What a week!

July 29, 2019caeteenhomestay Leave a comment

What. A. Week!

Last week we welcomed the students to Girton and Cambridge.

We welcomed the students last Monday with a tour around Cambridge seeing the sights such as Kings College and The Senate House and of course some souvenir shopping. In the evening the students came to school to enjoy a barbecue cooked by the social activities staff. It was a good chance for everyone to meet each other and have a chance to talk about their background and their interests. Its safe to say that a good night was had by all!

Throughout the week the students have been engrossed in lessons and enjoying activities. We have been cooking, swimming and having traditional British Cream Tea in the picturesque village of Grantchester not to mention the Pizza Party and a visit to a residential school to meet students from China and beyond.

While we could write all day about the activities please feel free to browse the gallery because as they say, ”a picture tells a thousand words”.

Back in the Groove!

July 15, 2019caeteenhomestay Leave a comment

Its been a hectic and fun few days here a CAE. On Friday we went to and had cream tea in the sun. Some students had their first English scone with jam and cream. Safe to say that some students loved their scones more than others and wanted more to eat! We then relaxed in the glorious sunshine at Grantchester Meadow and played some games before we returned to Girton for Nacho Night.

On Saturday an early coach collected the students for the trip to London. Fortunately we were able to see a march by soldiers from Belgium and from the British Grenadier Guards taking part in the annual Belgian Parade in Whitehall. Its safe to say the looked very impressive in their bright uniforms and tall hats!

We saw the sights of London including the houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Buckingham palace and as always London was busy thanks to events going on such as Wimbledon and the Cricket World Cup. After lunch we took a cruise down the River Thames going past famous places such as St Pauls Cathedral, Shakesperes Globe Theatre, Tower Bridge and the nearly 1000 year old Tower of London!

When we arrived in Greenwich we spent some time in the famous market and tried the amazing street food and saw the famous sailing ship, the Cutty Sark.

We eventually got back to Girton and we were all very tired. Now we are into the 2nd week of this course and the students are off into Cambridge this afternoon to learn a bit more about the city and its amazing history.

Fashion Kings & Queens!

July 10, 2019caeteenhomestay Leave a comment

Yesterday evening the students at CAE were in high spirits and highly energetic after their afternoon cake making activity.

The Social Activities Staff set them a task that would test their creative brains. The students had to create clothes from a set of items and materials given to them. They were split into groups of four and asked to create 4 items of clothing.

1 – Something for the Summer

2 – Something for the Winter

3 – Something a British person might wear

4 – Something they can choose for themselves.

They were asked to make these clothes out of bin bags and other assorted decorations. Some made belts and ties and some wrote Louis Vutton or Gucci on their clothes to give their clothes a higher price tag. As you can see in the pictures, the results were impressive.

Back to reality though this morning as students were hard at work on their portfolios however this afternoon we will be preparing for the annual Girton Feast in the village. This takes place every year in the village and the whole village comes together in the spirit of community and residents take part in games and activities organised by the school and other local organisations. See the next blog post to see what happens…

To be continued…

First Day Fun!

July 9, 2019caeteenhomestay Leave a comment

Last night we all had fun meeting each other and enjoyed a traditional British Barbecue. Traditional & British because the sun decided to disappear. That having been said it did not rain but stayed warm. Students enjoyed the food that was expertly cooked by the Social Activities Staff and then played games in the school garden to help them get to know each other. After a bit of nervousness at the start eventually everyone played and had fun.

The next day (today) all students made it into school for the first day of teaching in their classes which went well. In the afternoon some students decided to play basketball but the majority decided to cook English Muffins and cakes. This went well and even some of the teachers were allowed to have some! They were left wanting more!!!

Safe, Sound & Raring to Go!

July 8, 2019caeteenhomestay Leave a comment

After a busy day settling in with homestays in Girton and Oakington the students came to school looking forward to their first day. We have new and familiar faces on the course and after lunch they had a trip into the city centre with the Social Activities Staff. They were showed the sights of the city such as Kings College, Trinity College, the Senate House and given information about where to buy the best souvenirs for their family. Hopefully there may be some surprises for family members when they all return home.