July 23 08

Finished article for the newspaper at camp.

For most of us camp is like vacation. You are free to do (almost) anything you want to do and even get points doing it. For others camp is being homesick, all the time or just temporarily. You realize that, even though you knew it when you signed the EF contract, you are going to be away from the place you call home and everything you know and maybe have ever known for ten months. Because it is only ten months.

As my teacher said to our class on Monday, this is were we can make our mistakes. This is were nobody cares if you mess up with the right tense in your sentences and your punctuation is not the most important thing for your teachers anymore, as it probably was in your home country. We are at camp to have fun and prepare ourselves to face whatever is out there. Because this is real. It is not some game you can play and if you loose you will get another life. This is it. This is supposed to be the time of your life, a time to remember forever. You just get one chance to get it right and if you get caught doing something you should not be doing you are out. First flight, straight home.

Imagine going home after two, maybe three weeks. That got to be the most humiliating thing that could happen to you. After saying tear-dripping goodbyes to your family and friends and silently sobbing on the plane, you are being sent home before it has even really started.
During the first weekend a friend of mine and I thought about the scenario. After a while with loudly discussions about what could happen, reactions from the ones at home and the humiliation, we shook hands and promised that none of us were going home until the very end.

Although, some of the students do not care about speaking English "at all times", as it says on the boards, they should at least try to imagine being around people from other countries who are constantly speaking German or Norwegian or Swedish or another language you are not familiar with. It is hopeless. Trying to understand and participate is impossible, (yes, Ella, it IS possible for something to be impossible). So just try, for some time to speak English, even with your friends. I know it is hard and a bit pointless speaking English with your friends from the same country, but it helps a lot. You will improve your English doing it and if you are lucky you also might get a "I was caught speaking English"-card instead of "sorry, one point less to you my friend"-card, which might help getting to second place after "Ella and the chipmonks"...;)

So, have a great time here at camp; improving your English, making friends, getting points and even winning competitions. Camp is suppose to be fun. Be active. Speak English. Make friends. Have the time of your life.