Part 1
I volunteer for a program called, Englischhausen in Germany. Including this session, I’ve done the program three times in Laubach and one time in southern Germany. I’ve also participated in their sister program, Pueblo Ingles, which is held in Spain.
So—What’s Englischhausen?
Englischhausen is an English immersion program that’s located at various venues across Germany. The program gives participants the opportunity to converse with native English speakers for 70 hours—yes, 70 hours of conversational English over the course of six days!
How Does the Program Work?
There are three rules at Englischhausen—
1. English Only! From the moment that the students arrive until they leave, it’s an English only environment. Even the waitstaff speaks English. We talk, talk, and talk some more!
2. Be on Time! This just helps everything run smoothly.
We had just completed the Marshmallow Challenge when the picture above was taken. My team didn’t win, but we sure laughed a lot! Our group included people from Lebanon, New Zealand, Spain, The United States, and Germany.
3. Have Fun! For me, as a volunteer, I feel like I’m attending summer camp for adults. It’s so rewarding to help the participants improve their English, and all of the elements of the program are really enjoyable. In addition to the scheduled 1-to-1 and 2-to-2 chats, there are plenty of opportunities for students to practice their conversational English skills through group activities, meals, presentations, theater (my favorite part), a walking field trip, and a last night party.
If you’re looking for a volunteer opportunity, or for the chance to improve your English, check out their website: https://www.diverbo.com
The session that I just participated in was held at the Landhotel Waldhaus, which is a lovely hotel nestled in the woods, a short distance outside the city of Laubach. As you can tell from the pictures below, the hotel looks like it was taken straight from the pages of a German fairytale.
