Staff at Embassy

A trip to Windsor and Hampton Court

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25th August – In my opinion this was the best trip of the summer: the students were able to see two of the most historically important and architecturally stunning attractions in the United Kingdom.

The group was first taken to Hampton Court, a ninety-minute drive from Oxford. Hampton Court was built by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, chief minister to Henry VIII, and completed in 1525. Wolsey was instructed to present the palace to the king in 1528. It is one of the most famous and romantic of England's royal palaces, although no monarch has lived there for over two centuries.

Hampton Court Palace also houses the Royal Collection, the property of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The garden contains a maze, which was planted as part of the gardens laid out for William of Orange between 1689 and 1695.

After three hours exploring the palace and gardens, students enjoyed an ice cream in the sun whilst having photos taken with actors dressed in Tudor costumes.

We then proceeded to Windsor, only 30 minutes' drive from Hampton Court. Upon arrival students were free to explore the beautiful town; inevitably, however, most were drawn to the magnificent castle which dominates the landscape from the top of the hill.

The Queen's official website says:

Windsor Castle is one of the official residences of the Queen, and the largest occupied castle in the world. Over a period of nearly 1,000 years it has been inhabited continuously, and altered and refurbished by successive monarchs. Some were great builders, strengthening the Castle against uprising and rebellion; others, living in more peaceful times, created a palatial Royal residence. William the Conqueror chose the site, high above the river Thames and on the edge of a Saxon hunting ground. It was a day's march from the Tower of London and intended to guard the western approaches to the capital. Within the Castle complex there are many additional attractions, including the Drawings Gallery, Queen Mary's dolls' house, and the fourteenth-century St. George's Chapel, the burial place of ten sovereigns and setting for many Royal weddings.

Some students delighted in the sheer scale of the castle, with every inch steeped in history and intrigue; whilst others were more interested in trying to find the Queen. Unfortunately she was on holiday in Scotland!

The trip was enjoyed by students and staff alike, the magnificent weather greatly added to the occasion and everyone returned to Oxford rosy cheeked and full of cheer.

Embassy teachers' band concert

On Tuesday 28th August, 46 students went to the Jericho Tavern, north of the city centre, to see the local band Strafe; Kazakhstani superstar Bota and -headlining  - the Embassy CES teachers' band Archie. The band played a cool blend of rock and folk, which really got the crowd up on their feet, and of course Embassy CES students were in the thick of it.

Whilst the students were used to seeing the teachers in the classroom they could scarcely believe that the same people who taught them their past participles were also able to hold a stage so well and keep a crowd enthralled from the first to last song. A truly memorable night was had by everyone who attended and we can't wait until the next time.

Student wins prize

Paul Pasztaleniec, Regional Manager for Victoria Australia writes:

SON, Young Min (Shown) won second place in an international competition by designing the logo above for Top Creatives, a website company.

Congratulations, Shown!

Australia welcomes students from the UAE

Paul Pasztaleniec, Regional Manager for Victoria Australia writes:

For six weeks in July/August 2007 Embassy CES Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane hosted three study tour groups, each consisting of fifty 16/17-year old male students from the UAE.

The 150 students were all sponsored by the UAE government with the aim of improving their English and giving them experience of studying and living in a different (western) cultural setting. Many of the students had not been out of their hometowns before, let alone on a plane or in a foreign country so it was with much trepidation that many of them approached their arrival and first day on campus!  All students stayed in individual Homestays around Melbourne and learnt to commute! 

The tour program involved integration into the Certificate of English classes at levels appropriate to their proficiency, plus participation in closed classes in IT Skills and Leadership in the afternoons. Several social and cultural events were organised each week with a mix of visits to local and more distant tourist attractions featuring. Presentations on the range of Taylors and Charles Sturt University Study Centre also featured.

The Victorian Government Business Office in the UAE contacted the Department of Education to arrange hosting of  visits by the group to leading Melbourne tertiary institutions with future study interest (and scholarships) in mind. 

By the end of the six weeks students had settled confidently in to their new lives, made considerable gains in their communication skills in English, improved their table tennis skills and learnt a great deal - as had we - about other ways of being!

Elvis lives!

Raymond Butler, our Auckland Activities Manager, writes:

To put to rest the rumour that Elvis Presley died 30 years ago, Embassy CES (Auckland) brought him back to visit for a special guest appearance!

Appearing at around 8.30am, Elvis handed out lollipops to arriving students but only to the good ones who could produce their IDs... “I had no idea that my visit would be so popular” he said as he posed for photo after photo after photo…

The multi-cultural community that is Embassy CES instantly recognised him. Interestingly Elvis was told by one student that in China he is called “king of the cats”. Elvis was thrilled to know this!  “I’ve always loved cats!” he beamed a big smile of perfect teeth.

Next stop for The King was to visit his “subjects” studying hard in class and answering their questions about him and his music. Many requests were made for him to sing and he was able to oblige although his memory of some of the words was a bit lacking.  “I guess when you get to my age the memory starts to go a tad” he said.

Elena Kelly’s class produced easily the best poster to promote the afternoon Elvis film and Jill Kouremetis’ class made some wonderful rosettes to wear.

All General English classes watched the film GI Blues in the afternoon and Elvis introduced the film and handed out the prizes to those who were there.  More photos and a few autographs as well!

