Read along in Aline’s diary – Stenay
Thirteen-year-old Aline joined the À l’aise en Français language camp. In her diary, she shares all the adventures she experienced.
Day 1: Off to a flying start!
Today we started our French language camp. After a cosy picknick moment the first activity started. We met with the teachers, and we got the introduction in French.
Some of the participants were a bit shy at first, others chatted away right from the beginning. We continued by playing an Olympic game, we ran, jumped, and laughed a lot. Some of us even won a medal! After a lovely spaghetti for supper, we ended the day feeling satisfied.
Day 2: Emotions in a leading role
Today was all about the movie Inside Out. The teachers played different characters from the movie and tasked us with fun assignments all day long. We did some French language exercises about emotions, such as happiness, fear, and anger.
In the evening, we played Cluedo: Joy was abducted! By solving riddles and working together we were able to find all the missing characters. What a wonderful day, filled with emotions and fun!
Day 3: Wonka’s nature walk
Today we set out for a ‘Charlie & the Chocolate Factory’-themed day. We visited the market in Stenay to buy fruit and vegetables, and to complete challenges for a game of Bingo, in French. Then we went on an 8 kilometre-hike.
Back at the camp, we built a marble parkours. Everyone cracked up like crazy!
Day 4: Magic at Hogwarts
We kicked the off in a magical way: everyone got an invitation to Hogwarts! After the Sorting Ceremony we got teamed up into houses. We played Quidditch and did some language assignments to find out if we were in the right houses. The day ended with a big tournament, and everyone got submerged into magic spells and paint art – paint battles included! Huffpuffle won the day, but all of us went to bed with magical memories.
Day 5: An exciting adventure in Verdun
Today we went on a field trip to Verdun! In the morning, we played a city game, and we made money by making photographs and hunting for treasure. In the afternoon we went on an altitude journey, and many of us conquered their fear of heights.
Back at the camp, we used our money to build egg parachutes. Surprise: all the eggs survived! And obviously, the eggs landed on the heads of our teachers. What an exciting and hilarious day this was!
Day 6: Strategy & the Hunger Games
We slept in and started the day later with a delicious homemade brunch buffet (pancakes, wraps, smoothies – very tasty!). Then we got teamed up into districts, and we tried to make money all day by conducting assignments. In the evening, we worked out strategies to defeat the Capitol. An action-packed day, filled to the brim with teamwork and fun – may chances always be in our favour!
Day 7 & 8: Casino & kayaking
Day 7 had love and luxury written all over it. We got invited to a night at the casino, and we got to play language games all day long in sunny weather. At night, we concluded festively with an indoor casino (due to rain) and an exciting finale.
On the 8th day, we went kayaking on a 6 kilometre stretch of river. We reached the finish just in time before a rain shower! We swam in the lake for a while, and we concluded the day quietly with a movie.
Day 9: The Peanut day
Today was our ‘friendliness day’. We made small gestures, like presenting a flower, exchange compliments or writing a card. In the afternoon we played a hilarious game with soap. The day ended with roasted marshmallows and the disclosure of our secret peanuts. A day filled with warmth and fun.
Day 10: final day in Stenay
Our final day had many moments of closure: satisfaction inquiries, the last workshops and a big show to end with. We all received a certificate at a cosy drink. The day ended with a bang on the dancefloor. We went to sleep with beautiful memories of an unforgettable camp.