A few impressions of class 3i’s trip to Harrogate in September 2018. Enjoy!
Lessons in Harrogate
By Maxim and Jakov
A considerable portion of our time in Harrogate was spent on lessons about various aspects of English. After all, one of our primary goals in Harrogate was to improve our English skills and also to get to know England and its fascinating culture. We studied topics such as reading, writing, grammar, presentation skills and British culture. We had three different teachers: Mark, Jay and Rosie. Unfortunately, Rosie was ill for most of our stay. However, we still had an amazing time with the other two teachers-they were amazing! We were also told several interesting facts, some of them quite bizarre! For example, we got to know some peculiar English dishes such as Haggis: a sheep’s stomach that contains the sheep’s other sliced up organs that is served baked! Good thing we didn’t have to eat that at lunch! Of course, our English skills had to be tested so we could find out our English level according to IELTS standards and get to know if our English has improved after the English course. We went through a multi-stage testing process so that our skills in all aspects of the English language could be tested. We had to fill out a listening test, a reading exam, give presentations on a topic of choice, present a business idea together with a partner and write a travel blog as well as an essay. It seems like a lot, but it’s just here for us to see our level. Our class did a fantastic job: several people had a B2 level and quite many had the C1 level! We really think that the lessons in Harrogate helped all of us improve our English and it is an amazing memory that we definitely won’t forget.
Our Life with the Host Family
By Lily, Alexandra and Amelie
Throughout our stay in Harrogate, we spent the majority of our time with our host family, who lived in a lovely Edwardian house, ten minutes from the town center. The house belonged to an elderly couple known as the Listers. They were very kind-hearted and were helpful when needed. We very much enjoyed staying with them, however, there was a negative aspect in those two weeks: There was a lack of heating in the house. We often found ourselves rather cold throughout the night. Once, as Alexandra attempted to take a shower, she was left standing there in her towel because the water heater was turned off.
In general, however, there are numerous positive points about our stay in our host family. For example, we were given very nice food with amazing desserts, the house was situated near town, and most importantly we felt safe and taken care of at all times. Every day, Mrs Lister cooked a well-balanced meal, a dessert and made tea. We specifically enjoyed the afternoon tea we had on a Sunday evening as a replacement for a normal dinner. In addition, we were lucky enough to have stayed in a house that was located near the town center and was within a ten-minute walking distance. Furthermore, Mrs Lister was very helpful with various types of school work. For example, she helped Lily reduce her word count on her travel blog by more than 200 words.
In conclusion, we believe the positive aspects outnumber the negative ones. We really enjoyed our stay in Harrogate and would definitely return any time. We hope the Listers enjoyed having us as much as we enjoyed staying there.
Free Time in Harrogate
By Maximilian and Lionel
On most days, we would stay in the school’s computer room for about an hour and a half. With a couple of friends, we would use this time to write texts, play games and do our homework. While this had a negative effect on our efficiency, we had a good time and we made some of our fondest memories there, which was a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.
Apart from that, we also used a ridiculous amount of time shopping for gifts and souvenirs. The major places that stood out in Harrogate were the three different main streets in the heart of the town as well as Betty’s Tea Rooms, which has a little shop attached to it. Another town to be recommended is York. While it may be difficult to arrange, paying it a second visit is certainly worth it, especially since one already has a sense of familiarity after the first time and is less reliant on maps and instructions. Worthwhile stores in York include The Hat Shop, the Shambles and the Hebden Tea Minster Gates.
While it doesn’t seem like we did a lot, we certainly found this experience to be entertaining and can only hope the following classes will enjoy this trip as much as we did.
Theatre Tour and Othello by William Shakespeare
By Ivan, David and Marius
On a delightful Wednesday afternoon, our class was brought to pay visit to the miraculous beauty of the Victorian-style Harrogate theatre. The theatre was located near the town centre, thus easily accessible. Lucy guided us through the breath-taking corridors of the lovely theatre. She showed us the commodious seats on the balcony, where the richest of the rich used to sit upon. She also presented us the humble chambers of the actors, where they changed into their costumes. Thereafter she let us bask in the beauty of the clothing of the theatre production. In the evening we all reunited at the theatre and anticipated the moment we would get to observe the finesse of the Shakespearean tragedy we were about to witness. As the auditorium opened, we stormed into the hall and found our seats. Soon after the play began, and we were delighted by the touching love story between Othello and Desdemona, the stratagem of Iago to sabotage the propitious marriage between the loving couple, and the touching demise of the two lovers. The play was a true delight, and I truly appreciated how Shakespeare was able to toy with our emotions in such a way. That was a remarkable experience, and definitely one to repeat.
