junior program summer site : conversations : first session



	Gustavo from Puerto Rico (7/3) Gustavo is entering the 7th grade and is in his first summer at Explo. Here from Puerto Rico, Gustavo is having a great time and is enjoying his classes and activities. If Explo were an ice cream sundae, he says, it would include all sorts of ice cream and toppings, to reflect the variety of people and options that Explo offers. So tell me about what you did yesterday. Yesterday I played wiffleball and capture the flag, and then I also had workshops in basketball and in kayaking and canoeing. What did you do in the other activities? In basketball we ran some drills and played some games. Then in wiffleball we had a sort of mini-tournament. In capture the flag, you know . . . we played capture the flag, which is a lot of fun. So what classes are you taking now? I'm in (Ad)Ventures and The Situation Room. In the advertising class, we're trying to make new ways to advertise Explo, so that more people will come! We have to first brainstorm, and to find ideas to see how we can make these ads. So far we've talked about putting ads into magazines and getting bumper stickers made. In The Situation Room, we're going to be discussing different world problems. Tomorrow we're talking about world problems that are going on right now, like the war in Iraq, for example. What goes into a “situation room”? Well, it's like a room in the White House, and it is used by the President and his staff to communicate with people from other countries. How are the teachers? The teachers are very good. They're really nice and they understand what they're teaching really well. They make the classes fun, so that they're educational but not boring like at school. What made you want to come to Explo? Well, my parents thought the environment was going to be very nice, and my cousins came here also, and they recommended it. What is it like being a first-year student here? It's not really difficult at all. It's a big campus, but you figure it out pretty quickly. What would you say you're most excited about for this summer? I'm really excited for the staff talent show and the comedy night, because I want to see the RA's and DA's [Residential Advisors and Day Advisors] and the people that teach me show off their talents. I'm also looking forward to the [simulated] skydiving trip and to Water Country. Do you have any advice for people considering coming to Explo? That they should definitely come and that they'd have a lot of fun. And that everyone is nice to everybody. If Explo were an ice cream sundae, what would it be made of and what would be in it? It'd be 25 scoops of ice cream; 10 mint chocolate chip, 10 vanilla, and five caramel. On top, I'd put hot fudge, caramel, and strawberries. There's such a variety of things to choose from at Explo and a variety of people from different countries, so I would have a lot of different things in the Explo sundae. more conversations > first session \| second session