CAMBRIDGE: days 4+5

On my fourth course day, I had classes all morning and, in the afternoon, I attended an exciting workshop by Chaz Pugliese on “The Land of Smart: How to use the theory of Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom”. After that I definitely needed some retail therapy and off to Cambridge city centre to be back at half past six for this tasty dinner:

 »» Spaghetti bolognaise + sides: rice + roast new potatoes+courgette and baton carrot 

Why such a rush?? Well, I still had plans for the evening… “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, an open-air theatre play in the beautiful gardens of Trinity College. I was delighted not only by the play (Shakespeare’s fairy-tale world of love, jealousy and youthful exuberance) but by everything around me. To my surprise, there were indeed about 200 chairs, but many more people and of all ages were on the lawn having a picnic! Some had brought rugs, others blankets and were eating and drinking (even Champagne) during the performance. In the 15-minute break hot wine was also served. Gosh, what a difference!!!

See the people on the lawn having a picnic?

This Friday, we just had classes in the morning as an excursion to Ely was already included in our cultural programme. Ely is a very calm town quite close to Cambridge (about 45 min by coach) and is mainly renowned for its Cathedral though it offers some other attractions such as Oliver Cromwell’s house and Museum. Unfortunately, there is never enough time to visit all the nice places we would like to but at least here you have a glimpse of the most fascinating sights: the Cathedral, (recently used for a prominent scene in the award winning film, The King’s Speech), gardens and its riverside. 

Ely Cathedral, surrounded by parkland and meadows

The River Great Ouse, nice spot for picnics and pics

It was a really hot day (can you believe that? It has only rained one and for a couple of minutes) and after a shower, here is my dinner: 

»» Vegetarian Lasagne+sides: peas+sugar snap peas, as usual followed by fresh fruit

Today was film night at the campus and maybe inspired by the visit to Ely, namely its Cathedral, guess the film I chose???? The King's Speech, of course!                        

CAMBRIDGE days 2+3

2nd dinner, a vegetarian meal

First of all, let me apologise for not posting every single day as I would like to, but time flies around here with classes, campus conferences, plenary and cultural talks, sports activities, guided tours…besides, I’m also paying to access the Internet from my own room, which limits me – and how!

Anyway, on Tuesday I attended a campus conference and afterwards a cultural talk. After having dinner at 5.30 (very early, I know, and that’s exactly why many would rather have lunches and not dinners included in our pack), a large group of participants from different nationalities met for a guided tour around Cambridge – as it wasn’t raining, it was a pleasant tour and helped to know a lot more about Cambridge and its many colleges (beautiful old buildings not to miss!) Have a look!

King`s College

Trinity College

Newton`s Apple Tree... for sure one of the most famous ones in the world!

>> My third dinner: this time my main meal was fresh salmon with lemon and herb dressing + sides included sautéed potatoes, broccoli and roast butternut and, for dessert, fresh fruit.

Wednesday…another full day: after classes, there was a very interesting plenary talk on “The Power of Image” by Ben Goldstein, an English language teacher, online tutor and author, and in the evening an amazing show with music and poetry called “Touchable Dreams” with ELT guru Jeremy Harmer and violinist Steve Bingham: the room was packed with delighted listeners, believe me, really good!

CAMBRIDGE: Arrival and Day 1

Here I am, attending a refresher course aimed at practising teachers of English at Bell Teacher Campus in Cambridge based at Homerton College and only a 30-minute walk into the city centre!

This was the first picture I took on Sunday as soon as we arrived: beautiful buildings in secluded wooded grounds and incredible lawns with squirrels. Absolutely lovely!!!

After the first impact, our group was guided into our single en-suite bedrooms. Here is another picture, this time, of my own room: “student residential accommodation, not hotel accommodation” as Jim Scrivener so well put it.

At 7pm all participants gathered for a warm welcome reception at a bar called Nusha and it included drinks, cold buffet supper, music and chatting. It was really nice for a first contact with other participants, teachers like ourselves, who had just arrived from 16 different countries. Wow! Amazing, isn’t it? 16 different nationalities from faraway places such as Japan at Bell Teacher Campus.

Monday was our first course day and it was fantastic: breakfast at around 8 am in a gorgeous Harry Potter-style dining hall, and classes from 9am to 12.30 and then from 2pm up to 3.30. After that, off to the city centre to be back at 6pm for dinner (served from 5.30 to 7pm) also because there was a general meeting at 7.30. Hard work, folks, yes, but loads of fun and many opportunities to socialize.

                A picture of my first dinner here in Cambridge at the campus - Yummy!


Many, many thanks to PROALV and to our APPI colleagues, mainly to Manuela, who, in different ways, have made all this possible.