Our last day in London...

'Glooooria! I don't want to leave... Not yet, please!' 'Gloooooria, why don't we stay for a few days more.' Sorry, but these sentences are what most students said and repeated this morning.

After breakfast, our host families took us to the meeting point of the first day where we left our suitcased, and, then, we went to look for our packed lunch.

We decided to spent our last two hours in Ealing Shopping Center, as we had still some pounds left.

After taking suitcases, getting on the bus and going to Gatwick, it was time to say goodbye to Tom, our lovely and friendly guide. Some of the girls had prepared a few farewell words and he said goodbye...

Well, you can imagine the rest... Checking-in, leaving suitcases, going to the police control where we had some problems with a few students who had water and scissors in their bags, and two more who had forgotten their boarding cards and passports in the trays!!!! Getting on the plane, flying to Barcelona, taking our suitcases and travelling to Blanes by bus. When we arrived at school, everybody was already missing London. We will never forget London, that's for sure!

Friday, one day left...

Today, the lessons have been very entertaining again. The students have played different games in English, such as Scarttegories, Tabu, Betting with grammar and spelling, etc.
The lessons have finished a bit earlier today and we have taken the underground to Charing Cross. We have visited Trafalgar Square but, it's been a pity because we have not been able to climb to the black lions because there was a big stage and we could get to them! What a pity!

But all the students wanted to go to the next place: Candem Town. We had to have lunch there and go  around the shops and stalls. Well, you cannot imagine the bags our students were carrying! If you want to find anything , you will in Candem!!!

And now, time to pack our suitcases, finish homework and go to bed... Tomorrow we are going back home!
Good night!

Thursday, the day our students get to know the rain in England.

We have all meet at 09:00 outside Ealing Broadway Staion, and all of them have been on time. They are becoming great experts in travelling by bus through Ealing. The lessons have been great! They have been given some information about London, Jack the Ripper, and, even, they have represented a trial, with a jugde, a suspect, a jury, etc. They have had a good time!

When they have finished, everybody wanted to eat the 'fab' sandwich in our packed lunch. But it started to rain... But only for 15 minutes!

Then we took the underground and went to the The British Museum, amazing! Everybody has seen the Stone Rosseta, the mummy of Cleopatra, el Friso del Partenon, etc.

Finally we went to Convent Garden, nice and beatiful, full of people, full of life, full of shops, full of souvenirs...

When we got home I cooked a Spanish Omelette with 'pa amb tomaca' and it was so goooooooooood!

And the expression of the day is Adri's: 'I eat kitchen'!!!!

One of my favourite pictures:

PD. Today, while our students were in class, the teachers have visited the TATE Gallery! These are the views from the museum: the Thames, Millenium Bridge, Saint Paul's Cathedral, etc.

Wednesday! What a day!

Our day starts at 9 o'clock in the morning when everybody meets outside the Ealing Broadway Station.

We have had a change of host family because two students were not happy in their house, but, luckily, we have changed them and now they are OK. Their parents have already been given the new information and now we are all much better¡

We have started our English lessons in Hogwards! The classroom is really beautiful and the activities have been very entertaining and interesting, for example, the students have played a role-play activity called 'the speed dating' which they have really enjoyed.

Another good piece of news: the weather is very good! Today has been one of the hottest days in the last ten months. We cannot believe we are in England... We have not seen any rain in two days!

We have eaten our fantastic (Irene! 'delicious') packed lunch in the park.

After lunch, we have gone to 'the real London'! Green Park, Buckingham Palace, Queen Victoria memorial, the Calvary Headquarters, St James' Park, Downing Street, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, etc. Exhausting!!!!

And, finally, we have finally arrived at the London Eye. The views and the experience itself have been incredible. Some of the students were a bit frightened at first, and some of them said they suffered from vertigo, but they forgot everything when they could see London from high above. Before riding in the big wheel, we have seen a 4D film about the London Eye.

Then the real exciting experience started! We had to go back to Ealing by underground during the rush hour. The underground was very crowded, we were very tired and were getting a bit nervous... Then, at Waterloo underground station when some people got into the carriage, THE DOORS CLOSED! And some of the students were inside and the other part of the group were left behind! Oh, my God! Luckily, we had already explained the route and the stops we had to get off... So, in five minutes, we were all together AGAIN! So, I must tell you that the students, that's, your sons and daughters, are great, they LISTEN to the teachers and know what to do! Well, most of them do! 

When the teachers had almost recovered from the train fright, the students had to go back to their host houses, using the directions they had been given. Then, my phone rang, again, there we had the typical situation of three students who don't know where they are! OMG! Not again! They were on the right bus, but they didn't know where to get off and they went to the end of the bus route. We arranged our DRRLS, or, the Display of Resources to Rescue Lost Students! And in 20 minutes, everything was Ok, the students were safe and sound at their house! 

As you can see, incredible but exhausting!

The word of the day is 'Delicious', Irene was so sure that this word exists... Because Dora, The Explorer, says so! ;-D

Tomorrow more!

Our first day in London.

A good day, a long and tiring day, ... But our students are taking the most of this trip.

Their first contact with the English culture has been great. We arrived at Ealing shopping center by two thirty in the afternoon, we had time for lunch, and a bit of time to walk around Ealing Shopping Center, so we had a first contact with British shops, bookshops, supermarkets, etc. Then, we went to Notting Hill, and had some time in Portobello Road. Amazing! As you can see in the previous entry, we visited some of the places which appeared in the film 'Notting Hill' by Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts.

Do you remember the blue door of the house where Hugh Grant lived?

And we have also travelled by the London Underground to move around London. Tomorrow some of us will be able to use our travel cards on some typical red double-decked London buses. We'll see how this will work... as they will be on their own to get to our meeting point at 9:00 at Ealing Broadway Station. Do not worry, because all the students have a map of the area with all the information to move around! And some of the families will take them there personally.

i've just talked to all of them and they are all right. Well, some have told me about their first contact with the British food, and it has not be that bad! So, tomorrow will me another day...

Good night!

PD. You know that Carla wanted to do a Sudoku in English? ;-D

Notting Hill

Hello from Notting Hill!

We are in Portobello Road at the moment... Amazing place!

Some of our students are already carrying bags!

Love from London!

The countdown... 3, 2, 1 and GO!

Hello again! Just a few words before meeting again...
Be sure we will have an incredible experience, we will learn a lot, walk a lot, see a lot of new things, meet new people, and the list will go on and on.
Remember your DNIs and Passports, or you won't be able to fly to London! ;-(
And one of the most important things you have to remember:

KEEP CALM AND LOOK LEFT!

Bye for now!

Glòria