Climbing Centre
By Nicole and Tiziana
As soon as we stepped into the climbing centre, we were surrounded by huge colorful walls. Two young men welcomed us cheerfully, introduced themselves and did some warm-ups like jumping jacks with us. Afterwards, we put on our equipment and listened to our instructors. They told us not to be afraid, because we would always have a person to hold our rope and additional supervision from them. We were divided into two groups, and then finally, with some new knowledge on our mind we were allowed to actually latch ourselves onto the wall, even though at first just at the height of one metre… Most of the walls went straight up, but there was one where the wall was a lot narrower below than above, so you had to climb over the transition part. Some of us were just holding tight onto the wall, frightened of falling off, but eventually everybody did it. Next to that wall was another one, where you had to cling onto a rope and when you got to the top of that wall, you could just let go, so you did not need a helping hand while climbing. At the end everyone’s hands were red, but we came to the conclusion that it was a great experience.
Trip to York
by Nina and Lilly
Sunday morning, our first day in England. Today we are going to visit York and we are pretty glad that we are doing something together, so we won’t have to start exploring on our own.
After waking up and getting ready, we pack our bags and walk down the street to the Montpellier station, where our trip starts, and our friends are already waiting in front of the bus. With every step, we get more excited and we think what we might see today. When we arrive, we get out of the bus and start our trip in York.
On our way to the centre of York, we come across a 100th anniversary airforce parade. After that we walk down the Shambles, a very crowded alley with a lot of cute but touristic shops, to the centre of the city. From there we are allowed to explore the city on our own.
An hour later we sit in a nice little café, enjoying some delicious traditional scones with jam and clotted cream on it and with many shopping bags in our hands. As soon as our free time is up we head back to our meeting point to visit the Dungeons.
Finally we get the Dungeons and to be honest with you: We are pretty scared!
While we are walking into the haunted house, it gets creepier and creepier because we never know, what comes next. After being told the procedure, we split up in groups of four and start the scary journey. Of course, our group is the first one. We walk into a dark room with a huge coffin in it and suddenly I have the best idea ever: I hide behind the coffin and scare the rest of our class. The good thing about it: my plan worked out. You should have seen their faces: it was hilarious!
Now we want to finish off our trip with a visit to the Abbey. Unfortunately, we can’t get in anymore, because we are too late. Anyhow, we got a great first impression of England and we have definitely a lot of wonderful things to tell our hostfamily this evening!
Trip to Whitby
By Simon and Fabian
Our breathtaking excursion started at the renowned and beloved Whitby Abbey, site of historical events, fictional or not was a sublime experience. We visited the dank cold ruins, admiring the perfectly crafted walls. We also ran around and fought, possibly bothering other respectable visitors.
We left the site of sublime importance overlooking the entire rustic town and walked down the many steps that led into the village. We passed by a cemetery with an awful lot of Smiths on the gravestones and listened to some Scottish artsman of music as he blew into his bagpipe, filling the historic place with finely tuned sounds. We went on, following the wave of people that submerged the small alleys all the way to the only bridge, a masterwork itself.
There, the class separated into two groups and set out to explore the fishing town. One of the groups went ahead to walk in circles along those admired cottages to reach a fish and chips take-away along the impressive central river that streams through the graceful pearl that is Whitby.
We proceeded to a small park area covered in antique cement. We started eating there, ending up giving most of the food to Simon because of a general love for him. In his eternal grace, he completed the task of devouring the trist meals. We then proceeded to scout out the Whitby beach, because it was a lovely sunny day and everyone wanted to gain some sun tan.
On the spot, we advanced to run around before the waves, shouting death to the big gay (the water) as we jumped around in front of it. Ivan, in defiance of all natural laws, entered the water while the others acquainted themselves with algae and started slapping them all over the place, a tournament which Fabian clearly won. Once most of the members had been scared away by the slapping of wet reeds, our group getting ever smaller, we explored rocks that lined the port walls of the impressive city.
Following these adventures, we discovered an arcade shops and fooled around in it, before going on an authentic boat ride along the cold waters of Whitby. Once the square vessel had docked, with ABBA music playing, we retreated from the now well-known Whitby and proceeded to take the bus home.
