“Ten days of language camp, and already I was dreaming in French”
“Studying Modern Languages really is my thing”, says an excited Isaline (age 16). She joined a Roeland language camp for the first time when she was 10. In the meantime, she participated four times already. “I like studying French. And my experiences with Roeland certainly contributed to my love for language.”
“I never received a bad grade for French at school. That might have something to do with the fact that I got immersed in the French language at the Junior French camp (age group 9-12). Because of those mini-camps I started the French lessons at school with a head start.”
How did you experience the progress of your French language skills throughout the consecutive language camps?
Isaline: “The French Mini (age group 7 – 9) and French Junior (age group 9 – 12) volunteers still speak some Dutch on occasion, for example when a difficult game requires explaining. I learned the colours, the numbers … When I turned 12 and went to the language camps in Bure, the teachers only spoke the target language. So, when I wanted to ask or explain something I had to do it in French. Not easy at first, but definitely the best way to learn a language.”
What is, in your opinion, the difference between studying French at school and learning French at a Roeland camp?
“At a Roeland camp, the teachers speak only French. They do their utmost best to talk slowly, with some gesturing to help us out. Native speakers talk a lot faster. And as participants we always have to speak French at camp, of course. After ten days I started dreaming in French, which is how accustomed I had become. During the first days, I habitually inclined to speak Dutch and I had to make a real effort not to do so. But after a couple of days, it just grew on me. It was very strange indeed to get on the bus home and speak my first language again.”
The past couple of years you also went to the French camps in Bure. Talk us through your days there.
“We did nothing but cool activities. Before noon we had the language workshops, where we learned French in a playful manner. For instance, every other day we received a little book with crossword puzzles we had to complete. And when we learned about all kinds of occupations, we had to act them out while the other participants had to guess which profession it was. And we picked up a lot of new words while playing ‘Hang Man’, for example. These games combined made sure we quickly learned French in spades.”
“In the afternoon, a lot of cool activities appeared on the schedule, like swimming, going on a field trip and kayaking. The city game is my favourite, because you execute assignments while you discover a city and your vocabulary rapidly expands. Like the French word ‘drapeau’. I did not know what it meant, but every time I hear it now, I think about the flag game we played at camp. And I am quite sure the names of fruits and vegetables I asked at a local shop will stay with me forever.”
Speaking French now comes easier to you?
"It sure does. I am not yet fluent at it, but it definitely feels more natural to do so. During French class at school, I try to speak as much as I can. Because I am convinced that speaking a language is the best way to learn it."
