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00:08
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Sen: Hello and welcome to our podcast, English Trips. I’m Sen, and I’ll give you expert guidance on how to make the most of these episodes as a language learning tool. 
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00:30
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Today we’re going to take a trip to the USA!
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00:36
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Are you learning English at the moment? Then this podcast is perfect for you. In each episode, we’ll take a virtual trip to a different part of the English-speaking world, where you’ll hear a real story from a real person… in English, of course! 
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00:50
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Each episode focuses on a specific part of the language, such as a grammar topic. But don’t worry, this isn’t a grammar podcast. The main thing is that our stories are fun and interesting, and they also get you more comfortable with understanding the language! 
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01:06
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And did you know that you can read along while you listen using our dynamic transcript? You’ll find the link in our show notes at babbel.com/podcasts. Here’s a tip just for you: the first time you listen to the episode, follow along with the transcript. This will help you understand more of the story, and identify any difficult words or expressions. Then, listen a second, or even third time without the transcript, and see how much more you understand!
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01:43
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Today’s episode focuses on the past simple tense. It’s used to talk about things that happened, well, in the past, and we use it a lot when telling stories. Keep your ears open for some examples like “started”, “loved”, “went” and “made”… all past simple verbs. I’m sure you’ll find more too!
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02:06
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So, it’s time to get started! Let’s travel to Wisconsin, in the north of the USA, and listen to Ted tell us about his job at a summer camp, and, something most of us only see in the movies… a food fight.
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02:09
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02:31
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Ted: Camp Manitou is in Wisconsin.
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02:31
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02:35
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I started going there when I was eight years old. And, every year, I went to summer camp for one week. 
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02:45
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It was always the best part of the summer. We played games, sang songs, had campfires, went swimming and made friends. I loved it. 
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03:07
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It was my dream to work at camp. So, when I was sixteen years old, I got a job in the kitchen. After one summer, I became a counselor. 
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03:23
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Alt:

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03:27
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Every week, I had a new group of kids to watch. It was a bit like babysitting, but a lot more fun.
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03:40
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One week, my friend Simon and I had a group of fifteen year old boys.
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03:41
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03:46
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They were in their last summer at camp. And we wanted them to remember it for forever. 
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03:54
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We asked them, “What do you want to do more than anything?” They all said the same thing. 
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04:03
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They wanted to have a food fight.
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04:07
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So, Simon and I asked our boss, Sara, if we could have a food fight, but she said, “No. It will be too much to clean”. 
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04:18
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We told our campers and saw their sad faces. So, we made a plan. We talked with all the other counselors and told them our idea. 
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04:37
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On the last evening of the week, all of the campers came to the dining hall. They wore their old, dirty clothes. We were ready.
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04:49
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We went inside and waited for everyone to get their food. Then, Simon and I stood on a chair and said, “Sorry, Sara, but… FOOD FIGHT!!!!” 
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05:05
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05:10
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It was an explosion. Two hundred kids picked up the food on their plates and started to throw it. The room was filled with flying tater tots, green beans, corn, milk, juice and cake. It was just like a movie.
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05:24
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TaterTots
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05:35
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After only 30 seconds, the camp director ran into the room and shouted “EVERYONE SIT DOWN NOW! ALL OF THE COUNSELORS COME OUTSIDE!”
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05:49
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She was not happy. She shouted at us for a long time, and then told us to go inside and clean. 
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06:01
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We went back in and spent the next few hours cleaning all of the food from the floors, windows, walls and even the ceiling. 
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06:13
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We cleaned, then we went back outside and all of the campers cheered. 
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06:23
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They said it was their favorite part of camp, and they would always remember it. Sadly, I lost my job because of the food fight.
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06:33
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I wasn’t fired, but I was asked to leave and didn’t work at camp the next summer. But, I’m happy with the way things ended. 
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06:44
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Just like the kids, the food fight is my favorite camp memory. I will always remember the sounds of laughter, and the smiles on the faces of the campers. 
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06:56
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That, to me, is more important than even the best summer job.
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07:02
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Sen: I thought so. The camp director couldn’t let that go so easily, especially because of all the wasted food! Ted lost his dream job because of the food fight, but it sounds like it wasn’t such a bad thing for him. And it makes a pretty good story, right?
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07:22
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That’s it for today, listeners! I hope you enjoyed the story, and also learned a few new past simple verbs along the way. If you want to get a little more practice, you can always check out our beginner courses or the grammar section in the Babbel app!
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07:38
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Finally, we’d love to hear what you think of the podcast. You can write us an email at podcasting@babbel.com, or simply leave a comment in your podcast app and we’ll see it. Thanks for listening, and see you next time for another exciting story in English. 
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End
Ted tells us about his time at summer camp in the US and what it was really like. Kids going to summer camp is something we all know from the movies. Ted shares an event that not only sounds like it could be straight from a blockbuster, but that also became part of camp legend. This monolingual story is great for intermediate learners. Alternatively, if you're a beginner, it could give you that extra challenge you’ve been looking for to boost your English to the next level when used in combination with the bilingual version in your native language. We'd love to get your feedback, suggestions or learn about your own language learning journey. Email podcasting@babbel.com