July 16 (Day 10 at the camp)
By Sofia Maslennikova

Today is a day off — Saturday. We woke up early to get ready for an excursion to the old town of Kaleiçi (this is a district in Antalya; the name literally means “inside the fortress”).

After breakfast, we headed to the bus. The ride was quite short — about 15 minutes. We strolled through the narrow streets of the old town, bought some ice cream, took pictures of each other, and then came to a café to order food and drinks. I ordered an iced coffee — it turned out to be very tasty and quite inexpensive compared to prices back home in Surgut. While our drinks and food were being prepared, I played cards with Misha, Denis, Katya, and Max. Dasha, Elena, and Aisylu — a girl from Kazakhstan who has been at the camp since June 20 and will stay until August 8 — were chatting among themselves. The boys, along with our counsellor Misha (also known as Mikael Volker) and guys from another group, were engaged in lively conversation.

After leaving the old town, we headed to the shopping mall. It was close by, but right in the middle of the day under the scorching sun, so it was unbearably hot — fortunately, the mall was air-conditioned and cool. Once inside, we split into small groups and went shopping, having agreed on a time and place to meet. I went together with Katya, Misha, and Denis. I was glad (and so was Katya) that we could visit some mass-market brands that are no longer available in Russia.

Meanwhile, Ivan Alexeyevich was rushing from store to store with counsellor Misha, while Max was regretting not having bought anything. The only downside was that we were given only two hours to explore — which is far too little for a huge five-storey (?) shopping centre.

Upon returning to the camp, our first stop was afternoon tea (snack time). Then came some free time: some went swimming in the pool, others simply rested in their rooms or chatted with friends. Katya and I spent most of our time hanging out in the boys’ room, talking about everything under the sun. And, in our best tradition, we played cards (to be honest, I can no longer imagine camp without card games).

After dinner, we went for a short walk to the playground — just to relax and clear our minds.

In the evening, the camp organised a general “candle gathering” (evening circle), but we also had our own little one. Tonight’s conversation felt especially warm and cosy to me. I suddenly realised that very soon we would be leaving for our hometown, and there would be no more get-togethers around the “campfire.”

During the reflection session, we discussed each other’s positive qualities. But first, we expressed our gratitude (I hope you felt it!) to Irina Vladimirovna (Max’s mother) and Irina Valeryevna (Katya’s mother) for also sharing their diary entries with us! Everyone perked up at the mention of Katya’s video — but Katya was SO scared that we might see it that Elena didn’t give in to the requests to show it. Instead, she suggested that we share OUR observations about each other’s talents and good qualities. I was pleased to hear kind words directed at me, and I equally enjoyed speaking openly about the strengths of others.

This day turned out to be one of the most memorable for me during the entire session — I will definitely remember it for a long time.

P.S. To those who want to feel the true spirit of adventure and experience a full-fledged holiday — you should definitely join us. The next educational expedition will take place from August 15–20, visiting the cities of Russia’s “Golden Ring.” For details, click here and we will call you back. Or go to the chat and we’ll tell you personally. Phone number: 8 (3462) 75-82-27.