Staff at Embassy

Embassy CES Aukland - Piha Friday

Susan Blick, from Embassy Aukland, writes:

Our excursion was planned for Piha, a west coast beach 45kms north of Auckland.  The beach has been made famous in the television programme ‘Piha Rescue’ a take on the Australian equivalent ‘Bondi Rescue’.  Piha, with its shimmering black sand and weathered rock formations is very picturesque and a great place to have a picnic or BBQ.

 

Two large buses pulled up outside the school and as teachers, Susan and Ferooz, checked the lists, the students piled onto the buses ready for a day beyond the city-limits.  As BUM the buses pulled away from the curb, five more students were noted running frantically to catch up to the bus.  They hadn’t pre-booked and instead were able to pay on the bus, so now we had a total of 63!

On the way to Piha we stopped at a lovely vantage point known as Arataki which affords stupendous views down the river, across the dam and out into the sea, with a faint hint of Auckland City in the far distance.  Arataki is also home to the visitor’s centre for the area and they have very informative displays of the local bird- and plant-life and also some Maori art.

Once at Piha the students were instructed that they were not allowed to swim.  At first sight it became obvious why a surf beach with an outgoing tide should not be taken lightly.  Indeed, the beach can be hazardous especially for swimmers without boards and fins.  Thankfully the students were ok with not swimming and set about picking teams for playing beach volleyball and soccer.  Others decided to climb Lion Rock and go off on little walking trails in the vicinity.

 

Sometime later, teachers Susan, Siva and Ferooz ensured the bbq lunch was ready and made certain everyone got their share.  Many were noted going back for second-helpings, for which there was food aplenty (thanks to our supplier New Zealand Discovery); all the beach sport had really worked up an appetite.  Devouring burgers as some sat under trees in the shade, others chose the sun catching-rays and boosting their vitamin D levels. 

Unfortunately the day passed too quickly and we all piled back on the buses for the hour-long ride back to school.  The trip was thoroughly enjoyed by students and teachers alike.

 

Fundraising at Embassy London

Lisa Evripidou, from Embassy London, writes:

Students sold St. Valentine's cards and flowers last month, and I can now report that we raised £211.52.  This will be doubled by Embassy to £423.04. This is a fantastic achievement for the charity committee and great for the students who volunteered their time. See photos on our Facebook page.

Secondly, the money raised from the Football Tournament has not yet been counted yet but is over £400, which will be doubled to £800 by Embassy. Another fantastic achievement!

On Friday 18th March it was Wear Jeans Day which meant staff were allowed to wear jeans for the day.

On the same day, we held International Food Night in the canteen for staff and students. 18 countries took part. Students could come and buy food typical of these countries. The students who cooked the food were very excited about sharing their favourite dishes with everyone. All money raised will be going to charity.

That brings our running total to £16,570.19 raised for Building Futures, the dedicated Embassy charity.

 

Christchurch earthquake fundraising at Embassy Auckland

Nicola Conway, from Embassy Auckland, writes. TIP: double-click on any word to see its meaning.

The Christchurch earthquake has been a terrible tragedy with great loss of life and destruction.  Our thoughts are with the people of Christchurch at this difficult time.

In order to help the victims of this terrible tragedy, Embassy Auckland students have managed to collect over NZ$1400 for the NZ Red Cross Earthquake appeal, and staff have donated directly to the Red Cross. Food and essential items are also being collected to donate to people in the worst affected suburbs.

Anyone who wishes to donate to the NZ Red Cross appeal can do so online <a href="http://www.redcross.org.nz/donate" target=_blank">here</a>.

Trip to Rangitoto Island

Robin Hale & Ferooz Afshar write from Embassy Auckland. TIP: double-click on any word to see its meaning.

It was a glorious Friday morning that only Auckland could produce. About 45 students, Brazilians, Colombians, Chinese, Argentineans, Japanese, Koreans, a Kiwi (Robin Hale) who organized the programme and me, an Iranian, met outside school around 9.00 am. We were to take the ferry across to the island at 10.00am, so we had plenty of time to be a bit casual about when we actually gathered.

