Read along in Annelies’ diary – Junior Dutch

Eleven-year-old Annelies joined the Groeten uit Gent language camp. In her diary, she shares all the adventures she experienced.

My first day at camp

Today, my adventure in Ghent started! I was a bit nervous, but everyone was so nice and friendly. At noon, I had chicken, potatoes, and mushroom sauce and then we decorated our rooms.

In the afternoon, we practised some Dutch: I can say my name and my favourite colour. We played a big game afterwards, to explore the domain. Super fun!

In the evening, we ate spaghetti, and we built a castle together. Tomorrow a new day filled with adventure!

Fashion show and dodgeball

We started the day with a hearty breakfast, and then we learned about clothes and seasons in Dutch. At the sports moment, I played dodgeball and tienbal. That was really fun.

After a delicious lunch we made some bracelets.

The greatest moment today was the fashion show. We ran the red carpet in funny outfits and everyone applauded. We felt like stars. In the evening, we listened to a story before bedtime.

A day by the sea

Today we went to the sea! By train, we travelled to Blankenberge, and we visited Sealife. We saw fish, frogs and even some cute otters. I found the seals to be utterly amazing!

Then we went to a Camille concert, on the sea wall. Boy, can she sing! On the beach, we built sandcastles, and we played in the sun. And how lovely tasted that ice cream at the end of such a fun day. Back to Ghent then, where we watched the movie ‘Dumbo’.

Cooking and baking cookies

We could sleep a little longer today. The day kicked off with a tasting game: we tasted appetizers blindfolded. Then I picked football, for the sports moment.

In the afternoon we played ‘restaurant’. I was a waiter, and I had to take orders in Dutch. Hilarious! Then we baked cookies. I got to earn the ingredients by completing assignments. The cookies tasted really good! In the evening, I continued working on a wood project.

The final day

Our final day was also fantastic! We learned how to play ‘Uno’, in Dutch, and then we competed in a big game: the junior kids against the teachers. It was close, but eventually the teachers won. During the siesta we watched an episode of #Likeme. In the evening, we received a certificate, and we celebrated with a huge party. Everyone danced and laughed. I am going to miss this camp so much, but I have a lot of new friends now and I learned so much of the Dutch language!