By Nayeli Ramirez (MAC Student)
Fall Expedition is a time at the beginning of each school year when all MAC (Montessori Adolescent Corp) students work hard, learn new skills, bond together and make new friends. During expedition, we learned how to cook, how to do farm work, and many other things.
On the first day of MAC expedition we immediately set up camp. Right afterwards some of us went to a town called Colton. We spent a lot of time at a farm called Converging Creeks, where Nathan, the owner, lives with his wife and two kids.
They also run a non-profit with their friend Matt. The non-profit is called Food Waves and works with kids to help teach and explore where our world’s food comes from. Different groups of us worked at their farm all week, planting arugula, harvesting different vegetables, weeding, stacking wood, and playing with the dogs.
Throughout the week, we spent time at Converging Creeks and four other farms in Colton. Some of the jobs we did at the other farms were weeding, moving wood, digging up cool old junk, cutting down blackberry bushes, and apple picking. After we were done working we went back to camp to eat dinner, socialize, and go to bed.
On Tuesday we had to get up super early in the morning to go to a camp called Camp Collins. Once we got there we split up into multiple groups. In our groups we did different team-building/bonding activities. But the real reason we went to Camp Collins was to do their high ropes course.
The ropes course was very exciting, and it was almost everyone’s highlight of the trip. The course was cut in half. One way was the hard way and the other was the easy way.
Tuesday was our favorite day not just because of the high ropes course, but because it was the day that rained the least. All of the other days it was pouring outside. Almost everyone’s tent got soaked with water overnight.
At this point everyone was starting to get in the swing of waking up, camping, working, and going to bed at camp.
On Wednesday morning we woke up and some of us went straight out to the farms in Colton, and the others stayed back to work at the school. We spent the whole day at these farms and by the end of the day everyone was cranky and hungry so we went straight back to camp to eat and go to bed, but instead, we came back to a brand new Gaga ball pit, which a group of kids helped to build. So amazingly we were no longer tired and we played Gaga ball until we had to go to dinner.
A Gaga ball pit is a hexagon-shaped pit used to play Gaga ball. Gaga ball is a game where you hit a ball around the pit and try to hit people’s feet by hitting it with your hands to get them out. The last one standing wins.
Thursday was almost exactly the same as Wednesday, but it was easier because people knew what to expect.
The next morning was Friday, the very last day, everyone was very eager to go home and shower, but instead of sleeping in and then getting ready to go home, a few of the 8th graders in MAC got up very early and grabbed all the chairs and two tables and surrounded Remmy’s (one of the MAC guides) tent before he got up. Surprise!
After that last of many expedition laughs was done, it was officially the end of MAC fall expedition. All the tents were packed up, and our camp was starting to look like the school’s track field again. In no time, everyone was already at home showering and sleeping in their own beds.
Overall MAC fall expedition was very fun. People became best friends with people they didn’t even talk to before this trip, and what we learned on it will never be forgotten.