 

Rangitoto is Maori for ‘Bloody Sky’. Its emergence from the sea was witnessed by local Maori iwi (tribes) about 600 to 700 years ago. The volcano is not expected to become active again. It is covered, in main, by black lava stones known as scoria; there is not much water on the island so the plants and trees depend on  rainfall for their growth.

It sustains the largest forest of pohutukawa trees in the world. There is a programme underway to eradicate all the remaining animals such as, stoats, rabbits, rats and mice in the next few years. (You can find out more on Wikipedia).

Anyway, we strolled down Queen Street to the Ferry building and re-gathered there; with Robin checking the name list to ensure that nobody was left behind. If memory serves me right, only two students did not make it. Their tickets were held for them to use at a later date.

The ferry ride, as always, was very pleasant. The students had scattered all over the boat; some on the outer decks photographing the receding Auckland scene, others sitting inside away from the sunshine and the spray. There was a buzz of anticipation and excitement in the air. The ferry stopped briefly at Devonport to disembark some passengers and to take on further visitors to the island. The sun and the wind promised a very pleasant day, in spite of the weather warning the day before.

At the island Robin informed the students of the departing times of the ferry, emphasizing the last boat out! We then formed different groups and began the ascent up to the crest of the island. Different groups chose different paths up. Some stopped to enter the lava tubes (tunnels), the longest of which is about 50 metres. For the keen photographers there was a lot of plant and insect life to catch their eye.

 

At the summit Auckland city, across the waters, presented itself as a wonderful backdrop photo opportunity for students who climbed onto the rails and stood in various precarious poses to be filmed and photographed against the spotless blue sky with the Sky Tower poking out behind them. I held my breath!

 

This was the point at which sandwiches and drinks came out, rest and chatter; students exchanged the wonders of Rangitoto and made suggestions on what to see on the way down.

Most of us, if not all, caught the 12.45 pm ferry back to Auckland; the buzz on the ferry, the flushed and suntanned faces gave evidence to a well-spent day. Surely, a memorable day!
Robin & Ferooz

Find out more about studying English in Auckland with Embassy.

Oxford student scales Kendo heights

Not long ago, we mentioned that Embassy Boston Downtown had a Judo champion, Fernanda Pimentel de Araujo among its students.

Well, Boston Downtown is not the only Embassy school to host a martial arts supremo: Embassy Oxford is now school to a formidable Kendo practitioner, Akari Sugiyama.

Akari explains: "I have been practising Kendo for 13 years. Kendo is a martial art. We use a bamboo swords and wear fighting gear ( mask, gloves, etc..). Although it looks like Japanese fencing, we have original “Rei” spirit that shows your respect for your teachers, friends, parents and your sword.

"I have won two ladies' individual tournaments. One was in London, the other was in Belgium. Both competitions were similar in size; about 60 women attended. I fought five times to get first place.

"In the final, I had a long match, I kept my concentration so that I managed to win."

 

We are impressed! Now we hope that Akari can apply the same levels of concentration and discipline to her English studies.

 

Skating video

Linda Walsh, head of Embassy Boston, says:

Here’s a really nice video made by a student, Alexander. The class went on an ice skating trip to the Boston Common. The teacher is Stuart, and he’s featured several times.

Find out more about studying English in Boston with Embassy.

Study to be an English teacher at Embassy Cambridge with our CELTA course

Teaching English as a foreign language is an exciting profession, which opens the door to international travel and a lifetime of experiences!

A CELTA qualification will put you head and shoulders above other applicants (in many schools it is a requirement) while preparing you for the classroom. Presenting classroom methodology, giving you a firm basis in grammar, and exposing you to classroom practice, the CELTA course at Cambridge is taught by passionate and experienced teachers.

If you are considering a profession in TEFL, see the Embassy website for more details.

 

 

 

A whistle-stop trip to Scotland

 
Embassy Oxford student Madeleine took a weekend trip... all the way to Soctland. Was the long journey worth it? Read on.

Apart from studying English at Embassy, which is rewarding in itself, you also get the opportunity to explore the U.K. and the rest of Europe during your weekends.

