Final Afternoon

Thursday was our big sortie, an all-day trip to Walibi, one of France’s few amusement parks.  The announcement the night before was met with enthusiasm and excitement.  I heard that Walibi was quite the destination, though after being to quite a few parks in the states, I had my doubts.  A very large chartered bus arrived on the campground around mid-morning.  After some wide-eyed maneuvering we finally got the bus turned around, and we were on our way down the single-lane country roads.  We exchanged riddles and sang as a rolling patchwork of sunflowers, corn, and wheat whisked by.

My expectations for Walibi were rather dead-on.  The parks biggest, scariest attraction was called Boomerang, a simple, dead-end rollercoaster that brought you forward and then backwards through a triple-loop.  Runner-up was the swinging pirate ship and another spinning ride.  The only other rollercoaster was a small, single-car ride, but it was closed all day.  Perhaps it resembled a train too much and the workers decided to go on strike…  Other than that, the rest of the rides were rather tame and the park had a mostly home-made feel to it.  Still, the kids (teens included) seemed to really like the place.  I mostly kept my mouth shut about the grander attractions we have in America, but I thought about how fun it would be to drop this group of kids into the middle of Islands of Adventure just to watch their reaction.

Friday evening was the banquet, an institution at each camp.  The theme this year was Americana, and the kids spent most of the day in preparation.  The dining hall was thoroughly decorated in reds, whites, and blues, posters with American landmarks were put up on the walls, and each table was themed for a different state.

Everybody participated in one way or another.  My contribution was primarily with all the special music featured during the evening.  I practiced songs with a couple of choral groups, instrumentalists, ensembles, and soloists.  One 14-year-old girl, Clara, had been (more…)

Jeremie

One boy in my tent, Jeremie, is what I’d call the runt of the litter.  He just turned 9 a couple of days ago, but he looks and in some ways acts much like he’s about 6.  He keeps mostly to himself, loves to chase insects, and speaks very quietly.  I’ve engaged him a few times in some games, and I think the attention has won me a special place in his estimation.  He now will walk along with me and talk non-stop in a voice too quiet for me to understand, even if I could comprehend the language.  I don’t think he even cares so much if I can understand.  He just likes having someone to talk to, rattling off long stories about his dog or the way fish breathe underwater.

Yesterday we went to (more…)

Happy birthday to me!  Somehow the word got out, and everyone has been giving me birthday wishes.  For the first time in my life, I heard Joyeux Anniversaire sung to me this morning by all the boys in my tent.  In fact, I’m sharing birthday honors today with two others at the camp: one of the counselors for the ado boys and one of the ado girls.

Today is blisteringly hot.  Sunny with a touch of excessive humidity makes our plans for a swimming pool day with the juniors sound just about perfect.  All the kids are occupied right now in the morning reunion (basically chapel, but a bit more informal), and I have about half an hour before the afternoon activities commence.  I’ve found that on most days, I have an hour or two in the morning when I can work on things relatively unmolested.  Otherwise, I have to wait until after everyone goes to bed.  Pretty much the rest of the day is quite busy.  But I’m a bit ahead of myself. (more…)

Arnold and Marvin are here from last year.

About half of the campers had already arrived on Sunday, a full day early.  I met a few of them the next morning as we got settled in.  My first task, however, was to return my car to the Hertz office in Toulouse.  It was a beautiful day and I thoroughly enjoyed the drive along narrow country roads, bordered by bluffs and deep ditches.  I sped by rolling hills dotted with giant marshmallow rolls of hey and sloping fields afire with a million brilliant sunflowers.  Every now and then I’d pass through a quintessential  French country town with wonderfully cramped streets and a cluster of crowded, stone buildings, rich with the patina that comes only with genuine antiquity.  Eventually the country gave way to some larger towns and then the auto route that allowed a rapid approach to Toulouse. (more…)

I had intended to wake up by 9, but my sleep deficit combined with a dark, quiet camper caused me to sleep until nearly 10.  I joined Christophe, Isabelle, and Babette just in time for breakfast, and then enjoyed a leisurely morning preparing for our trip, visiting with the family, and playing with Samuel, the youngest, and perhaps most extroverted of the Chenier brothers.  Matthieu and Timothee arrived right at noon with their grandparents.  Both had grown several inches since I saw them a year ago.

The Cheniers had originally planned to drive to camp on Monday and had even offered to give Babette and I a ride, though I told them I had my car anyway so that wouldn’t be necessary.  As it turned out, their car broke down just the day we arrived, so we ended up giving Matthieu and his older brother Nathaniel a ride in my car.  Timothee and his younger brother, Johan, would ride with another family from Limoges the next day.  It ended up working out quite well, and the parents were very thankful. (more…)