#elcgoes2uk; the hashtag that was bouncing off one Instagram picture to another which hyped up our tales but clearly did not come close to sharing what really went on at our home away from home!
This educational trip to Canterbury, the highlight of the previous academic year 2017 – 18 ended on such a high I thought I’d start THIS academic year by telling you all about our ‘Canterbury Tales’ Something your children could look forward to next year maybe!
‘The English Learning Centre’ aka The ELC; our school, organizes trips to the UK to enhance the student’s English education. We take students to different major cities in the UK every year for one – two week English courses that are combined with activities and excursions. This year we chose Canterbury, what can I say? We had a blast! Both students and teachers alike!
21 students, 3 group leaders, one house, added to the adrenaline, excitement and led to a jammed packed educational trip that was, above all, loads of fun. Being the main group leader along with Katerina and Maria, we enjoyed the children, the work, the challenge and all the trimmings in between. The pleasure derived from my job as teacher and group leader was tangible and further contributed to my growth and development as it required my being totally responsible for every aspect of the student’s experience, from accommodation, to schooling, to excursions and most importantly, to what they ate.
Apart from their 20 hour English course, our students went on excursions, took part in a variety of activities and made friends with other students from around the world! All the while speaking in English. Watching them form new friendships by exchanging Insta- accounts and swapping personal details with the Brazilians, Italians, Spanish and French students filled us with pride. By finding common ground our students managed to come out of their comfort zone to realize the world does not revolve around Cyprus and it is much bigger and beautiful with so many possibilities and opportunities.
Apart from English lessons, they took part in so many shared activities. They entered a talent show and came first (dancing to Zorba, the Greek), they played sports, took part in a photo challenge, explored Canterbury, visited Leeds Castle, went to London twice, saw the Lion King, toured the National History Museum and ………. SAW A MOVIE STAR! Angelina Jolie to be precise, this was definitely the icing on the cake. In between all of this we became a family. Starting out, we did not really know each other, that soon changed, it didn’t take us long to become good friends and form strong bonds. We have all made memories to last a lifetime! Our chat on messenger is still bleeping and our in-house jokes still continue.
There is absolutely no doubt that these UK trips have real value on far more levels than the obvious for the children. I highly recommend that every parent invests in sending their child, at least once, to a summer camp in the UK.
I hope we all have a good start to this new academic year and I hope I’ve given you something for you and your children to look forward to for next year!
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