A group of 10 current students, one former student and two teachers spent a wonderful fortnight in London and Barcelona in July as part of a study tour organised by the English Department. We flew to London with British Airways and spent a walk exploring the capital of England. Our accommodation was at a Youth Hostel on the banks of the River Thames, close to Tower Bridge. During our time in London we visited the world-famous British Museum, the Tate Modern Art Gallery and the Science Museum in South Kensington. We also went to the theatre three times to see Billy Elliot, Oliver and The Lion King. These theatre visits were an eye-opening experience for the students who thoroughly enjoyed the colourful performances set in historic West End theatres. In addition to the museums and theatre visits, students were also able to visit the famous Borough Food Market and the trendy Camden Lock Markets. Naturally we also saw all the other main tourist sights of London including Buckingham Palace, The Houses of Parliament, St Paul’s Cathedral and that haven of consumerism, Harrods.

From London we flew to Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, an autonomous region of Spain, We stayed in a very pleasant hotel close to Las Ramblas, the principal tourist street in the city. As well as seeing all the historic sights in Barcelona such as the Gothic Quarter, the Sagrada Familia church and Gaudi’s Parc Guell, we also made excursions to the Salvador Dali Museum in Figueres and to the historic Mediterranean coastal town of Stiges. Our trip to Barcelona was rounded off with a visit to the very impressive Nou Camp stadium of FC Barcelona. The stadium was nearly as good as White Hart Lane, home of Tottenham Hotspur FC.

Throughout the trip, we travelled on public transport, ate local food and had the opportunity to use English outside the classroom. A thoroughly good time was had by all who went on this very meaningful and worthwhile trip.

London
Students interviewing the local police officer	Introducing the history of London	Group photo right before the Gay Parade
Group photo in front of Tower Bridge	Grassland in Africa, No, they're at Regent's Park	Food glorious food
Explaining the features of London Underground	Doing the first task during breakfast

Spain
A landmark to memorize the death in the indepence war of Catalonya	Dali Museum	Gaudi's Park
La Sagrada Familia by Gaudi	Spanish dim sum - Tappas	The view from balcony of student's room in Barcelona

In July 2008, 16 students spent two weeks visiting two of the world's major cities, London and Paris . It was definitely a brand new experience for the students because they did not attend a local language school or stay with host families. In London they stayed at a Youth Hostel and in Paris they stayed in a small hotel. They took local transport to travel around both cities, ate in local restaurants, did some of their own cooking, and washed their own clothes. Each morning there were lessons given by our NET teacher, Mr. John Croft about the day's activities. They saw tourist highlights such as Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, Trafalgar Square, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral, experienced the cultural delights of the British Museum, Oxford University and The Louvre.

Apart from visiting the striking landmarks, they were also lucky enough to watch two spectacular musicals, namely The Lion King and The High School Musical at the theatres in London . In Paris , they witnessed the fireworks under the Eiffel Tower on Bastille Day . All these fun and exciting activities made this trip a most memorable one for the students.

Please visit the following blog produced by John to learn more about the trip.

http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/ozspur/

16 students had an unforgettable experience during the 14-day study tour in New Zealand . They had lessons with students from different countries such as Korea , Japan and even Brazil every morning at the language college in Queenstown. In the afternoon, they took part in different kinds of indoor and outdoor activities such as luge riding, snowball fighting in the mountains, jewellery making and so on. At weekends, they stayed with their host families and joined their family gathering to meet more people. To learn more, please visit the blog made by John, our NET.

http://lkynz.blogspot.com/

In July, 2006, a small group of students will spend two weeks studying at Shafston International College in Brisbane, Australia. Students will attend formal English lessons in the morning at the college and then take part in a number of cultural activities and excursions in the afternoon. Students will learn about the local aboriginal culture, which will include painting a boomerang and learning to play a didgereedoo (musical instrument). They will visit a local wildlife park where they will have the opportunity to hold a koala and feed kangaroos.

As part of the trip, students will spend a weekend staying on an Australian farm. They will be able to go horse-riding, star-gazing at night, feed baby farm animals and cook traditional Australian BBQ food. For the rest of the time, our students will live with local host families and will have the chance to learn a lot about the Australian way of life.

In July 2005, 25 students and two teachers spent a fortnight in Brighton, a town about 50 miles south of London.

The students attended English lessons at the University of Brighton in the morning and had a number of cultural activities and excursions in the afternoon. Our students visited places such as London, Oxford, Eastbourne and a number of small towns close to Brighton. As well as visiting cities and towns, students went to the local museum, sea-life center, Madam Tussaud's, country villages and an exciting theme park called, Thorpe Park. While in England, students lived with local families and immersed themselves in the local lifestyle.

On the whole, the trip was very successful and the students enjoyed themselves immensely. I am sure they gained an invaluable experience by participating in this trip.