From previous camp attendees:

2008:

still to come! should be updated soon.

2007:

Another year of India camp and another year of observing what it does for my daughter, which is make her shine with pride about her heritage. What makes this a Can't Miss Event for us every year is that it is a really unique chance for her to: 1) run in a pack with kids who have EVERYTHING in common with her (and I think this will become even more important in her adolescence). 2) spend time with terrific young people like Rupa and Kyla and others who are awesome role models (I hope she will be a volunteer someday). 3) see and be around a lot of others families who look just like ours, a very happy mixture of brown and white! It's unique and wonderful to have this opportunity here, and we are very grateful to all the people who worked so hard and volunteered their time and creativity for our benefit. It was so fun to see lots of familiar faces, and really great to meet so many wonderful new ones as well. Hope to see you all next year, it's on our calendar! 

Thank you for the wonderful camp again this year. Our daughter is still recovering from all of the fun. Thanks again to everyone for all of the hard work and fun that was Camp Masala 2007. We feel very proud to have a camp of this caliber in our state. We too will be back next year.  

I'd also like to thank everyone that helped arrange camp and those that worked this weekend. This is my youngest (3 yr old) daughter's 3rd year at camp but I think this is the first year that she really knew what was going on and had fun. Last night we took my Dad out for dinner for Father's Day and all she could ask is if we were going to India? She asked me the same thing this morning on the way to school and tonight again. All she can talk about is going to India (not actually going to India, but going back to camp.) My older daughter as usual had a blast and has asked me if she can learn an Indian dance so she can dance on Saturday night like the other kids. Right now what the girls have more fun doing at camp is seeing everyone and playing, not the actual learning piece. However, they do remember things from class so I know they are benefiting from all aspects of the weekend. Next Father's Day weekend seems so long away and can't come soon enough for my girls. We will definitely be there (haven't missed one yet.)   

It was once again a lovely weekend.  Somehow the time seemed to fly even faster than usual -- to my girls as well. S kept asking "Can't we stay one more night?"  The girls all wore their tshirts to daycare on Monday. They were quite excited. However, not as excited as I am with my new pashmina shawl at work today!  My old one is getting, well... old. And it's a great reminder of camp.  I can't wait to see all the pictures!  

We had a great time at Camp Masala. Everyone was very welcoming and we greatly appreciate the effort that went into organizing this event. Again we send our thanks to all who contributed to this past weekend. S had a fantastic time and has talked non-stop about the red group teachers and all the new friends she made. She loved learning some new dance moves at the party and begged me to wear her new "india dress" to school today.  

I liked the schedule and the activities this year. They loved the dance. The most important part is getting together with other children & families. The 'Religions of India' panel was GREAT!  

Great, great job!! Well organized, excellent activities and adult classes too. Thank you!!!!  

2006:

How can we thank you? We are so lucky to have local resources like you and all the volunteers who give their time and talents to make Camp Masala such a quality experience. Please pass our sincere appreciation on to everyone who helped make this a great weekend. I can honestly see and feel how important this event is to my daughter - she comes home from it pumped up a good ten notches or so about being from INDIA! YAY! I treasure the opportunity to mingle with families that look just like us. I am grateful to all of you for the sense of connection you provide to my daughter. 

Thanks for the Wonderful camp. We had a great time. It was so nice that even our 10 & 13 year olds really felt included. All of us had a wonderful experience!   

I keep thinking about what Holly van Gulden said about how important these kind of events & weekends are for adoptive families, and how in the long run this helps not only the adoptive child but the whole family. This is so true in our family. After a camp weekend, it's like we have all be rejuvenated. The kids are so proud to learn more about India and they get a huge boost to their self esteem. They love seeing so many families that look like ours and being able to interact with Indian people such as all the volunteers. It is just invaluable. Wish we could do it more often!! 

Thank you to all the people who made camp possible.  It amazes me how smoothly everything runs after only two years from inception!  The most gratifying moment of camp for me was in the van to go home yesterday.  My daughter said "I don't want to go home. I don't want this to be over."  This just 3 days after protesting that she absolutely did NOT want to go to India camp!  All three of my girls (as well as my nephew) had a tremendous weekend. Thank you all for making such an event possible. 

I want to THANK everyone who made Camp Masala 2005 a great success. This was our first India Camp and we had a blast. We all made lots of friends and had lots of fun.  Thanks again   

Our family wants to extend their thanks. This is the best camp we have been to. Before we came this year our daughter said she didn’t want to come because she didn’t know the Indian words. That was part of last year’s lesson. After camp this year she said “the school part was really fun” but I liked running around with my friends. It seems like much of the time she was running and loving it! I could have listened to Holly all day. The cooking class was so much fun. It was wonderful to meet everyone and their kids. We are already thinking about next year.  

2004: 

WOW what a great weekend! The organizers and volunteers REALLY knocked themselves out, thank you very much to all of you who gave so much time and effort. Thank you for caring enough about keeping our kids connected to India to take on such a challenge. My daughter had SO much fun, she did not want to leave. And just to ice the cake, the St. Thomas campus was beautiful and the weather wonderful! Of the many aspects of this event to be appreciated, the most important to me is that my daughter got to SEE that she is not alone. She is in the same boat with many others right here, even some others with only a mommmy and no daddy! She got to SEE that we all value her country and her background. She came home even more proud to be from India than when she arrived. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet so many of you and I hope to see all of you again at camp next year. Thank you all for a very important chance to connect with kindred spirits.  

I would like to thank everyone who put this weekend together. It was first class and we enjoyed every minute of it, even when my daughter decided we needed a fire drill! Not only did we all have a wonderful time we all learned so much about India and the culture of such a diverse nation. It was so much fun spending time with old friends and meeting so many new ones. We are all a little exhausted around here. Thanks again and we will be there next year!   

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for the wonderful weekend !!!!!  Camp was a blast -- and my whole family really enjoyed it.   

Thank you all so much for making this such a special weekend for me and my daughter. We loved making new friends and are so grateful to all of you for the positive energy, warmth, and fellowship this weekend. It truly feels as if we are not alone in all of this, and indeed, are kindred spirits. Many many thanks to the organizers for all your hard work in putting this together. Know that your work is appreciated and that you are loved by all of us.  

We had a terrific weekend. It was such a great place and everyone was so nice to meet. My husband and I said we just so enjoyed the whole weekend. On the way home our daughter asked " Mom, Dad, can we go back to Culture Camp again, real soon?". So that means it was a hit all the way around. After Saturday we felt that things were great but today was really fun too. We all enjoyed the meal and the celebration.  We are looking forward to coming again and being part of the whole event. Thanks to the organizers -  It was great!   

Thank you so much for pulling together an VERY IMPRESSIVE first ever Camp Masala. We all had a terrific time and are looking forward to next year. You really put together a fantastic event we are looking forward to attending long into the future. Thanks for everything!  We just arrived home at 9:30pm....and so happy we made the trip.   

Thanks for a GREAT weekend!! I really enjoyed meeting all of you, it is a wonderful group of families. And a BEAUTIFUL group of kids!! We are all so lucky to have them in our lives - and thus have the chance to all meet each other!!  My kids had a ball and sang the Namaste song the whole ride home. They have already asked about 50 times "when are we going to India camp again????"  And they have been talking about all their new friends non-stop. I love it that they are so proud to be from India! It was a great way to spend Fathers Day! Can't wait to see everyone's photos of the weekend.