Going to camp by yourself? “I wanted to make new friends”
A few years ago, Marie (age 14) decided to sign up all by herself for a Roeland language camp. “I wanted to meet new friends, so I decided to sign up. And I had a really fun time, so much that I go to several camps every year now.”
“We thought it was a very courageous decision”, says dad Filip. “It may feel safer to bring a friend along, like some participants do. When Marie hinted at going alone on this adventure, we as parents applauded her for that decision. She has learned to step out of her comfort zone and to confront and embrace her insecurities.”
“Because I went to the camp by myself, I immediately got to meet the other children”, Marie adds. “Together, we shared fun activities and cool field trips.”
“Especially the big game in the afternoon is great fun, because you do it with the entire group. The field trips to Brussels and kayaking are also my favourites. You get to see so much new stuff.”
And all of that in French. How do you feel about that?
“Cool! French is a beautiful language, and I want to learn to speak it and understand it effortlessly. That is why I already joined the Roeland language camps as a junior”, Marie says.
“You get to know each other in a unique way when speaking in a new language. When you talk to each other in your native language, you get to know a lot about someone quickly: what they like, how they feel, … In French, it is a slower process: it’s more based on what you experience together than solely on words. And that is quite extraordinary.”
What did you learn at camp?
“First and foremost, I learned that it is okay to make mistakes. In French class, I dare to speak up and answer the questions. It is less stressful now, because I know it is more courageous to try and make a mistake than to not take part at all”, Marie says.
“Marie has always loved the French language”, dad Filip confirms. “Because of Roeland, we noticed she started loving French even more. All the fun moments at camp, like the singalong moments, affirm that feeling. And she also likes the language lessons at school even more now. The language camps are an invaluable and major help to make the acquisition of another language less strange or daunting.”
What holds the future?
Marie: “I intend to go to many more language camps with Roeland”, she says with a smile. “Maybe I will try a few of the English camps. If I want to make teaching an occupation is something I do not know for sure yet. For now, I especially like to meet new people and to be able to talk to them in their language.”