A Week at Waupoos

Summers at Waupoos are full of activity. Cottagers begin to arrive after 3pm on Monday afternoon and our first group gathering happens for orientation in the lodge at 7pm. Monday is usually a quiet evening, as everyone gets settled into their cottages. Every weekday morning begins with chapel time at 9:30, followed by coffee and muffins in the lodge. On Tuesdays, the staff is introduced at 10am, since they are not present for orientation on Monday evenings. Usually everyone then heads to the pool. The rest of the morning is spent swimming, playing in the park, riding bikes, etc. On Tuesday afternoon, our staff take the cottagers around the property to meet the animals. We have chickens, turkeys, rabbits, two sheep, four ducks, and a Vietnamese potbelly pig named Wilbur (whose belly could probably hold two or three pots).

The pool is open again in the afternoon, but there are also other activities planned by the host family. So far our activities have included outdoor games, crafts, painting, baking, science experiments, and improv. The host families are doing a great job coming up with fun and creative things for the kids to do.

Making ice cream

Every evening has its own activity. On Tuesdays, we go on a wagon ride through the back acreage. On Wednesdays, we play soccer, and on Thursdays, we showcase our talents at the traditional Waupoos Talent Night. This is usually one of the highlights of my week. This past Thursday, Liam performed twice: first he did the actions to a song he had learned at Vacation Bible School that week, and then at the end of the show, he actually took the microphone and sang along to another VBS song. I’ve watched the video clip a thousand times. I’m just so proud of my little guy!

This week’s talent show also included a hilarious dance to What Does the Fox Say, some skits, piano playing, singing, and Sofia doing spins and twirls!

Friday night the host family plans an activity, which is often a movie and popcorn in the lodge. Saturday is our open house, beginning in the afternoon. There’s another wagon ride at 3pm, Mass at 4:30pm, and then a potluck meal at 6pm. Potlucks are bustling, joyful occasions, especially with a full house, as we had last week. We celebrated four birthdays at the farm last week, two of which were on Saturday, so the potluck was crowned with two thickly-iced birthday cakes. The kids were in heaven! There’s usually a bonfire on Saturday evening, where many of us linger until past our bedtimes.

Some shots of the birthday festivities:

As I mentioned last week, we gather with all the cottagers on Sunday morning to share our highlights of the week. Then Matias reminds everyone that there are two places to clean at Waupoos: outside and inside. The kids are sent outside to pick up bikes and toys while the adults finish packing up. Everyone is usually on their way home by noon. The resident families have a weekly meeting in the afternoon and the rest of the day is free to spend however we like. Last week we enjoyed a nice visit with the Baker’s on Sunday evening.

Monday morning the staff prepare the cottages and grounds for a new group of cottagers. Sabrina, Lee-Ann, and I meet with the farm’s administrator to go over the upcoming week and any other relevant business, and then the whole thing starts again! We’re on week 5 of 8 now, so halfway through. The days are flying by – I guess that’s what happens when there’s always something going on! My house is a perpetual disaster, due mostly to the fact that we’re in it just long enough to make messes and leave. But I’d rather spend the summer days outside than slavishly putting wooden train tracks back in their bins.

Last week I had the privilege of sharing a meal with two cottager families. On Wednesday night, I stopped to chat with one of the cottagers while he was barbecuing and he graciously invited the boys and me to join his family for dinner (Brendan was away for work all week, so he didn’t get to partake). I went home to get some things to contribute to the meal and as I was walking back, a girl from the next cottage over discovered that we were eating with another family. “Can you eat with us tomorrow?” she asked enthusiastically. On both nights, the families shared their stories with me. I was moved by their resilience in the face of adversity and by their openness with me. I’m glad to know that people feel safe here and that this place offers opportunities to connect – to bridge the gap of isolation in some small way. When I feel burdened, it’s comforting to know that I’m not alone. Even if we can’t always identify with the suffering of others, letting them know that we see it is a gesture of compassion that can make the pain more bearable. At least it has for me, in times of struggle. I feel that’s part of my role here: to see the suffering of others and stand by them in it. Not to offer advice or solutions, but just to stand by them, in the brief time they spend here, and let them know that they are seen.

Another one of my highlights last week was that one little boy told the group on Sunday morning that his highlight was playing with Liam, James, and Callum. What a way to fill a mama’s heart!