March 10-11, 2007, BAN THALONG, KHONG CHIAM - In a typical English Crazy Camp, the kids who attend the camp are the most important part. But this weekend, the English Crazy Club held a camp without kids! Ban Thalong, a village on the eastern border of Thailand, hosted this weekend’s camp for Non-formal Education Students. These campers were adults from 18-40 years old, though some of them brought children of their own along to learn too!
The staff taught using the songs and games normally used for children’s camps, modified slightly for more mature students.
It may be surprising that so many adults would be really eager to dress up in clothes and model them while learning vocabulary about fashion,
or that they would be so energetic about tug-of-war, or races, or that they would sing “Hello, How Do You Do?” so enthusiastically,
but the campers and staff were all excited to participate, learn, and teach. In the “International Hello” game, 40-year-old participants were literally rubbing noses with each-other and with staff!
After a hot day of singing in English, learning, and English games, English Crazy Club staff and children from Thalong village took a sunset swim in the waters dividing Thailand and Laos- the beautiful Mekong River. When one can easily swim across physical international boundaries it is a reminder of how arbitrary these human-made borders are. Even locals couldn’t say at what point the Mekong’s waters belonged to Laos!
In the evening, students and staff danced, and performed “Crazy TV Shows’ around a blazing campfire. Some students advertised products and new inventions, others performed interviews with guitar players and Miss Universe contestants, and others informed the other campers about local weather conditions.
This weekend was spent learning English, and going CRAZY getting in touch with all of our inner-children!
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