Layout:
Home > Checking In

Checking In

July 25th, 2016 at 03:22 am

It's been a busy few weeks. I drove DD to French camp--about 12 hours each way, except for the mammoth storm on the way home. Ah, there's nothing quite like a terrifying Midwestern thunderstorm. I pulled off the road six times between Bemidji and the Twin Cities; each time there were reports of tornadoes, or I was hit by hail or blinded by incredible rain. At one point I was n a gas station with two dozen people who all decided we should shelter in their cooler if the siren went off. But I made it, albeit in three days of solid driving. Two days later I was off to Montreal with my BFF. We had a spectacular time in that gorgeous city and did all sorts of wacky things from rooftop cocktails to ziplining and paddleboating. We rented bikes, took a bus to Quebec City, saw a beautiful waterfall, and just enjoyed our time.

Last night at midnight DD returned from camp, so I've been immersed in laundry and staying inside away from the oppressive heat and humidity. The specter of August looms, so I've been back in the saddle for a bit. I've finished about one quarter of my text editing, and my weekly class is half done. DD and I have formulated plans for the rest of the summer. More on that tomorrow.

I've been sorry to hear about Patient Saver's and Dido's job losses. Wishing them both the best.

9 Responses to “Checking In”

  1. Mrs. Frugalista Says:
    1469446531

    Was the camp a total immersion language camp? I am thrilled that your family values second language acquisition. Sorry about the bad weather and happy you had a great time in Canada.

  2. VS_ozgirl Says:
    1469447232

    Sounds like a wonderful trip to Montreal with your BFF! It all sounds so fun Smile.

  3. CB in the City Says:
    1469451234

    Oh my, the drive in the storm must have been terrifying! Glad you are safe.

  4. My English Castle Says:
    1469453840

    Ms Frugalista--it was indeed a total immersion language camp--one of the Concordia villages. She loves it, and I'm happy to encourage second language acquisition. Every time someone rolls their eyes at me and says we should send her to coding camp instead, I'm going to tell them the story someone told me in church yesterday. Their daughter was a French and English major and now works in Paris at the American embassy. Their other daughter worked for a travel agency through college, specializing in art history tours and funded her entire education that way. Most importantly, she really loves it.

  5. creditcardfree Says:
    1469454520

    I had no idea there were immersion language camps for kids! My daughter is taking German 2 online this summer since our new school district doesn't offer it at her school.

  6. snafu Says:
    1469490610

    Perhaps daughter would consider working one summer as au pair in Quebec City, one of the suburbs of Montreal or certain districts in Ottawa that are totally French speaking.

  7. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    1469492500

    A language immersion summer camp is an awesome idea! I'd go for it for myself if there was such a thing for adults (and I could take the time away from life ...) Smile

  8. MonkeyMama Says:
    1469543097

    Glad you made it home safe!

    What is wrong with people?? My son is currently in drama (day) camp because there's nowhere else he'd rather be. Of course, I can't help but think about how useful and academic foreign language study is. (I'm already getting raised eyebrows about sending son to art school for 6-12. I guess I better get used to it. Our friends/relatives tend to the science/math side. I get the sense that they have a problem resolving arts + brains. Since dh and I are kind of 50/50, we didn't get the memo. Does no one know that studying the arts will make you more appealing to colleges? I don't recall being told I couldn't study rocket science in college because I chose music classes over higher math in high school. Wink Seriously, people really need to chill).

  9. My English Castle Says:
    1469550135

    I think snafu has an excellent idea. And of course agree with MM and FT. They do have family weekends which might help my dusty/rusty German. I've also been thinking of having lunch with German students at the university. Snafu--one of my Brit friends has the most glorious French from spending summers as an au pair in Nice. Everyone we meet in France compliments her. And those summers were 30 years ago!

Leave a Reply

(Note: If you were logged in, we could automatically fill in these fields for you.)
*
Will not be published.
   

* Please spell out the number 4.  [ Why? ]

vB Code: You can use these tags: [b] [i] [u] [url] [email]