Kwanda Nkwanyana – Lakeview Day Camp, New Jersey – Summer 2016   I had always wanted to travel and challenge myself, taking myself out of my day-to-day schedule and exploring the world and meeting people from different backgrounds who I would not normally meet here. Favourite Memory: Coaching football to the children and then receiving letters saying how much I changed their lives. It was the last thing I would have expected when boarding a plane to America and was my biggest reward. I managed to have an impact in someone's life. How was Camp different to what you expected? I had a lot of freedom because I was at a day camp, so my stories are different from others. It was very organised and people always had a smile on their face no matter how tough things got. In what ways does Camp stay with you today? I have made lifelong friends who I cherish and will cherish forever. I have learnt to be kind, patient and loving to others, always lend an ear because that's all someone may need, and not to be scared of any challenge! How has Camp shaped your future? It has made me more hungry and curious to see the world and what is out there. I don't think I could ever stay in my home country for long periods of time without travelling and seeing and experiencing different cultures. My hunger and appetite for the world have grown immensely. Why would you recommend the program to others? I can't explain it until one has done it. All I can say is that it truly and surely does change your life, take my word for it, I did it. If you could say one thing to people considering applying for Camp America, what would it be? Your life will never be the same again. Who is that one camper you cannot forget? A little boy named Ryan who was my main homie from day one. I will carry the picture him and I have together with me for life. We were brothers and it was my honour to see him every day. I played a big brother role in his life and I will never forget that. There was also a little boy named Kai who refused to do anything, and was the most difficult human being I have ever met, but through him I learnt valuable lessons which I appreciate. Why are Camp friends different to other friends? They share these experiences with you that no one else who hasn't done it will understand. Do you still speak to your Camp friends? Yes. Did you travel after Camp? Yes What did Camp teach you? Life is short, live it and love it, smile and be kind, laugh a lot, and I mean a lot. It's good for the heart, and so is crying. What Camp type was yours/what was your favourite thing about your Camp type? It was a day camp meaning we had weekends off where we got to travel to other states and we had evenings off too. We really formed bonds which made us closer.

Motsei Matloa (now an OVC Consultant!) – College Settlement Camp, Philadelphia - 2015 Season Hard work, difficulties, long hours, training, naughty children, babysitting, sleepless nights, practice, determination; these are some of the words most people think of when you mention Summer Camp (Camp Counsellor). Instead, it is fun, crazy, joyous, happy, peaceful, full of smiles, adventurous, alive, you learn a lot and make really good friends.   Every day at camp was different. It got better by the day. Home sickness was the last thing on my mind as we kept so busy and had fun throughout. The kids were amazing. They loved us, we loved them and they loved listening to South African stories. Im glad to say that I taught a child something they never thought they could do and let them face their fears.   After camp my travelling days were awesome. I visited places I never dreamt of; New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles, just to mention a few.   Don’t think twice, do camp! Its memories that will live within you forever. A special thanks to my Travel Consultant at OVC who was so lovely and helpful at all times. Go Summer, Go Camp!   Mo

Thank you for setting me up with Island Lake.   At first, I was skeptical about the whole camp thing. I thought the description of the experience was exaggerated. Now, I see that there is no other way it could have been described.    Camp taught me the value of work. It taught me discipline. It taught me how to teach and how to learn. It taught me responsibility. It taught me about kids. About America. About Life.    The lessons I learned from traveling are invaluable. I traveled using the money I made from camp. Nothing else. I was, for the first time, independent. I traveled alone. Purposefully. Being so self reliant allowed me to learn about myself and redefine my values- if I had any to begin with. For the first time I alone was responsible for seeing to my needs. I surmise that my peers who went straight to varsity will only experience what this is like once they finish and start working in the real world. I am so excited to start studying, having first learned the value of hard work.    I went from NY to Indiana, to see one of the lifelong friends I made at camp. From there I flew cross state to LA. Also visited my friends from camp. From LA I went to Santa Barbra, and on to San Francisco. After San Fran I went to Boise Idaho, with just enough money to get me there. I had no money to get back to NY for my return flight. I knew it, but I had no choice. I had to see one of the closest friends I have. And yes, I met him at camp. I'd never heard of Boise. It is a well kept secret. A South African's dream city. No crime. No poverty. Just mountains and friendly people and excessive amounts of cops! This was by far the best part of my post-camp travels, and who would have guessed it?    I made so many friends. From every corner of the globe. If Im ever in America, Hungary, Czech Rep., Norway, Poland, The Netherlands, The UK, Australia , Russia or Israel, I will always have a friend to see!    I am currently working now to make enough money to return to Island Lake in 2013, and maybe go to Europe to see my friends too.    Thank you for everything,  Best Regards Avi Bank

