I attended Al-Waha (the Arabic village) for credit last summer and will be going again this year. I came to camp not even knowing how to introduce myself, and I improved more than I would have in a year-long language class at my high school. I really enjoyed the smaller size of the Arabic village since it really did promote almost familial bonds and more personalized attention. I have heard that the Portugese, Chinese, and Russian villages are also rather small and share these benefits, but I've also heard of/met villagers from larger villages who really enjoyed it! In addition, some of these growing villages seem to offer more scholarships, especially Arabic thanks to the generosity of QFI. Overall though, if you are prepared to work hard and really are passionate about learning your village's language, you'll have an amazingly fun time (often with people you otherwise wouldn't have met) and learn a lot. The staff was also great, and represented several countries and universities
My son attended the Lago del Bosque in Marine on St. Croix. Staff members were excellent. Although my teenage son was reluctant to go at first, he came home ready to sign up for next year. Good balance of activities with more structured language learning. The immersion model really builds a sense of confidence.
My 12-year-old son attended the Spanish language camp in Bemidji (El Lago del Bosque) and had a fabulous time. He had previously taken some Spanish (about a high-school quarter's worth) -- a minimal platform that he built quickly upon. His local teacher was startled at how, after two weeks, he came back *speaking* Spanish. The immersion process at ELdB did a great job at breaking down the embarrassment wall that inhibits any language learner. (Yes, his vocab was still limited and grammar rudimentary, but he had made a quantum leap towards authentic use of Spanish.) Better yet, he came back rested and happy (rather than stressed and angry at having to go to summer school), and very fit. Apparently, popular Latino dance music plays in the Plaza constantly and the kids do macarena-like dances to it. Other sports and activities are available, plus all the group activities of their cabins, 'families', and classes, which make for a lot of fun. All in all, a great experience.
I went to French Hackensack and French Bemidji... the activities were terribly boring (naptime, singing), the meals were okay but two weeks of it was a bit excessive. The staff was nice and never spoke English. Good immersion IF you have a base in French - if not you will not learn anything from just being there because you are not taught. The facilities were a little too close to the outdoors so it felt a little unclean but not terrible (Bemidji was much better than Hackensack).
My son has not yet attended so my ratings of facilities and activities are not valid (had to put something in to enter a rating so I entered a "3"), but I can say that the response to my phone calls and emails, in an attempt to change his registration, has been horrible. I have been calling and emailing for more than two months and cannot get any response, except for ending the invoice and requesting payment. If this is the way the camp is operated, I surely will not send my son there. The poorest "customer service" imaginable.
my son just sent me is letter from Chinese camp and said he would learn more chinese from doing COD on Playstation. We are sooooo disappointed it was such a bad experience.
My daughter did the outdoor french camp 11-13. Never since preschool has she been forced to take a daily nap and spent so much time singing. No outdoor skills taught, very little canoeing and no hiking. Very expensive, difficult to get to and not worth it.
My 7 yr old daughter attended the 1 wk Chinese camp in June of '08. She liked it very well and wants to return next summer. Language instruction seems to be good, but was probably too easy for my child. She enjoyed the activities and LOVED all the Chinese food!
El lago del bosque!! This is an incredible camp!! It's expensive, but such a wonderful experience, you learn so much and have so much fun. All the counselors are great too. Go Casa San Jose!!!
I was very nervous before coming to Waldsee, and at first it seemed justified, since after coming off my first plane (the second is ALL Concordia people!) every single person seemed to know someone else. But that fear quickly vanished -- upon arrival, I was able to meet a lot of new people, and not just from America. I already spoke some German, which helped quite a bit, but the kids speak English to one another, which also helped me feel more at home. (Parents: the counselors all speak German, so don't worry about your child not getting language skills while here. The expense is well worth it!) I ended up having the experience of my life, even though I didn't LKT or anything. The food is FABULOUS, the facilities (except for a few rather disgusting cabins) are really quite nice, and although the counselors talk with you quite often (in German!)they leave you enough elbow room to feel comfortable. There are tons of fun activities, and the only really bothersome thing is the singing.
I went to Lac du bois (french) bemidji and it was probably the best experience of my life. I made some of the best friends a could ever have, learned an AHMAZING amount of french for not ever attending one class.The dances were very fun, although i do have one complaint that applies to many other aspects of the camp. The counselors often need to give campers more space.Seriously. My friends and i hung out w/ guys, and the counselors seemed to single us out for "extra observation." Some were awesome though. My last complaint, is that is very hard to get into a good activity. There are 4 good activities, and all the other ones are fairly dreadful. But overall, this is the bestest camp ever, and i cannot wait to go back next eyar.
