Alex's adventures in Camp Tawonga, Yosemite

We enrolled Alex in Camp Tawonga, a Jewish camp near Yosemite, CA, in June. We thought he would enjoy playing outside with his new friends and canoeing, swimming, archery, and other outdoor activities.

Alex attended session 2 from Sunday, June 24 - Friday, July 6. This was Alex's first camp away from home, and we worried about how he would feel without his parents and toys.

Here is a photo of Alex taken before he boarded the bus in San Francisco. The bus ride to Yosemite was about 3-4 hours.

The ride was long, but Alex had a few friends on the bus.

Alex had fun at Camp Tawonga, but he did not like the food. He prefers pizza to tofu, and Camp Tawonga has too much healthy food. He hoped to eat more ice cream, cookies, hot dogs, and hamburgers.

Here is a photo of the whole session 2. Alex is in the 4th-row center.

He also did not really care for all the singing of Jewish songs, although he attended Congregation Sinai - a conservative synagogue.

Alex's postcard from Camp Tawonga

Here is a postcard that Alex wrote about his experience at Camp Tawonga.

Dear Mom and Dad, Having a fun time at camp. But I didn't have so much fun. We mostly listen to songs and rest. Well, I don't want to come to this camp again because I didn't have much fun. The counselors are a little mean but I did have some fun.

Parents were required to write 3 letters to their children. As we were traveling to Prague and Vienna at the time, we wrote the following letters to Alex:


Boris' letter to Alex:

Dear Alex,

How is Camp Tawonga?
It sounds like cow-a-bunga!
Are you washing your hands?
Do you have dirt in your pants?
Did you catch any bugs?
Did you jump off any logs?
Did you catch any frogs? Is the food any good?
Are you now in a good mood?
Did you learn to start a fire?
Do the counselors inspire?
Did you change your underwear?
Do you smell like a bear?
Did you see any stars?
Did you snack on any bars?
Did the hike overnight,
Put you in fright?
Did you see any ghosts,
Hanging by the telephone posts?
Though we are very far away,
We can imagine what you will say.
Can I have some cookies and ice cream?
There is not enough chocolate in my dream. 

We have to go; we are out of space. 

Enjoy your time - I rest my case.

Love, Mom & Dad, aren't you glad

Here is the letter Alex wrote to us:

Dear Mom and Dad,

Hi! How are you doing? I'm fine.

We have 1 week left. I had fun with my friends like Jason, Shin, Zach, and Ylone.

I have lots of prizes.

We didn't go backpacking yet, but we will soon.

In conclusion, I love you both and see you soon.