Hi OVC So I spent 3 months in California, in a small town called Portola Valley where I worked alongside some amazing staff who became best friends and then turned into family.   I worked at Mountain Camp Woodside as a Camp Counsellor and got to work with children from the ages of 9 to 14, both boys and girls. It was amazing. I made such amazing friendships with both staff and campers alike. I am so blessed to have had this opportunity. It was an experience of a lifetime.   Besides working though, I got to see places I never thought I'd get to see, such as San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Stanford University, Google, Santa Monica, Hollywood, South Lake Tahoe, Reno Nevada, New York City and so many more. I'm still talking about it 2 months after and will still be talking about it for years to come.   Thank you for the opportunity OVC! Love,   Michaela

Hi!   Signing up for Summer Camp and heading off to America was probably the best decision I’ve ever made – and at the ripe old age of 28 too!    I’ll never forget my two months at farm camp in Northern California. The kids, the other counsellors, the activities, the scenery, the days off … everything was just so different from my life back home and so awesome. ‘Life-changing’ sounds like a cheesy way to describe it, but that’s exactly what this experience was.    As a writer, most of my day involves sitting at a desk staring at a screen, so camp was a welcome change, and hardly felt like work at all. Sure, your day is full from morning to night, but when you consider that you spend that time hiking, playing sports, riding horses, doing arts and crafts, or just supervising kids having fun, it doesn’t seem like too tough a job at all.   I knew I’d meet some fun people over there, but I never expected to make such a solid group of friends – so much so that we’re all planning to go back next year for a reunion!    I really want to mention how great OVC office was in terms of facilitating everything for my application. They were there to help every step of the way, through all the forms and interviews and anxiously waiting to be placed. Thanks guys!   Jade

Hey!   I have had an absolutely unbelievable time in America, I can't even begin to thank you enough for helping me get here to have what I would call the best time of my life! The friends and memories I have made are lifelong, and I still shed tears when I think about how quickly it flew by! Thank you for helping it happen!   Regards,   Meg Easby

Harry Khwebane – Camp Little Pine Island, Michigan - 2016 Season   Hi I'm so glad that I signed up with OVC. I'm so in love with America. The children love me because I spend time with them and they teach me about their culture and I told them about my culture too. They even asked me to come back next year. I've learned so many things here since being a Camp Counsellor.   Thank you very much! Regards, H. M. Khwebane

Dillon Geluk – Camp High Peak, Colorado - 2016 Season   From his Mom: Hi OVC Dillon said he had an amazing time, made lots of new friends, it was a wonderful experience. The unfortunate thing is he lost his cellphone in the cab on Monday in New York with all the pics on. As soon as his friends are safe and sound from their tour, they'll forward pics to him. To OVC, thanks for an amazing summer adventure from Dillon ;)

Patience Kechane – Army Lake Camp, Wisconsin - 2016 Season   Hi OVC Camp is great! I'm Lead Counsellor, so I'm responsible for all female cabins. Shannon and Martin are awesome.   Regards,   Patience

Hello   It was one of the best experiences of my life, I met some amazing people and friends. If it wasn't for your assistance, I don't know how I would have made it here on my own.   Yours thankfully, Lindiwe