Ever since I saw the film "Braveheart" I´ve always wanted to visit Scotland and through Embassy I got the opportunity. So on a late Friday evening in September I, together with my newly found friends, went by coach on a tour to Scotland,"Edinburgh and the Highlands in two days".

The next morning after having a heavy breakfast in the Scottish countryside we arrived in Edinburgh about 10 o`clock a.m.

A local guide met up and we made a citytour which ended up in front of Edinburgh castle. Once there we were shown around in the castle and were told anecdotes about famous Scottish kings and queens.

After the visit to the castle we were free to explore the city and shopping districts ourselves. We chose to go shopping on the famous Prince's Street. From everywhere I heard the bagpipes playing Scottish marches which really enhanced the feeling of being in Scotland...

Late in the afternoon it was time to go back to our Youth Hostel where we spent the whole evening learning and dancing Scottish dances which was real fun actually. Later on you could visit a pub and mingle with the Scots.

The next day we were heading for the Highlands. This trip wasn`t compulsory but I strongly recommend it. Scotland is not all about the Highlands but you haven`t seen Scotland if you haven`t seen both the Lowlands and the Highlands.

I must admit that without our local guide the trip wouldn't have been half as interesting. He normally worked as a university teacher and had a great knowledge about both the Geography and the History of Scotland as well as a special kind of Scottish humour that I liked.

After being driven around in the mountains we went to a whisky distillery where we learnt how barley was turned into whisky. We also a visited Weaving Mill  and had the opprtunity to buy the famous Scottish wool and cashmere goods (mainly clothes such as sweaters, cardigans and scarves).

Late on the Sunday afternoon we climbed the William Wallace (read Braveheart) monument and this was absolutely the peak experience for me on this tour. Just standing on the hill and overlooking the town of Stirling, and Stirling castle where he won his famous battle, was thrilling. The guide told us some facts about William Wallace (he was not actually as in the film).

On Monday morning it was time for leaving Edinburgh and going back to our hometown Oxford. After a short guided tour by coach around the Scottish Parliament, the cafe where J.K. Rowling wrote her novels about Harry Potter etc,  we  were going south back home.

On our way home we stopped at another Weaving Mill where we had a final possibilty to buy some Scottish souvenirs.

So what is my overall experience of the tour? If you want to go to Scotland it`s really worth the price. I`ve never experienced so much in so little time, and what I think Scotland was like - it`s magic in real life!

Find out more about Embassy Oxford.

 

Judo champion at Embassy Boston Downtown

Linda Walsh, Director of Embassy Boston Downtown, writes:

We have a celebrity in the school!

Fernanda Pimentel de Araujo may be only twenty years old, but this feisty judo champion is working her way to great heights. Winning matches, which Fernanda claims is her favorite part of judo, seems to come easily to the Brazilian star. This past year, she won medals at Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell Tournament as well as Miami’s Junior U.S. Open. 

Her instructor and mentor is Jim Pedro, a world renowned judo player who has won two Olympic medals. Fernanda herself hopes to qualify for the 2012 Olympics, and we at Embassy wish her the best of luck.

Fernanda said, “Studying at Embassy, beside learning English, I had the opportunity to make many friends and learn about different cultures. It was definitely one of the best experiences I've had.”

 

Boston students publish online magazine

Students at Embassy Boston Downtown have put together an online magazine as a class project. Planning to visit Boston? Tap into our students' knowledge with a very handy top ten of the best places to go in the city. After all, they've done all the work getting to know the city in the last few months.

The magazine continues with a project comparing well-known western cities, such as London, San Francisco and Boston itself, with the students' home cities, including Tokyo, Caracas, Busan and Taipei.

What began as a good exercise for the class in persuasive writing ended up as a highly readable resource for potential students. Which city comes out top? You'll have to read the arguments and decide for yourself. Well done, hard-working Boston students, and thanks for the read.

Want to find out more about Embassy schools? Visit our website here.

Find the magazine here. Embassy Boston Downtown students hope you will enjoy reading it.