The Franklin house has been a busy one this past month, with a group of nine elementary and middle school students from Korea showing up just in time for New Year?s.
The students arrived and were quickly in awe of all things that make Canada and Korea very different.
Spellbound by the size of Canadian homes, the accumulation of snow for a few short days at the end of December and the food, they were wide-eyed and open for all that was planned for the coming month.
The parents of the nine students saved and saved so they could afford their child a chance to learn English in Canada.
From day one, it was clear that some of the students came for a holiday. Some were surprised to see that this experience wasn?t exactly going to be a relaxing holiday, although there was time for that, too.
After a few days of adapting to the foreign land, routines were established and a plan for the month was discussed.
For the educators, myself and Ben, teaching the morning English lessons wasn?t going to be the challenge. It was all the rest that came with living in the company of nine teenagers 24/7. Not parents themselves, and only just nearing thirty, it was quite the introduction to parenting. Having no choice but to immediately adapt, we promptly introduced the students to the world of washing dishes, drying dishes, packing them away, bed making, vacuuming, sweeping and laundering. By the end of the month, the efficiency and level of cleanliness with which meal times began and finished increased by approximately 100 percent.
For the owner of the household- my father, life changed in a blink of an eye. Although well seasoned at parenting after having five of his own darling children, he had now opened his house to nine boisterous teenagers who looked to be experiencing freedom for the first time. The house was lively from about 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. many times, but Bill showed he was more than able to endure it. He absolutely thrived. Involved in driving, organizing activities and cooking some fantastic meals that ended up a hit with the kids, he was something of a life saviour on many occasions. My siblings, family members and friends all made significant contributions to the success of our first ever International English camp.
We were moved by the generosity of so many family and friends. We are so thankful to all of those who donated their time, supplies and tickets and to those who prepared and delivered amazing foods. We were also very grateful to many of the local businesses. Mar-Span donated tobogganing gear and many of the other businesses in Drayton welcomed our group most positively. We were also warmly welcomed at Drayton Public School where we were offered a tour and time to meet and visit with the students and staff. Boston Pizza, Waterloo also invited us to make pizzas in their kitchen and smoothies in their bar. We are so grateful for everyone who contributed to making our camp a special memory for everyone involved.
Cassandra Franklin
