Yaglossary, From Blears to Ziggamaflops

Every camp has their own language; nonsense phrases that every camper recognizes instantly, everyday words that definitely don’t mean everyday things. Once in a while, you might even find yourself slipping a camp word into a conversation with non-camp friends, and be met with bemused stares until you realized that they have no idea what you were trying to say. Here’s a helpful glossary of the uniquely Yagilu terms you might hear thrown around.

Blear

When you think you’ve seen or heard a bear, but you’re not positive. Instead of confidently shouting, “Bear!” like you would when spotting a bear, Blear is usually pronounced as a a question – “Blear???” In a sentence: “Did anyone else hear that Blear last night around 2 AM?“

Bonus Light

The period of time after sunset but before it gets dark, also known as Bein HaShmashos. Aim to be pretty close to wherever you’ll be spending the night by the time Bonus Light rolls around – it’s still light enough to see, but it’ll be fading quickly. “If we hike quickly, we’ll make it to the campsite in the middle of bonus light.”

Boss vs Leader

Two contrasting models of leadership. A ‘boss’ acts like the project is all about him, and is demeaning to others working on the project; to him, they work FOR him, not WITH him. A leader helps coordinate everyone’s efforts to accomplish a goal; he recognizes that without everyone’s involvement, the final product won’t be as good as it could be. “That guy in our building group started out as a boss, but he developed into a real leader.“

Bracha Circle

Before starting on a hike, every person makes a Shehakol and takes a sip of water, and the rest of the group answers Amen. The last person connects his Shehakol to Tefillas HaDerech and then the group starts hiking. “Gather up for a Bracha Circle, it’s time to get moving!”

Company vs Friend

Two contrasting models of friendship. Company are people that you hang out and spend time with, but can’t necessarily trust. They might prioritize a laugh and a good joke over your feeling safe or valued, although they’ll assure you they were ‘just joking.’ A friend is a positive influence, someone you can rely on. Friends are developed through meaningful shared experiences. “Watch out for that guy – he’s company!”

Couches, Fireplace and Living Room

The central gathering place in Yagilu. Tree trunks arranged in a circle are used as our comfortable couches, and the main firepit is in the center of the circle. “Save me a seat on the couch, I have to grab a coal from the fireplace for my coalburning project.”

Daredevil

Someone who runs on risk-taking, not trust. Rather than relying on the people supporting him, he accepts the risks so as not to have to actively trust. “Did you see that guy just climb that tree, without any spotters? What a daredevil!”

FAR!

The standard answer anytime someone asks how much farther til the next break on a hike. A variation is to answer with a nonsense unit of measurement when you have no idea what the answer is, like 10 megapixels or 200 degrees. “We’ve been hiking for a year, how far is the campsite?! FAR!!”

GORP

Good old raisins and peanuts, AKA trail mix. We usually mix in M&Ms, pretzels, chocolate, dried fruit, and whatever other goodies we think will taste good and provide an energy boost. Usually reserved for the 10-day hike and 7-day bushwhack. “I finished my GORP on day 2, does anyone have any extra?”

Happy Dirt

The Yagilu philosophy is, Dirt = Happiness. The dirtier someone is, the harder they’re working and the more they’re involved, so the happier they’ll be. “I’m not sure how many showers it will take to get this Happy Dirt off, but I loved getting it on.”

HLH

HaKol L’Fi HaHype; Everything According to the Hype. Your perspective and reaction to an event are the main things which determine whether you hate it or love it. Often used as a verb, meaning to pump something up and intentionally get excited about something which would otherwise be rather plain or even boring. “We HLH’ed that museum trip until it became the highlight of everyone’s vacation!”

Italian Spices

The inevitable addition of bits of dirt and leaves to food on a hike. Rather than choosing to be disgusted (see HLH, above), we embrace it as natural seasoning. “Wow, the Italian Spices in this pasta really bring out the flavor of the wacky-mac cheese.”

PHJ

Pre-Hike Jitters. A documented psychosomatic ‘medical’ condition that strikes campers the night before a hike. Usually characterized by debilitating joint pain, stomachaches, headaches, and general “I’m-too-sick-to-come-on-the-hike”-ness. Clears up once the camper steps onto the bus with his hiking bag packed. “Someone in my tent had a really bag case of PHJ – he was complaining he dislocated his hip walking to the showers.”

PVR

Positive Verbal Reassurance. Used in the context of building trust, a PVR is an intentional use of language which is focused on the subject in a positive way. The classic is, “I’ve got you,” said to someone attempting a trust initiative during Trust Week. Over time, it becomes a default speech pattern. “I’m a little nervous about speaking at the dinner; I could use a PVR.”

RTF/Rule The Forest

Yagilu’s motto. Shouted after every accomplishment, it represents our goal to actualize the potential Hashem granted us as mini-creators. and stewards of the world -Mil’u Es HaAretz V’Kivshuha, U’rdu…! We crossed the lake in a raft we built ourselves – 1 … 2… 3… Rule The Forest!”

Shack, Wigwam

Two of the main structures on campus. The Shack is where we store all of our gear for hikes, building and farming. The Wigwam is a huge tent used for everything from night activites to Davening. “Grab the rope and saws from the shack and meet us at the building site.”

Tree Snot

The water that drips from the trees for hours after it finishes raining. Also refers to shower you get when you knock into a tree after a rainstorm and it dumps the water from it’s leaves on your head. “I can’t tell if it’s raining or tree snotting right now.”

Upside Down Triangle With a Tent Pole

One of our ‘Yoga’ moves during morning stretches. “Let’s go from Warrior 2 into an Upside Down Triangle with a Tent Pole – Breathe in, and outtttttt.”

Ziggamaflops

An imaginary creature that always makes a cameo appearance in Tani’s first Shabbis Shiur. “Imagine Hashem created a Ziggamaflop right now, it fell out of the sky and crushed the project you were working on.”

Thanks to the Secret Counselor Whatsapp group for their help compiling this list! If you have a term we should have included, let us know in the comments!