“Ladies and gentlemen, we are now making our approach to Bournemouth,” the pilot announced, his voice crackling through the speakers as we were gliding through the clouds. That’s when it hit me: I’m in England, finally! Well, to be exact, this already happened a few weeks ago, when my class and I went to Bournemouth, a charming town in southern England. But this wasn’t just any trip – it was our language week, a special opportunity to dive deep into English culture while staying with a host family. Let me tell you, it came with a few unexpected (and spooky) surprises! Curious to hear more? Keep reading for all the intriguing details!
First things first, I want to highlight the significant impact of educational camps on learning a foreign language. Trust me, participating in a language week abroad is such a game changer. Honestly, my English skills skyrocketed. I went from “Uhm, can I have a…?” to confidently chatting like a local in just a few days! Hearing English spoken by natives 24/7 wasn’t just helpful for picking up vocabulary and accents, but it also gave me a taste of British humor, traditions, and even the true meaning of British politeness and the classic “Sorry!” for almost everything.
Now, even though I had some chit-chat with locals, surprisingly the people I imagined I’d have the most conversation with were the people I talked to the least: my host family. Sounds stupid, right? After all, two friends of mine and I stayed with them for a whole week! To be honest, it was a little awkward. Our family consisted of Kellie, the host-mum; her teenage son, Sam; and their slightly grumpy grandfather, Robert, who we had to share a bathroom with. Oh and of course, and I can’t forget Jessie, their adorable dog, that seemed like the only one excited to see us. Most of the time, we didn’t even eat with them – just a plate left on the kitchen counter for us, which felt kind of distant. To make things even more uncomfortable, the bathroom situation was… let’s just say, less than ideal. But hey, I guess these moments are part of what makes traveling so memorable, right?
Speaking of memorable moments, there’s one more story I have to share with you. On the last night, my friends and I were absolutely convinced that the house was haunted. Honestly, we had this weird feeling from the start, especially since the door would sometimes creak open in the middle of the night, even though no one was there. Creepy, right? However, the spookiest thing happened right when we were just about to fall asleep when we noticed an odd glow coming from the blanket that hung on the wall behind my bed. I was seriously so scared! I mean, can you imagine trying to sleep with a mysterious light coming from your wall? Of course, we had to investigate. We lifted the blanket and, to our surprise, found a hollow space lit up from within. But – here’s the twist – there was no visible light source. After minutes of searching, we still couldn’t figure out what was causing it. Eventually, we gave up and went back to bed. Needless to say, I didn’t sleep much that night!
Well, that wraps up my unforgettable language week in Bournemouth. If you ever get the chance to participate in a language week abroad, I’d say go for it! You never know what surprises (or supernatural mysteries) are waiting for you. Cheerio!
Magdalena Ratzenböck, 6B
