EVENTS

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Great Moments From Cambridge Trip

We were fourteen people at the airport waiting for our flight, twelve students and two group leaders. We were very excited since it was just the beginning of a wonderful summer adventure. Some of us were quiet anxious about going abroad. Some had no idea what to expect from that trip. Fortunately the moment we arrived, we realized we had been worrying unnecessarily.

The school staff welcomed us in the front yard. They were all very friendly and approachable. We were surprised that even on the second day not only the teachers, but all the staff recognized us and called us by name. Our rooms, the views, the atmosphere was great. Also the school’s location was quite convenient. The kids met their roommates who were all from different countries. The school principle gave us a brief seminar about the program, then we all went to bed.

BARNARDISTON HALL

The name of our school was Barnardiston Hall. It was about 35 kilometres from Cambridge and set in beautiful English countryside, in a safe and secure environment, about 3 kilometres to the nearest town. A school doctor was always on call. Accommodation was in small dormitories, on separate floors and supervised by school staff.

Meals were taken in the school canteen. Everybody always complains about the food when they're away from home because it's just not the same! We did the same. Especially for Turkish people, who are used to eating delicious food of many kinds, English food is a bit tasteless. But we got used to it after a few days. We also realized that going out to eat was very enjoyable. There was a very good Turkish restaurant called Anatolia which we visited several times. We ate Turkish kebap, yogurt and baklava. It was great.

LESSONS

The lessons were quite intensive and well rounded, including all four major areas of speaking, listening, reading and writing. In addition to the main classes, students picked elective classes to strengthen their weak areas. They also did a lot of exercises involving real life interaction (i.e. post office trips, telephone calls etc) The teachers were incredibly friendly and helpful, and seemed 100% dedicated to their work. The combination of teacher enthusiasm, small classes of no more than 10 per class and the range of student nationalities ensured good progress. The fact that our students had to speak English all the time was a great advantage. They learnt much more quickly than they expected to.

During the first few days students could move classes until they were comfortable with the pace, but it was very flexible. If students felt the pace was too fast or too slow for them, the teachers were always willing to help them find a more suitable class. The teaching style was informal and friendly which facilitates the learning process as students felt less conscious of making mistakes all the time and just spoke freely.

In class the teachers spoke English all the time; if someone didn't understand something another student would help out, giving students the chance to use other languages. They did two hours of grammar in the mornings and, after a short break, had oral sessions talking about general topics. What made it so interesting was that among the 10 or so in the classes were people of all ages from many parts of the world, so our kids learnt about each other's countries and customs as well as about England.