On November 8, 9 and 10, seven students from Lower Canada College were given the privilege of travelling to Camp Massawippi with six severely disabled children from the Mackay Centre. It turned out to be an unforgettable experience for everyone concerned.
We had previously spent two mornings at the Mackay Centre getting to know the children who would be coming with us on the trip. However, as we boarded the bus bright and early on the morning of our departure for the camp, we were excited, but also not too sure of what to expect. One thing we certainly had not expected was that the bus would break down about an hour outside of Montreal! Unfortunately, we found ourselves stranded at Tim Horton’s for an hour as we waited for a replacement bus. One hundred and twenty (120) Timbits and 20 chicken nuggets later, we were once again on the road to Camp Massawippi.
Because the weather did not lend itself to outdoor activities on the first day, we had fun painting pumpkins with the kids, and playing a game of Monsters Inc. After a great spaghetti dinner we had open mic night. By the end of the evening, everyone was feeling much more comfortable in the new surroundings, and we headed off to our bunks for a good night’s sleep.
The next morning we woke up and had breakfast, then went out for a hike in the woods. The rain made it hard to push the wheelchairs up the hills, but it didn’t dampen our spirits. We managed to come back to the camp with a Christmas tree for the classroom back at the Mackay Centre. We had lunch and then started an arts activity, which consisted of painting a mural to be hung up back in the Mackay classroom. We used leaves gathered on the hike to decorate the painting. We had an amazing roast beef dinner, followed by a talent show during which we sang a song that we had composed the night before about each of the Mackay students we were with. Once the song was finished we gathered at the campfire on the shore where we enjoyed smores, chocolate-filled bananas and attempted to sing campfire songs.
On the last morning, we made a huge brunch for everyone. It was comprised of 40 pieces of bacon (which wasn’t enough), 35 eggs and home-fried potatoes. We had a face-painting session and then before we knew it, we had to leave.
This was truly an amazing experience, and one that we will never forget. Each of us learned so much, not only about what it means to have a disability, but about ourselves and the importance of appreciating everything we have.
Noah Schouela ’11
Thalia Nghiem ’11
Isabelle Thibeault ’11
Jennifer Motter ’11
Alix Faraggi ’12
Sam Ergina ’12
Kevin Fraser ’12
Cette semaine était aussi magnifique que la précédente. Dimanche, j’ai visité le Château de Chantilly avec la famille de Pierre. C’était très intéressant et le château était vraiment beau. L’école est maintenant plus ou moins ordinaire. Les professeurs sont très gentils et si j’ai des problèmes, il y a toujours quelqu’un pour m’aider. Paris était formidable, encore. Nous sommes allés à la tour Eiffel et nous sommes montés jusqu’au deuxième étage. Vous pouvez voir toute la ville autour de vous. J’aime beaucoup les monuments et les statues qui sont à Paris. C’est vraiment une métropole culturelle et de patrimoniale. J’ai aussi vu la place de la Concorde, l’église de la Madeleine et j’ai marché sur les Champs-Élysées. Demain, j’irai à Bruges (Brugge), en Belgique. Il y a aussi les classes de conversation qui sont très sympas, les parents qui les animent sont excellents et je trouve que mon français s’améliore de jour en jour. Cela fait déjà 2 semaines, le temps passe rapidement quand tu t’amuses.—Samuel Ergina ‘12