The camp was overall a nice camp. The staff, facilites, personal attention, and monetary value, are all very good. But as for the activities I really didn't enjoy my time there, the games and such weren't enjoyable, but I will not deny that it was a pretty good camp overall.
Amazing time, I have had the best summer weeks of my life here. i went ot the 2 week Waldsee, and een though I don't speek a lick of German, I was able to get around fine. I encourage anyone and everyone to go. There's not manny other coamps you can go tyo that give you such a amazing time
I've done LKT at Waldsee twice and also German Credit Abroad. Seriously, this is the best camp I have ever been to. I love it, and that month is definitely something I look forward to very much! I only wish I had started going earlier. Something really important to know is that you have to be ready to try new things, and the more you push yourself to speek the language, the more you'll get out of it. I wouldn't trade Waldsee for anything in the world, and I met some very close friends at camp, but there are three things that could've been better. Firstly, however stupid this sounds, being a vegetarian at German camp is not easy! Secondly, the camp is very expensive, and it seems like it would be hard to go if you're family is not particularly loaded. Lastly, the only form of communication for a month(except credit weekend!) is letters which through the Bemidji post is fairly slow! Otherwise, Waldsee is one of the best experiences for kids, and I would strongly recommend it!
seventh year this summer (07), and it could have been my eigth if it wasn't so full........i ADORE and LOVE 'camp'- french voyageurs and spanish bemidji just plain ROCKS
¡pretty sweet! ¡el lago de bosque was sweet! goin there next year gonna have a good time my bros went there to and theyed be like ¡dido! bringing a friend this year last time i had to meet new people.
I went to El Lago Del Bosque??the pretty one, not the gross one?? and i absolutely loved it! it was more like a resort than a camp; the facilities were gorgeous! so many good times!
I went to Arabic and Spanish and loved them both. The language villages are great for learning a language and the culture associated with that language.
I went to the Japanese Mori no Ike 2-week camp and all I can say is WOW. I learned so much Japanese while I was there, I came home and was speaking Japanese to my parents for a month! I made so many friends and had a TON of fun doing all the activities. The 2 weeks passed so quickly, yet I felt I had been there forever. I wish now I had gone to the 4-week program so I could have learned even more! I plan on doing their abroad program this year and I can't wait for summer! The Concordia language camps are a wonderful place to experience the culture and language of another country without leaving America A++
I went to the French camp Lac du Bois and it was amazing. I learned so much French and made such great friends. And it isn't all woodsy and the staff is sooo much fun. My dean was Fred and she was awesome so I'm sorry for whoever had the bad one because my summer at Lac du Bois was the best summer ever.
I went to Waldsee, the German Village, last summer and it was AMAZING. I arrived barely knowing a word of German and was actually able to understand a lot of what my counselors were saying at the end of those two weeks! I thought the camp would be full of language geeks, but everyone was totally normal and nice. The facilities at the Bemidji Waldsee are wonderful, the counselors are wonderful; everything was wonderful except the food. If you don't like sausage and meats like it, you're sort of stuck at German camp. =)
One of the best summers of my LIFE! I went to Lesnoe Ozero, which had pretty mediocre facilities when I went there, but I heard that the new site is wonderful. Great people who all shared a passion for langguage and learning in general and a wonderful atmosphere. helped me decide that I want to live abroad for a year. The cultural activities and staff members, many of whom are native speakers were fantastic as well. overall,I highly recommend.
I went to Norwegian camp (Skogfjorden) for 8 years and those were the best 8 summers EVER. The facitities at Skogfjorden are better than other camps, and the staff is AMAZING. I learned so much too. I went to a 3rd semester Norwegian class at st. Olaf college (Northfield, MN) and understood every word plus had a better speaking proficiency than the students. That is saying something. I would 100% recommend this camp because it is just great. Definitely something your kids will remember FOREVER!!!
I went to Lac du Bois & Lago del Bosco and absolutely adored both. The experience is amazing, not only as a way to learn a new language, but also as a fun summer activity and a place to make new friends. The counselors are soo nice, the activities are really fun... even the food is great, which is not always the case at summer camps! Basically, yeah. Pick a language, any language, and go to a Concordia Language Village. You won't regret it.
