Serafien dreams of studying at Oxford or Cambridge because of her predilection for Great Britain. To treat their daughter with a taste of the renowned British culture, Serafien’s parents decided to enrol her for the English language camp British Fun. It became an unforgettable adventure, well worth repeating.
“35 years ago, my dad also went to a Roeland camp in England. When I shared my Oxford dream with him, it stirred up some memories for him. But a Google search informed us about the fact that Roeland still organises the English camp he once joined. And so, it was decided: a couple of months later I packed my suitcase for the British Fun camp, in an English private school in Sutton”, Serafien says.
“She was convinced from the very start of the camp”, her mom says. “But my husband and I decided to let her join the French camp Inspir’Action, during Easter Holiday near Brussels. It is a shorter, 5-day language vacation and we wanted to find out if Serafien would find it to her liking. It turned out to be a wonderful experience right away. We knew we could send her to England for a longer stay without worries.”
“Serafien even had to take some time to let go of the camp mood. During her first days back home, we couldn’t help noticing she seemed a little lost, she looked even a little grievous. She said she missed the camp feel, the daily schedule, and her friends. So, when we were presented with another opportunity to enrol her, we didn’t hesitate.”
You join the English and French camps. Any particular reason for that?
Serafien: “I really love learning new languages. I study Modern Languages. I find it super interesting to expand my language skills at language camp.”
Mom: “Especially in English, she is able to express herself fluently, but when it comes to using French, she feels a little uncertain. That’s why we decided to enrol her for both language camps. English camps are perfectly within her comfort zone, the French camps not so much. So, joining both camps felt like the perfect compromise to us.”
Serafien: “My self-confidence and my courage to speak fearlessly have noticeably improved. Also, the teachers tell me I have blossomed. I know I can do it, because at camp I had to speak the new language for days in a row. I learned that you are capable of much more than you think.”
We also heard that you did really well at the school competition Olyfran. Can you tell us more?
Serafien: “Last year I was presented with an Olyfran winner certificate, because my score made the top ten in the Flemish region.”
Mom: “Every Flemish school provides the ability for students to sign up for the Olyfran French test. She took part the year before as well but did not score much above average. In comparison to last year her score was remarkably better. And receiving a ‘Winner’ certificate did wonders for her self-confidence.”
What is your greatest camp experience so far, in your opinion?
Serafien: “The budding friendships that happen there. I still have contact on a daily basis with some of the friends I made at camp. I sometimes travelled with people from other camps, but I never made friends for life there. Not the case with Roeland, where I did make some truly dear friends.”
Which advice can you share with children who are still a little reluctant to go to language camp?
Serafien: “Language at camp is of course of the utmost importance, but the thing is: you don’t experience it like that at all. We play games, do sport activities, go on field trips, … We are just having a really wonderful time. And we do it in a new language, which is just a part of it. When you resort to your native language in your room or during breaks, everything you just learned vanishes within half an hour. Which seems like a pity to me.”
