Looking back and moving forward

Yesterday marked the end of the group's time at Green Camp but the experience will no doubt stay with everyone. They are shifting gears a bit now, moving into the centre of Ubud and ready to spend a few days site seeing and engaging with Balinese hosts in their homes, temples and performance spaces. 

Once we finally have some down time today we will have our student leaders of the day write a blog post, but until then, here  is a quick recap of the Green Camp Experience!

1- MUD WRESTLING! (but you already know about that from our last post)

2- Student Exchange: The group was able to meet and hang out with Green School students, which was very cool. They shared stories, compared school experiences (SO DIFFERENT!) and generally chatted about what it's been like to grow up in the time of a pandemic, when the world is challenged in so many complicated ways. They also got to play cards and just have fun with new friends.

3- Raft Building: Students got to build rafts from bamboo and tires and then raced them down the river. This was an interesting way for everyone to learn about the sustainable materials and practices that are the foundation of the Green School Mission. Word is it was nice to be on the river and as always, Groton kids love a little competition. (but even the losing teams had fun!)

4- Market Scavenger Hunt: The market cooking challenge! For this students were in groups and had to use Indonesian and Balinese language to get the ingredients needed from a local market. Then they took those ingredients back to Green Camp and had a big COOK OFF. What everyone is learning is that in Bali presentation is everything. Just like with the offerings they made from flower petals and fruit and banana leaves, beauty in presentation is integral to every part of Balinese life. And the food was tasty, too!

5- Rice and Mangroves: The group went into the fields to learn about sustainable rice farming practices and then did some harvesting and composting. It was hot but they are a hard working team so they stuck with it.  But did we mention it was hot...and humid! They also saw how mangroves are planted in the water at a nearby mangrove site.

Those are just some of the highlights. The kids also did laughing yoga and Legong dance class (very hard!) and taught their Balinese hosts the Cotten Eye Joe! Everyone was sad to pack up and leave the beautiful bamboo dorm rooms and say goodbye to all the teachers and gurus and students who made Green School feel like a home for a few days. 

The students should finally have some real down time today and they will offer their insights into the experience. Until then, enjoy these photos!