07-05T15:56:00.000-04:00

In step with discussions surrounding our Iranian-American identity, the theme of Day Four of Camp Ayandeh was also bicultural: along with American Independence Day, today was also Iranian-American Culture Day at Camp Ayandeh! During the morning, campers were divided into groups to rotate through six stations relating to Iranian-American culture. The subjects of the stations were chosen from campers' own suggestions:

Persian poetry - Yusef and Ali gave a historical perspective of Persian poetry, reciting and translating poems from Ferdowsi, Khayyam's Rubayat, and Sohrab Sepehri.
Persian language - Amy and Shirin provided a history of the Persian language, from its ancient roots and language family, to elements of modern Persian in its various dialects. Campers then created bookmarks, writing their own names in Persian!
Iranian geography & history - After giving an overview of Iranian geography, Kayvan and Farzad had campers list the cities their families are from, and then briefly described the geography, history, and ethnic groups for each.
Iranian holidays - Nakkisa and Lily led the campers in a discussion about major Iranian cultural holidays and had them share stories about the ways their families celebrate festivals such as Norooz, Mehregan, and Shab-e Yalda.
Religions in Iran - Mehrdad and Nooshin described the major religions present in Iran today, and historically. They then answered questions many of the campers asked, such as the difference between Shi'ia and Sunni Islam.
Day in the Life of a Teenager in Iran - Campers were particularly interested to hear Sherry and Narges describe the art and literary scene in Tehran's cafes, and were somewhat relieved of their SAT prep stress when they heard details about the Konkoor!

Speaking of college prep, after lunch, campers spent the afternoon hearing from college students, recent college grads, and recent high school grads regarding preparation for college. Topics included SAT tips and and prep information, tips on mastering the application process, a discussion regarding choosing a major, ideas and suggestions for getting scholarships, and whether or not to take a gap year between high school and college. Campers took vigorous notes, and gave feedback that these discussions helped put things into perspective and gave them an idea of what they can or need to do, and when.

Not forgetting that today was also an important day for the Americans in all of us, the group began a hike through Hemlock, led by Hemlock Overlook staff member Brian. Brian shared the significance of this park in American history, as it is located along the famous Bull Run, land that was highly contested during the U.S. Civil War.

Unfortunately, rain brought our hike to a short close, but the excitement did not end there. Upon our return, each counselor group contributed to dinner by making their own Persian side dishes. To accompany our delicious kabob meal catered by Moby Dick, campers prepared maast-o-khiar (cucumber yogurt), salaad-e Shirazi (chopped salad of tomatoes, onions, and cucumber), and doogh (yogurt drink). As the rain cleared, we then enjoyed our meal in a 4th of July picnic on a giant sofreh outside: Iranian-American style!

The first week in July seems to be particularly blessed for Camp Ayandeh, as we were treated to yet another birthday celebration! Nikta's 17th birthday was celebrated with cake and dancing, giving campers another chance to practice their moves. Nikta kicked it off with her favorite song, "Joon-e Khodet!"

To close off the celebration, campers were invited to bring their sleeping bags to the common room for a viewing of the film, "Maxx!" This comedy, in Persian with English subtitles, describes the travails of a singer from Los Angeles who is mistakenly invited back to Iran in an effort to reverse the "Brain Drain" from the diaspora. As Maxx would say, this was an "un-be-liev-a-bel" end to an "ahsan" day! Elahi!

Day 3: Public Speaking, Ta'arof, & Persian tales

2007-07-04T00:18:00.000-04:00

To properly digest all of the activities from Day Two, the third day of Camp Ayandeh began with reflection time. This is a time each morning that campers are given to reflect, and if they so choose, to write in journals, about their thoughts, ideas, and experiences of the previous day.

The group was then split into three teams to rotate through three stations devoted to team spirit (banner making), public speaking (speech delivery), and physical activity (vasati).

This prepared them for a favorite Camp Ayandeh tradition: the Ta'arof Tournament! Each counselor group chose one camper to represent their team in the competition, which tested the campers' skills in ta'arof, with a twist. For each round, campers were given an item to "ta'arof over" for 30 seconds, and the judges took creativity, flow, and sting into account when making their decisions. After eight strong matches, Rassah was left as the final camper. Before she could receive her medal however, "Dariush, the 27-year world champion of ta'arof" challenged her to a final battle! Rassah and Dariush ta'arofed with great skill and creativity, but in the end Rassah proved she was a champion in the art of Persian hospitality!

The competition was followed by free time, with campers continuing their vasati games, sharing stories with each other, or participating in an impromptu sing-along with Raha, our resident guitar playing counselor.

The day continued with a return to group discussions regarding culture and conflict resolution. The campers learned about several theories regarding culture, and were given some ideas to consider: are some cultures more individualistic, while others are more collectivistic? Or is it perhaps a mix of the two? What are different ways that various cultures react to change, conflict, or gender relations? The campers were encouraged to analyze the theories and criticize them where they didn't seem to work.

After these theoretical discussions, the campers found physical relief in a game of whoosh -- a simple game that the campers and counselors creatively amended and extended to include gherrrrr!

