“Smooth
Sailing”
Wednesday,
14th September – Friday, 16th September
The eagerly
awaited TTO Immersion Camp for 2011 got under way on Wednesday the 14th
of September when 84 year one students and their teachers headed off on an
exhilarating adventure that would include a trip to a royal palace, discovering
gold and punting through the web of canals and waterways of the picturesque
village of Giethoorn.
All 84
students and six teachers (Mr. Frangias, Mrs. Ayala Cevat, Mrs. Blom, Mrs.
Weiden, Mrs. Sartori and Mrs. Sood) charged with enthusiasm and
excitement boarded the coach parked outside the school. Over loaded with
luggage bulging with sleeping bags, clothes and various knick-knacks, we
embarked on the long-awaited journey to the camp.
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Along the
way, the bus in Apeldoorn to visit Paleis Het Loo. It literally means The
Wood Palace and was the main residence of the House of Oranje-Nassau up
until the death of Queen Wilhelmina in 1962. We were lucky enough to be given a
guided tour of the royal home in English which led us through three centuries
of lavishly decorated interiors; a big hit with the students was the Kings
bedroom. From the decadent interiors we were led outside to view the former
King and Queen’s designer gardens which are gracefully lined with colourful
flowerbeds, decorated with statues, and which boasts the highest fountain to be
built in the 17th century. Students were given the task to create
their own Paleis Het Loo quiz which will be played back at school. We piled
into the coach at 2.00p.m for our final destination, our gigantic farmhouse in
the country.
As we
approached, a series of gasps echoed through the coach as we pulled up at the
farm. We not only had one farmhouse but two and each of them were ginormous! We
set off to our allocated rooms to drop off our baggage. The urge to discover
was too intense so we darted around our new surroundings before attempting to
unpack and make our beds.
At six
o'clock, we went to practise punting on a nearby canal in order to get ready
for our long day of boating through the village the next day. For many of us it
was a mishmash of fear and excitement, especially for those who had never been punting
before. But after an hour of practice and zero casualties, we were
confident that we would be able to make the big lake the following day. At this
point the dinner bell went and we busted indoors to fill our tummies with a
delectable buffet of Chinese and Indonesian food. That evening was jam-packed
with English activities and quizzes which kept us busy until almost midnight.
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On the
following day, we woke up to the smell of coffee and laid out breakfast tables.
We gorged on the food with delight, got our packed lunches ready and bundled
towards our meeting place to pick up our boats. This time, we already knew the
ropes so we merrily punted off down the stream amid shrieks of giggles and
laughter. Our first stop was Het Oude Aarde museum where we
discovered a variety of minerals and fossils from around the world. We got a
chance to sift for gold and surprisingly enough it was a lot more rewarding
than we had expected. Many of us left with a handful of gold, whilst others
took pleasure in purchasing the sumptuously shiny stones in the shop. Outside,
we took photos for our group project as we had to put together a comic strip
using photos of ourselves and our own imaginative stories... It was then time for
lunch! In our boats we punted off to a lakeside café where a waiter treated us
to a hot snack and a refreshing drink to wash it down. We rode back to the
farmhouse as fast as we could to prepare for Show Night, another
fabulous activity (a sort of talent show) where our drama teacher, Mrs. Veenstra
had been busy all afternoon turning the farmhouse into a glittering show
palace. After a barbecue prepared by Mr. Blom and Mr. van Duin which comprised
of burgers, bangers and chips, we put on our outfits, jiggled the lights and
got our grooves on for a night of fun-filled entertainment.
On the third
and final day, we had to leave so the morning comprised mainly of packing up
and tidying up the farmhouse.
As sad
as it was to leave, we knew that we had accomplished a lot together and as the
coach pulled away there was a positive feeling of excitement and joy amongst us
all.
What did the
students think of this year’s immersion camp?
Mrs. Sood and Mrs. Blom
 poster_balloons_immersion_camp_2011.pdf 99.67 Kb
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