July 6, 2024
This tireless group woke up to a beautiful view and enjoyed coffee and croissants as we gazed over the small town of Clauzetto. This was no ordinary day for a Moondance trip in Italy. There was something special in the air that the students could not quite put a finger on. IT WAS THE 4TH OF JULY!!!! Ready for the festivities, sneaky Uncle Sam had laid out necklaces, face tattoos, and many more accessories to celebrate Independence Day from many miles away. Kids were awoken to “Born in the USA” by Bruce Springsteen and other American tunes as they watched red, white, and blue balloons fall from above (AKA, Uncle Sam’s hands (AKA MG and JMO)). Our welcoming hosts at Hotel Corona had drawn up a wonderful sign that would be seen at any restaurant in the U.S., making everyone feel like they were at home.
Rolling right into canyoneering, we slowly but surely got all of our wetsuits and harnesses on for this next expedition. As it was many of our first times putting a wetsuit on, we all ran around at the awkward feeling, unsure of what to do. Lauren and Dabney clipped carabiners and had what seemed to be a trust fall as to who might budge first. We entered the canyon, jumping into the quick-moving and cold water, filling our wetsuits to keep warm. The first rappel being our largest, the bravest in the front, Brie descended down the waterfall like a pro. As we trudged through the majestic blue water and massive caves, we all felt like we were in a water wonderland. Mickey took it upon himself to show off his ability to belly flop into the water, doing it time and time again, never failing to impress us. Jack Grant, Kate, Paige, and Ella showed off their singing skills that echoed throughout the entire cave, harmonizing with each step we took. This experience was truly like no other, and rappelling off of and into waterfalls was a memory this group will never forget!
Post-canyoneering, the 4th of July festivities continued at a nearby soccer field where we did relay races and another group game of kickball. Will, yet again, proved to be a sneaky, slithery little snake as he made it home every time he went up to bat. Ben and MG continued their kickball feud (all in good fun, of course) as Jack Moore aimed for the back wall with every kick. Afterwards, we did relay races where the winning team was awarded one-of-a-kind Moondance medals (they were bought from Dollar General). After the competition of kickball, relay races, and other balloon games, the group indulged in some much-needed homemade pasta from Hotel Corona. With our kind hosts insisting on us playing the most American music, we did not feel left out on our holiday. As we began to wind down, we enjoyed each other’s company at Moonup while we watched the sun set across the Italian horizon.
We prepared to head back to civilization to begin our day in Venice. Full of shopping, gelato, pizza, and more gelato, we all played the part of true tourists in Italy. We enjoyed the historical and ancient buildings that Venice had to offer. Walking through old churches and quiet side streets, we navigated the canals with ease to get to each destination. John-William was quite excited with the selection of food that Venice had to offer. Tackling down about six scoops of ice cream and seven pieces of pizza throughout the day, we crowned him champion of the true Italian cuisine experience. Not just John-William, but the whole group feasted on fresh Italian pizza by the Canal Grande for our final dinner as a group. As all great things come to an end, we shared one last special Moonup together. This final memorable moment was led by LODs, Lauren and John, with a special guest appearance by Mickey for the group game of Mafia at the end. The group’s accusations were incorrect as we could have sworn the chosen “mafia” was Will, but in reality, it was JMO. JMO sat there quietly as a mouse, accusing everyone else when it was him the whole time. What a sneakster. With some words from the whole group, some laughs, and some tears, our final Moonup came to a close. Like the two of us told the whole group last night, they make our job easier and more fun, and we could easily lead this group for three sessions straight.
To parents reading this, thank you all for sharing your kids with us for two weeks. Each of you has done an incredible job raising them, and we feel lucky to have been able to know and love each of them. This group saw challenges and rose to them. This quality in 14 and 15-year-olds is uncommon, so to have a group of 12 where each of them rises to the challenge is truly something special. Without each member, we can confidently say this would not have happened. Each person was a specific moving piece in the group dynamic, and it wouldn’t have been the same without everyone. As the two of us sit at a small restaurant in Venice together, we cannot help but talk to each other about how much we miss them already. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for trusting Moondance, and thank you for trusting us. We are better for knowing this group, and we hope we made half the impact on them that they made on us.
To our chickens- we love y’all. Take in every word that we said last night because we meant each one of them. To leave each of you with a few last pieces of advice, we have some things for you. First, take a break from your phone every once in a while. There are things around us every day that we miss because of our phones (us included), and I hope these past two weeks made you realize the things you can see and the connections you can make without them. Secondly, never forget to be YOU and be where YOUR feet are. Life would be so incredibly boring if we all were the same. Life would be so incredibly stressful if we were always worried about something outside of our control or outside of our current setting (litmo, remember!). Life is freakin’ fun and a beautiful thing- don’t forget to look around and appreciate it from time to time. Lastly, don’t forget that we are proud of you, we love you, and we are one call or phone call away at any moment. You know where we’ll be, you know our phone numbers, so please don’t be afraid to use either. We love you guys.
JMO and MG