My CAMBRIDGE Experience, August 2012 “Nostalgia is like a grammar lesson: you find the present tense, but the past perfect!” Owens Lee Pomeroy Ever felt so overwhelmed by an unforgettable experience that you don’t even know where to begin??? Well, my summer course in Cambridge was exactly one of those occasions! After months waiting for the application results, I was approved to enroll “Language and Methodology Refresher (Secondary)” teacher training course in Cambridge between 12 th and 25th August. What a relief! What joy! After having completed a 15-page application form, having felt tempted to give up with a million other things to do at the same time, after so many goose bumps, it was really worthwhile! I was mesmerized by the number of colleagues who had simply been left out and felt my effort had been even more rewarded. So, having been granted a Socrates scholarship to engage on a 2-week course, the day finally came and in a hot summer morning a whole female group met at the airport in Porto; some of us had never met before but we had at least two things in common: we were all Portuguese teachers of English and happy APPI members! Believe it or not, our bonding started right there, with shared plans, ideas and hopes for the upcoming fortnight. Already in Cambridge, more exactly in front of Homerton College, we were welcomed by BELL staff who opened the doors for us and invited us in with “This way ladies. Welcome to Homerton College!” Keys in hand, and still dumbfounded by the surroundings, we headed for our rooms, single en-suite bedrooms. We hardly had time to rest after such a long day (home / airport / Cambridge, but who was there to rest???) and soon enough we were at Nusha’s bar in the leisure centre nearby for a most welcoming reception. Regardless of our origins, we would finish the way we were about to start: improving our English language skills and socializing. On Monday morning, after breakfast in a beautiful Harry Potter-style dining hall, all participants from the 16 nationalities represented at the campus gathered in the auditorium, where we were greeted by Jim Scrivener, the Academic Director, for a brief overview of the course. From then on, we were split into groups, headed to our classrooms and met our tutors; with our new classmates, we shared knowledge, experiences and contacts. From 9 am to 12.30 pm and then from 2 pm to 3.30 pm we had classes to brush up our English, a real “in loco” chance to refresh and improve our language skills, methodologies, and all. This eclectic approach will certainly suit not only the diversity of our classes but also ourselves since we felt tremendously rewarded, both at a personal and professional level. This intense and valuable course included a panoply of development activities and personal interest sessions which ranged from workshops, cultural talks on pubs, music, teen talk…, to sports activities and games, films, karaoke, the Great British Pub Quiz... Indeed, I admit that I sometimes felt somewhat anxious about the busy timetable at the campus, but please don’t misunderstand me: no one there can complain of boredom. No way. There were always plenty of activities to choose from but the problem was that I simply didn’t want to miss a single bit! Besides, taking into account that, when we could, we would leave the campus at around 3.30/3.45 pm, and all museums (and shops, of course) close at 5pm, we didn’t have much time either for tourist visits or shopping! http://www.clubeinglesoure.blogspot.pt
Alexandra Duarte
Cambridge has a lot to offer to visitors and so, on weekdays, after classes, we would dash to the city centre to visit King’s College and its amazing chapel, Trinity College and the Wren Library, St John’s College and the Bridge of Sighs, Pembroke College, the stunning Fitzwilliam Museum… and the list could go on and on as we had no time to fully discover this amazing university city. Nonetheless, in the evenings, we still found time for a guided tour of Cambridge; for a fantastic punting experience: a chauffeured punt ride along the beautiful College Backs, complete with hampers full of strawberries and champagne; for the Shakespearean play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, an open air theatre performance in the gardens of St. John’s College where we sat on the grounds and many around us were sipping wine and having a snack; for musical performances by Jeremy Harmer (yep, the ELT guru we all know) and Steve Bingham and another one with Blues Music by Chaz Pugliese and David A. Hill. On Friday most of us went on a trip to Ely, a small market town close to Cambridge and famous for its Norman Cathedral set amidst medieval monastic buildings, Oliver Cromwell’s House and Museum and its long riverside frontage, no doubt a favourite spot for visitors and pics! For the in-between weekend, plans couldn’t be better: on Saturday a London excursion, with optional boat trip down the Thames and the London Eye, and on Sunday an excursion to Oxford with the possibility of a 1.30h guided tour! I signed up for all, what else was expected??? Time went by in the twinkling of an eye. I would have liked to do so much more, to visit so many other places in Ely, London, Oxford, even Cambridge! I had a great time at the campus, with my tutor and classmates but I regret not having had more time to discover the surroundings. If only days were longer… if only we weren’t there on a teacher training course… then, I wouldn’t be there for a fortnight, right? All was really perfect: the staff, even the weather – can you believe that? To wrap it all up… nostalgia is the right word to describe what I’m feeling right now. Though I was overjoyed to be back to my family, I long for those tall, gorgeous trees, for the luxurious green lawn, and my heart is filled with cherished memories! I keep thinking about the fantastic 2-week experience that was just perfect, but when I look ahead, well, I just can’t help feeling tense towards a troublesome school year…
Some final words… Special thanks to PROALV and APPI, namely to Manuela Pinto, who was just a click away and always willing to offer us guidance throughout the whole process; my deep appreciation also to Anna Young, our tutor from Bell Teacher Campus. It was a privilege to have such an extraordinary and flexible teacher trainer who provided a friendly teaching/learning environment and was always more than ready to share with us her own experiences. This was one of the most enjoyable and professionally stimulating times in my life and I will always treasure it. The Happy APPI group in Cambridge, August 2012
http://www.clubeinglesoure.blogspot.pt
Alexandra Duarte
PS: While there I updated my blog every two days. If you are curious about the course, the setting, the activities or even the meals, please access my blog and feel free to leave your comments at: http://clubeinglesoure.blogspot.pt/2012/08/cambridge-arrival-and-day-1.html http://clubeinglesoure.blogspot.pt/2012/08/cambridge-2.html http://clubeinglesoure.blogspot.pt/2012/08/cambridge-days-45.html http://clubeinglesoure.blogspot.pt/2012/08/london-and-oxford.html http://clubeinglesoure.blogspot.pt/2012/08/cambridge-days-89.html http://clubeinglesoure.blogspot.pt/2012/08/cambridge-days-1011.html http://clubeinglesoure.blogspot.pt/2012/08/cambridge-day-12.html
Thank you all!
Alexandra Duarte Agrupamento de Escolas de Soure APPI Member No. B-2304
http://www.clubeinglesoure.blogspot.pt
Alexandra Duarte