Last week was an extremely busy week for me at ETSS Summer Camp. Both sites were planning an end-of-summer celebration and needed to prepare foods and supplies for the parties. Over the at East site, the kids and I worked on preparing for the celebration by cooking some of the recipes we made during camp this summer. All three age groups were able to help prepare for the party. The littlest group, ages 5-7 cut the tomatoes and cilantro for our rice and bean salad. The middle group, ages 8-10 cut the tomatoes, onions, and cilantro for our tomato salsa. The oldest group, ages 11-13 cut the cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, parsley, and basil (from our garden!) for our pasta salad. They worked really hard to get all of the dishes ready so that we could share the recipes with their families. 

The party went well and the families enjoyed the food we made! I printed out the recipes for each dish for the kids to take home, and the parents were very excited about it!

It has been a great summer, and I definitely learned a lot working at ETSS. I did not know that there was such a large Ethiopian population here in Columbus! It’s great to be able to learn new cultures and learn that there is so much more to Columbus. From my Ethiopian camper from the East site, I learned that there is a great Ethiopian restaurant in Whitehall called Lalibela Bar. I can’t wait to try it, because I sure do love injera! 

I also learned that these kids love to try new foods! They are interested in the subject of food and nutrition, and are eager to learn more. Teaching these kids has made me more confident about my future career goal as a health educator. I want to share my love of food and eating healthy to all kids and families.

There was a girl in my East site that made me so proud! She really enjoyed my nutrition class this summer and made some changes in the way she chose foods to buy at the grocery store. Her parents told me that she would tell them, “choose the whole grains” and “buy this, our teacher said this was healthy for us!” From the gardening lessons to nutrition classes, she always participated and was excited for the next class with me! I hope she continues to eat healthy!