Day 1: A long journey.
The coach arrived at Langley School around 6 p.m., after a long trip. A warm welcome was followed by a lovely dinner, and we were shown our rooms so we could unpack. Then we gathered in the ballroom and were told a bit more about the school and the language course itself. To conclude our first day in style, we had a relaxing cup of tea. The beginning of an exciting adventure!
Day 2: Food heaven & fun activities.
On our second day, it was time to explore English cuisine. We started off with a typical English breakfast, with lots of options to choose from: scrambled eggs, pancakes, cereals, … For lunch, we had bangers (which are sausages) and mash (short for "mashed potatoes"). Our dessert was treacle tart. I quite liked that, actually. In the evening, we ate baked potatoes with tomato sauce. Delicious!
We started the activities with one hour of sport. I picked a football game. First the opponents scored two goals, but we managed to even the score, so penalties decided the game. Both teams missed their three penalties, so it went to a sudden death. The other team missed, so we won. This nerve-racking game almost made me bite my fingernails off!
In the afternoon, we did a scavenger hunt around the school. This activity helped to strengthen our group. The goal was to find as many objects as possible. The catch was that there were only 8 objects for 10 teams, so we had to be quick!
Day 3: An exciting trip to the village.
Today was not a very sunny day, but it was still loads of fun! In the morning, we ate breakfast and played sports for an hour. Afterwards, we went off to our first language lab, or drama session. Exciting!
In the afternoon, during all kinds of activities we met with people from the village of Loddon. We chose to go to a pub called “The White Horse” where we chatted with the owner. We asked questions about the pub’s history, and he showed us the basement where he keeps all the beer that is on tap. He also told us a strange story about this one time when the ceiling came down. He was a very funny guy.
We also met Roger, who spoke about the history of the Church of England. For example, he told us about King Henry VIII, who wanted to divorce his wife. The Pope would not allow him to, so he created his own church. What a guy!
Day 4: From hockey victories to BUM games.
Today was action-packed: hockey, drama classes and a delicious fish and chips lunch!
Then it was time for a hilarious game of BUM. This game works as follows: you need to keep the ball in the air with your feet, it can bounce once between the passes, but if you let the ball drop you get a letter. If you get all the letters to complete the word “BUM”, the other guys can shoot the ball at your bum. I must say: it can be quite painful.
Learning the rules of cricket and how to sing the national anthem got us pumped for the British National Day. Tomorrow we will be going to Norwich. Everyone is looking forward to this trip and the city game we are going to play there. I 'll tell you how it goes!
Day 5: Exploring the city of Norwich.
Today was sunny and full of adventure! This morning, we played cricket in plain whites, just like the professionals.
In the afternoon, we explored the city of Norwich. We played a big city game called Actionbound, in which we needed to do simple tasks in loads of various places. It was a wonderful opportunity to explore all the hidden spots of the city, and we even had time to shop for souvenirs. Tonight is bingo night. I have never played it before, but it is going to be fun!
Day 6: Sunday recap.
Today was a special day. We got up later than usual (at 9.15 a.m.). Then we walked to the church in Loddon and attended a service. Afterwards, we had a cup of tea and a chat with the villagers. For lunch, we had a traditional Sunday roast. Yummy!
After lunch, Queen Camilla (who turned out to be a double) came to visit us. We all had scones together, yummy part two! Before the ‘Queen’ left Langley School she opened our fête, a kind of festival in which we played different games such as welly wanging (throwing boots), sweet pong, wet sponge throwing and tug of war. Lots of fun!
This evening, we are going to have different fun shops. We can attend a boot camp, crochet something or learn all about party planning.
Day 7: Learning, laughter, and lifelong memories.
This morning, we had an incredibly fun language lab, because we did some improvisation exercises. In one of the exercises, we had to act like parents who just got their children’s school results. It was hilarious!
Before lunch, we had our daily singing session. We sang a song by Adele. Everyone was on fire today, so much so that even our teacher became a bit emotional!
Tomorrow we will finally see what the drama students have been preparing all week. We are sure it will be a wonderful performance. We are looking forward to Wednesday as well, because then we are all off to the seaside. To end the camp, we will have a big party!
This summer camp was a blast. I feel like I learnt a lot, all while having fun with new friends. What more could you ask for?
