Quick Update

Prepping the ceviche.

To kick off the summer, all the staff attended a mandatory two day orientation, where we learned and reviewed expectations, tasks, more information about the job, and so on. Things got a little more exciting the second day. After we gathered and learned about pirates, we got on a boat and started to fish. We caught some black sea bass, and some scupps. Not only that, but a chef taught us how to filet, and cook ceviche and sashimi with lime juice. The ceviche was surprisingly good, because it did not have the distinct salty, seafood taste that fish usually has. After orientation closed, we were assigned our sites, and I was given Camp Harbor View (CHV).

CHV is a large camp located on Long Island, and I teach kids in the fishing club how to fish, the biology of crabs, and how to take care of the harbor. These kids are very great to work with, because they have enough experience and knowledge to achieve things, such as holding a crab, or even catching one! The kids that signed up for fishing club love this, and Save the Harbor at CHV added a new activity: fish printing! Fish printing is a way Japanese sailors kept their great catches to show to their wives and friends, but through art. Kids love to fish print because it is a hands on task, and some like it because they get to touch the fish!

Some days start off slow at CHV, but when it comes to fishing, you just need to be patient. Patience is key because if you constantly reel up the rod, your chances of catching something become slim to none. The kids at fishing club understand this, and so their chances became larger and larger. They practiced jigging their rods, and spotting birds for more marine life to catch. Fortunately, we caught a few skates, one in the crab trap, and three on a rod! The biggest surprise was when we lifted up the lobster traps. There was a skate, but we seen those before so no biggie...that was until we found a pretty big sized flounder! The kids loved it, but unfortunately we had to toss it in the water because that was the group's decision. That is just the tale at CHV.

July 10, 2018, I made my grand return to All Access Boston Harbor. I primarily worked at this site all of last summer, and I really enjoyed it. From the swimming at Spectacle Island, to the horrific screams at the dark tunnel, every moment was a memorable one at All Access. I made a few friends from different community centers as I told about all the fascinating things they could do at the island. Some were afraid to go through the dark tunnel, which is completely reasonable, but they were brave enough to touch, or even hold a crab! They made the best out of their time there and loved their time there. They accepted these challenges, and the BASE kids brought a challenge to a few of us on the team.

Dex and I with a few amazing BASE kids teamed up to face Damani and Kamal's team "The Explosions". They were an intense team with a lot of heart and determination to take us down. Kick ball however is a game that can take a drastic turn if you play it right. We were down 0-2, but the Blue Dogs can fight back fast. We scored to grand slams, and one runner to end the game 9-2. This one kids would not accept the fact that we did not cheat, and kept screaming " CHEATORRRR", but he said that was the funnest game of kick ball he ever played. The question now is, can anyone take down the Blue Dogs? Guess we'll find out later.

The New Team!

Signing out,
Qalid Hassan