Summing up his visit Elvis said that he had always wanted to come to New Zealand but that he had “just never had the time” and as for visiting Embassy?  “Both myself and Embassy CES are institutions and have stood the test of time. Sure, we’ve had our hard times but we are still here and still popular long after the others have gone!”  Elvis said that he had hoped to work on his diction and spelling during his visit but decided that that could wait for another time.

In all, a successful visit and one that will be remembered for some time to come.  All staff and teachers got into the spirit of things although Teacher Ray missed his morning class and didn’t appear in any of the group photos with Elvis.  “Just my luck” he said “always in the wrong place at the wrong time”. Never mind Ray, we’ll tell you all about it later over a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich…

Click the pictures to see them bigger!

Gianluca Troiano

Ross Wainwright, Acting Head of Embassy CES Cambridge, forwards this message from an ex-student, Gianluca, which we are delighted to include on our blog.

Hello to everybody!

My name’s Gianluca Troiano I’m twenty-five years old and I live in the south – centre of Italy on the Adriatic coast. From when I was born I have a physical disability, but in spite of my physical problems I have a Sociology degree, and from the last 17th of March until the 16th of June, I took part in an educational holiday that I  won a scholarship that was offered by INPDAP.

I had the possibility to choose some different places in which I could go to improve my English knowledge. I decided  to go to Cambridge, and more exactly to the Embassy CES school, situated in Grange Road.

I absolutely recommend to all disabled people who are interested to have this kind of experience, to attend this school, in which there aren’t any architectural barriers. In the school you can find large and comfortable classrooms, two Internet rooms fully of all equipment, a cosy canteen and also a toilet for disabled people. In addition to this, there are teachers who are very qualified and ready to help you in case of needs. I can’t forget  to mention the Principal of the school, Ross, because since I arrived there, he has been always very attentive to my every request for aid.

As regards the accomodation, I suggest to lodge in Masters House in which there is the lift so that you can come up with any problem. Masters House is equipped with single bedrooms with en-suite  bathrooms, and the administrator of Masters House, Karolina, is a very nice person. She will cook for you all the typical Englsh dishes. 

Another important good reason to choose Cambridge to spend this unforgettable experience is due to the fact that the city is very peaceful and it’s very easy to travel on public transport (even if I have to say thank you to the INPDAP, who paid for a taxi for me, in order to go and come back from the school).

Most of the public places in Cambridge are suitable to welcome disabled people.

For all these reasons, hurry up! Cambridge and Embassy CES School are waiting you! 

Click to see these pictures bigger: Gianluca and Ross Wainwright; Gianluca and student friends; Gianluca with his father.

Summer trips with Embassy CES

Kristina Schlegel, student at Embassy CES Oxford, writes:

"I enjoyed my lessons at Embassy CES and feel that my English has improved; however, some of the most memorable experiences from my time at the school were out of the classroom. I met lots of lovely people and it was fun going on the trips organised by school with my new friends.

I went on as many trips as I could, one almost every week! They allowed me to experience places other than Oxford, I went to: Bath, where I visited the fascinating Roman Baths and Jane Austen museum; London, where we saw all the world famous monuments such as Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square and Big Ben; Stonehenge and Salisbury, with the ancient stone circle and huge cathedral; Cambridge, a beautiful university town; and Blenheim Palace, birthplace of Winston Churchill.

            

All the trips were very well organised, which made them both interesting and fun. It was particularly good how there was a guided tour around the towns before we were given lots of time to explore for ourselves. I would recommend that all the students studying at Embassy CES go on as many trips as possible so that you can make the most of your time in England."

Kristina was studying with Embassy for 6 weeks (from 28/07/2007 to 25/08/2007) and she really enjoyed all the trips she went on.

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Thoughts from Oxford Activity Leader Anna Senyi

Trip to Cambridge

This trip was the most popular one during my stay at Embassy CES this summer, and students were not discouraged by the fact that we were going to the city which is the biggest rival of Oxford: Cambridge.

84 people came with us and we needed an additional member of the staff to be able to handle a group of this size. As a former student at Embassy CES, I had a really great time and was able to make friends with both students and staff members. It was a bright and sunny day, we were lucky and the beauty of this small university town captured everybody.

Cambridge is one of the most beautiful and romantic cities in Britain. If one takes the effort to look up at buildings while walking in the city, one is enchanted by its architecture. The first thing that comes to most people’s mind when they hear the word “Cambridge” is obviously the University, but there is far more to this place than that. We took students on a guided tour around the city, as I had already been to Cambridge when I spent my one year at school, I knew the places worth visiting.

We started off at Pembroke College and Peterhouse, went on along to the Scott Polar Research Institute. We visited this museum later on in the afternoon, which was a real experience - everybody enjoyed it, even those who are not geography enthusiasts! Later on we visited Emmanuel College, Senate House, King’s College, Trinity College, St. John’s College, and the Round Church.

We decided to cut the walk a little bit shorter and give students the opportunity to explore the city on their own and leave them time to try punting as it was such a nice day. Off they went - we were told later they had a really nice time: some of them visited museums and colleges, some of them did punting, others just sat in a pub next to the river and watched the others punting – or rather trying to punt…so it was fun, one of the best days I have had here so far.

I was happy to be a student here seven years ago, but now I am even happier to be able to work here as a member of staff and who knows what will happen in the future….I may even go for the principal’s position….