Summer in Russia seems to be a theme for most of this week’s posts. So it only makes sense to «выразить поддержку» [express support] by writing about my summers growing up in Russia.

For me, summers were like «американские горки» [roller-coasters]. First, there was excitement of the last day of school, of returning textbooks to the school library and of not having to wake up early or spend time on «домашняя работа» [homework] for the next 3 months. I finally had a chance to goof off and spend days with friends or at a library without having to worry about my teachers tatter-telling on me for skipping classes.

But the almost unlimited (be back home by 8pm) freedom of «летние каникулы» [summer break] was nothing compared to what was coming up next – a summer camp.

«Пионерские лагеря» [Young Pioneers’ summer camps] were something most of Soviet kids knew first-hand. Camps gave us, the city kids, a chance to get out of a sweltering city for 3-4 weeks and enjoy considerable independence and scarce adult oversight.

Sure, there were «вожатые» [camp counselors, lit.: leaders], but they were outnumbered ten or fifteen to one and, in any case, were too concerned with their little summer romances or too tired from the late-night counselors-only parties to be bothered with us kids.

Of course there was a set routine. At 8am sharp the camp’s radio would play something rousing, usually performed on a «пионерский горн» which was, misleadingly, not a horn at all, but rather a trumpet.

Since it was common knowledge that «в здоровом теле – здоровый дух» [healthy spirit is in a healthy body] the entire camp population would meet at a stadium for «утренняя гимнастика» [morning exercise routine].

At some point in the morning there was also a «линейка» [here – formation] during which the entire camp’s population would stand at attention, salute the flag, and listen to the announcements. After that, you were back with your «отряд» [troop] and «вожатые отряда» [troop leaders] for the rest of the day.

Each «отряд» [troop] of 30 or so kids matched by age had to memorize two critical pieces of camp poetry – «девиз» [slogan] and «речевка» [shouting song]. «Девиз» was a short slogan that somehow reflected the name the group chose for itself. It was shouted from the top of one’s lungs at each «линейка» when the group was mentioned and at every camp-wide event.

For example, one of the troop’s names was Disney-themed «Чип и Дейл» [Chip and Dale]. Their slogan – «Чип и Дейл спешат на помощь, но и мы не отстаём» [Chip and Dale are rescue rangers, but we aren’t so bad ourselves].

«Речёвка» was recited as the group marched to the chow, oops, the dining hall (no denying, there was a large paramilitary aspect to it all). For example,

«Раз-два-три-четыре,

Три-четыре, раз-два.

Кто шагает дружно в ряд?

Пионерский наш отряд.

Сильные, смелые, ловкие, умелые!»

[One-two-three-four,

Three-four, one-two,

Who is marching in this group?

It’s our Pioneers troop.

Strong, brave, clever, skilled!

After breakfast of «каша» [porridge], «хлеб» [bread], «масло» [butter], and «чай» [tea], it was time for «кружки» [here – hobby groups, lit: small circles]. The most popular groups were «сценический» [drama], «походный» [hiking and wilderness training], «умелые руки» [craftsman] and «клуб весёлых и находчивых» [improve comedy; lit. – club for fun and resourceful people].

Lunch was followed by a mandatory «тихий час» [quiet hour] when even older children were required to stay in beds and remain quiet. But the best time was between the quiet hour and dinner. Those were a few hours of free play, roaming around the camp, going for a swim, attempting to hack nightstands into comfortable yet inconspicuous houses for garden snakes, lizards, beetles and any other wildlife we managed to catch.

It was late 80ies when I went to these camps and so, to keep up with the times, we had weekly dances where girls mostly danced to the music of «Ласковый Май» [Russia’s first boy-band] while boys stood quietly in the shadows dreading the inevitable «медленный танец» [the slow dance].

There were a few events during each «смена» [3-4 week camp; lit: shift] that brought all the camp’s groups together. Between the boring and formal opening ceremony and a wildly fun closing festivities (with a bonfire and a concert), there were a water-themed «день Нептуна» [Neptune’s Day], a talent show and best of all, «Зарница» [Summer Lightning] – a day-long war game between the reds and the blues.

Of course, the quality of camp accommodations and activities varied. The golden standard was «Артек», a famed, fabled and most-prestigious camp in the Crimea. Rumors had it that at «Артек» kids ate bananas and drank Coke for «полдник» [mid-afternoon snack] – delicacies most of the Soviet children knew only from books about «загнивающий капитализм» [rotting capitalism].

The only thing I didn’t like about camps was that parents weren’t allowed to visit except on a special visiting day when they would show up carrying «авоськи» [string bags] loaded with fruits and home-baked pastries. They’d look well-rested and even relaxed and smelled of home and I always wanted to go with them back to the city, my house and my normal non-camp life.