Dinner was complemented with another birthday celebration, this time for Kamran's 14th birthday! What better way to digest birthday cake than with a lesson in Persian and Kurdish dancing? Farzad and Nasim led the camp in a lesson in Kurdish dancing, while Shabnam and Danesh taught the Persian style. More advanced dancers were quick to help teach other campers new moves.

The night was capped perfectly by storytelling around the campfire. If the profoundly simple stories of Mullah Nasruddin left the campers contemplative, Counselor Yusef's original Persian tale sent them to Mevieval Nayshapur to hear the story of Parivash. While Nasim provided the English translation, in true Iranian storytelling style, Yusef's story about young Parivash was complemented by musical interludes on tar and dombak, played beautifully by Kayvan and Yusef.

With the threat of rain on the horizon, the campers were left in suspense to hear more about Parivash's tales...to be continued next time!

Day 2: Jumping, climbing -- and leading!

2007-07-03T15:05:00.000-04:00

Day two of Camp Ayandeh was off to an exciting start as campers took on the Hemlock challenge course, a series of activities that required planning, communication, leadership, and group trust to complete. The challenges required campers to work together to solve puzzles and create paths to seemingly impossible ends. ("We're supposed to place this ring over the top of that 12 foot pole? Huh?")

The campers rose to each challenge and, after completing the physical and mental challenge of completing a walk across a high tightrope, were rewarded with a zip line across a large forested ravine.

After a long day of challenges, campers joined their teams to participate in an exercise designed to promote active listening, an invaluable skill for teamwork and leadership. They then put their active listening skills to good use during discussions with their fellow campers regarding the terms diaspora, culture, and bicultural. In particular, they were asked to reflect upon the following question:

When was the first time you thought about your Iranian-American identity?

This question led to thought provoking and captivating discussions as campers examined what the term "Iranian-American" means to them, and how their experiences have affected their notions of identity.

A special day deserves a special night, and that is just what we were treated to -- a 16th birthday party! Campers and counselors sang "Tavalodet mobarak" to Leah as she blew out the candles. If her wish was for a dance party followed by a campfire, it was granted!

The campfire brought day two of Camp Ayandeh to a close with storytelling of a very personal nature: campers were asked to tell the group the meaning of their first names, and how their parents came to choose it. As each beautiful Persian name was described, the stories of their source ranged from dreams to tributes to heroes of the Shahnameh and to the very Iranian tradition of sibling alliteration. As Camp Ayandeh is the first time that many campers have had the comfort of knowing everyone can pronounce their name without explanation, it was time of comfort and warmth, both from the fire and from fellow campers.

Check back tomorrow for more from Camp Ayandeh, including the most-anticipated Ta'arof Competition!

Day 1: Salaam & Welcome to Camp!

2007-07-02T09:54:00.000-04:00

The excitement was palpable as campers arrived to Hemlock Overlook, our quaint camp set in the midst of 5,000 acres of Regional Park land in Fairfax County, Virginia. Weeks of anticipation culminated in hugs, greetings, and "ghorbanets" for returning and new campers alike!

Once all 49 campers arrived safely to our Iranian-American oasis in the forest, the campers, staff, and counselors introduced themselves with creativity -- and movement! -- through a rousing round of name games.

After a tour of the camp, the campers were sent in smaller groups to meet their counselors, pairs of IAAB staff who will guide them through the events of the week, and with their new counselor groups, played a trust game called Joe Egg, or, as we like to call it, "Yusef Tokhmemorgh." In this activity, campers surround one fellow camper and create a circle of trust into which he or she can lean into, knowing the other campers will not let each other fall.

Counselor groups were then given an important identity challenge: their group names and cheers! This is a favorite tradition at the Iranian-American Leadership Camp, and poses the first opportunity for the campers to bond while expressing their heritage. This year's counselor group names met the challenge head on!

Red team: Chilifelfeli (hot chilis)
Light Green team: Ahoo (does - fondly named after the several small deer we have seen around camp!)
Yellow team: Kookoo Sabzi
Purple team: Bedamjoon (eggplant)
Blue team: Chaghdeh Bidum (green almonds)
Dark Green team: Nana (mint)
Black team: Delbara ("hot stuff")
Orange team: Atash (fire)

The first day of Camp Ayandeh 2007 ended with the presentation of the counselor group names and cheers, leaving all of us excited for what the rest of the week would hold.

Check back tomorrow for more from the camp, including a re-cap of the team challenge and zipline!

Welcome to Camp Ayandeh!

2007-06-30T12:54:00.000-04:00

Khosh amadid!
Welcome to the second Iranian-American Leadership Camp: Camp Ayandeh! We at Iranian Alliances Across Borders (IAAB) are thrilled to be back in camp-mode, and have spent the last year creating exciting new programming and activities for this year's camp. We are incredibly excited to welcome 49 campers from across the U.S. to Hemlock Overlook, Virginia for an amazing week.

Throughout this week, our blog will be updated daily with photos, journal entries, and the general happenings of the camp. Leave comments on this blog to show our community's support, encouragement, and well wishes for the young Iranian-American leaders attending the Camp!

Check back soon and often throughout the week for more from Camp Ayandeh!