culture

These days, schoolchildren and students are on the summer vacation. Between July 10 and 14, more than 800 students from junior middle schools in Pyongyang started the seventh camping at the Mangyongdae Children’s Camp located in the suburbs of the capital city.

“As our camp is placed near Mt Ryongak, we organize diverse schedules with the main stress put on climbing, including swimming, boating, sports and electronic games, in line with the summer condition. In that course, students can consolidate their knowledge and train their physical strength,” said Pae Kwang Su, section chief of the Mangyongdae Children’s Camp.

All camping schedules are controlled by the sound of a bugle call ringing out in the camp.

When a bugle call is sounded, campers gather in the playground to spend a pleasant time at the boating ground, swimming pool, electronic recreation hall, general knowledge diffusion room and outdoor basketball court under the guidance of camp instructors.

In July when the sultry weather begins, campers are lured to the swimming pool and boating ground before others.

As they experience the conspicuous feeling of swimming pool in a forest, campers jump into water tanks one after another. 

As soon as their hot bodies are cooled, they go to water slides in different shapes and with different length. They slide individually or in groups of three to five as they get excited and, after going into water, have a swim respectively. Other campers look at them with bright smiles on their faces.

Boys dive into water from springboards of different heights as they display bravery amid the enthusiastic applause of other campers.

Campers do not know the passage of time also in the boating ground.

Sitting on different shapes of boats, including swan and car, they are engrossed in boating while holding wheels and working pedals in great delight.

Campers who have climbing on schedule put on climbing gear and start on a mountain-climbing route.

Mt Ryongak, which they have to climb, is 293 metres above sea level. The climbing route to Tae Peak covered with fallen leaves and old acorns inclines with the gradient of 40 degrees and is 1 060 metres long.

On the route, there are steep and slippery rocky path extending for scores of metres and huge protruding rocks standing distinctively as if they would fall on head then and there.

Mun Phyong Jin, third-year student of junior class at Chongnyu Senior Middle School in Taedonggang District, Pyongyang, expressed his excitement, saying: “I climbed up Tae Peak by myself being soaked with sweat in sultry weather. The appearance of Pyongyang from the Songdok Pavilion on the top of the peak was really magnificent.”

The cooking practice is popular with campers as they can make foods by themselves.

Girls who had ever cooked different foods helping their busy mothers are good at cooking, and boys are hesitant at first, but make egg roll and put it on a dish with a smile.

Campers become more excited when playing sports games, divided into two teams.

All campers, teachers in their charge and instructors of the camp have to take part in different sports games. Players do the best for the victory of their teams displaying their wisdom, bravery and unity and all of them cheer their teams.

Besides, they spend pleasant times as they read books in the general knowledge diffusion room, play games in the video games room, cook boiled rice outdoors and have photos taken to remember their joyful camping life.

In the evening, campers have a dance party to the merry music on the playground and sing songs of happiness in the karaoke room.

Campers say that everyday life in the camp was the continuation of joy and optimism.