Hi   I hope you are well. I just thought I would let you know I am safely back in South Africa after an amazing summer. I just want to thank you for the opportunity and I want to let you know that I am strongly considering going back next year.   Regards Rowan

Hi   I'm having a wonderful time at camp! At first I was a bit shocked as it wasn't really what I expected; very rustic and very cold and rainy! I was also very homesick for the first week, but I adapted by  the time the kids arrived and since then it's been really fun, and the weather improved finally at the end of last week so at the moment I'm all smiles!   I've made lots of friends, everybody is fascinated by my accent and I've had a lot of weird questions about being South African, like "Are your parents African American?". The first session was really great, I had 6 11year old girls who were very sweet and enthusiastic, and we had a lot of fun doing horse riding, going to the lake, making ice cream, spending time in the art barn, and even having a mud fight on one of the coldest, rainiest days of the summer! I was sad to see them go, but this session I'm a relief counselor, which is cool because I get to spend time with all the kids as opposed to just a small group.   I've decided not to travel to try and save some money to maybe come back next year! I love HVC, everbody is friendly and there's such a variety of things to do.   Nicole

I have had the privilege this year to become a camp counselor at Camp St Croix in Hudson, Wisconsin. So far I have been having the best time ever. The people here are amazing and very helpful. The Camp itself is beautiful. I just completed my staff training and that in itself was fun, being outdoors doing activities, hiking, and camping out, there is just so much. The children are coming on Sunday and I can’t wait to share the fun and awesome experience that I have had at Camp St Croix with them.   This trip and overall experience could not have been possible without OVC. From the beginning their service was professional. The staff were friendly and very helpful. They were available and answered every question I had. They booked my flights and always kept me updated with what was going on. The staff at OVC were there for me and they are just AWESOME!!!!!!!!   I have taught the staff here at Camp St Croix some Zulu songs and dances and they Love it!!! I have also enjoyed meeting people from other countries and the people from here in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Minneapolis. It’s been truly amazing so far and it’s just the beginning. I am in a happy place right now.   A big thank you and appreciation to Jessica, Robyn, Claire and all the people at OVC and CCUSA.   Yours Sincerely,   Musa Mkwanazi

Hi OVC   Camp is definitely a unique and rewarding experience, and I've never been involved with anything close to it, so it's been great to build up such experiences. The weather has been unseasonably hot and humid (so I'm told), to the point where we've often had to change scheduled activities at the last minute so that people aren't spending too much time in the sun.  I have been allocated as the Group Leader for the senior girls on camp (15 and 16 year olds).  I had never worked with children of this age before, so I was initially a bit hesitant, but it's been such a wonderful experience.  They are all such wonderful young ladies, and it's been so good to get to know them and work with them. We have had some fun adventures together including going to the movies, roller skating, going to a local ice cream parlour, and of course all the sports, and arts and crafts activities through the day.  We've had talent shows, nights of singing and dancing, a Disney themed disco party, and we all had a great time on visiting day (and of course they stocked up on all the candy they could!). We're coming up to change-over day, where the children who stay for the first half of camp leave, and the children arrive for the second half.  I think it's going to be quite emotional saying goodbye to the girls I've spent a month bonding with.  I will definitely send word of more stories as the summer continues - I can't believe we're already at the half-way mark! Warm regards,   Kristy

Hi OVC   I have had the time of my life at Camp. The staff firstly made me feel at home and working at Camp St Croix was the best choice for me. The ability to spend time with the children and act si³ly, sing Camp songs, teach the children about my culture, learn new things and affect change, has made my summer here in the United States unforgettable. I loved all of it and I was voted the best female Counsellor this year.   Thank you so much for helping me and making it possible for me to do this. It was amazing. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Now I am traveling. First stop is Las Vegas with the awesome people that I worked with at Camp.   Hope that you have a great day.   Kind Regards,   Musa Mkwanazi

Hi OVC   I am doing great! Enjoying camp so much, a little sad that it's nearly over though! Camp is pretty much what I expected and I love it!! Hope you are doing well :)   Kind Regards,   Brittany