News from Leamington, England.

UN IDIOMA, UN PAÍS, UNA ILUSIÓN... ¡HASTA SIEMPRE!

2011-07-24T10:29:00.000-07:00

Un año más cerramos nuestros cursos de Idiomas, con la confianza que todos nuestros estudiantes hayan alcanzado los objectivos que nos habíamos marcado.

Quiero pues, agradecer desde aquí, en primer lugar, todo el trabajo llevado a cabo por los directores de grupo y los monitores responsables de cada uno de ellos. Asimismo, agradezo a los padres la confianza que habéis tenido con Idiomas Padre Manyanet.

Con el deseo de que todos terminemos de pasar un feliz verano en familia, que San Jose Manyanet bendiga cada uno de vuestros hogares y hasta siempre.

P. Antonio Sorribes S. F.
Director de Idiomas Padre Manyanet

OUR LAST DAY

2011-07-22T09:28:00.001-07:00

BIRMINGHAM (THE RETURN)

2011-07-22T09:22:00.000-07:00

On Thursday we had our English morning lessons in which we worked really had to make a good performance in Fridat, when some of us had to sing a song to the host families, while others had to make a presentation about the favourite part of the whole experience.
In the afternoon we went to Birgmingham, a city we've already been. This time we had free time. Those who wanted, follow Father Jesus and we visited the hall, a monument dedicated to those who fight during the Second World War and the Symphoni Hall, which has a really good accoustic. We found the table tennis's tables that are around the city due to London 2012. It was really nice to play a tennis table match! What a shame that it started raining!
After that, we went to the Bullring and had a lovely day of shopping.
We came back to Leamington by train and we went home with our host families.
MC

HP!

2011-07-21T03:32:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday we started with English lessons, and everything seemed to be as everyday, but the leaders had a surprise for us: instead of going to the bowling alley, that afternoon we could choose between going to the cinema to watch Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows (part 2) or going to the swimming-pool. Most of us chose Harry Potter, so we all end up going there. A lot of us bought popcorn and a large bottle of pepsi. We were so thrilled that we could hardly shut up during the film. It was amazing to see the final fight between Harry and Lord Voldemort, or that was what some of us think, because others were getting really bored.
When the film finished, we had some free time, and after that we came back home with our host families.
MC

STRATFORD & SHAKESPEARE

2011-07-21T03:11:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday we started the lessons at nine o'clock, like every morning. We are in Mr. Khalid's group and that day we were doing speaking all the morning. After that, we went to Victoria Gardens and we had lunch there. We were very comfortable lying on the grass and we had a very good lunch. Then we had to go to the Parish Church to take the bus to Stratford.

When we arrived at Stratford, we got out the bus and the first stop of our trip was visiting Shakespeare's house, the place where he lived during his childhood. First we watch a video about his life and his work and then we visited all the rooms in the house, where there were people that explained things about how Shakespeare's family lived. And when we were finishing the visit, we saw an actor that knew a lot of plays by heart and we saw him performing some parts of them. One of the girls, Maria, had to play the Juliet role. It was really amazing!
After this, we had free time and while a part of our group went shopping, the other one follow Father Jesus to visit the church where Shakespeare is buried. We could see his grave there. Next, we visit a theater.
After, some of us took a boat and others went to McDonal's to eat an ice-cream. We met at five and we went back to Leamington and then we went home and spent the evening with the host family.
PD & PM

LEAMINGTON QUIZ

2011-07-21T03:01:00.000-07:00

On Monday, we started lessons at nine o'clock in the morning, as everyday, where we learnt the first conditional and we completed our scrap-book. After the lessons, we had our respectives packed lunch in Victoria Park and then we met Father Jesus at Jephson Gardens, where he gave us the questions we had to solve for winning the quiz. We walked around Leamington to find all the answers and some of them were very different. Moreover, we had to go to the libraty and read some books with information that helped us. Finally, at half past five, we met at Newbold Terrace and we came back home without knowing the results.
JC & JU

LET'S GO SHOPPING!

2011-07-20T03:48:00.001-07:00

On Sunday we all did different things, because it's a day to stay with the family. Some of us went to an exhibition, while some others made a little trip, or they stayed all day at home playing with the children in their families. In my case Sam, my mum here, told me that we could go to the centre town at 12 o'clock. I said yes and there we met Sandra and other student and we went to the shopping center, where we met Sam's friend. Then Sandra and me went shopping. When we finished, Sam and I went home and we had dinner, and then we went for a walk and watch TV. We spent a lovely evening chatting.
It was a very nice day!

SATURDAY

2011-07-20T03:43:00.001-07:00

[UNDER CONSTRUCTION]
EL & PMA

WE LOVE SWIMMING!

2011-07-20T03:40:00.001-07:00

On Friday we woke up early. We went to school. We finished at half past twelve and we ate the packet lunch. Then we went walking to the swimming-pool. Only eight of us went to play football and the others went to take a bath. When we finished playing football, we went to the swimming-pool. There were two big pools, one with cold water and the other one with hot water, and a jacuzzi. Then we went to the bus stop and everybody took a bus and spent the evening with the host family.
RT & OS

OXFORD!

2011-07-20T03:15:00.000-07:00

We got up early and we had the typical breakfast. Then, we got dress and we put on comfortable shoes because today would be a long day and we were going to walk a lot!
We started the first lesson at nine o'clock that last for and hour and after that we had a break. We did two more hours of lessons and had one break more. When we finished, we had lunch and then we took the train. Next station: OXFORD!
For some of us it was the first time we were there, others have been there twice, and for others knew the city like the back of their hand. But all of us had a surprise expression in the face when we saw the most important colleges. We visited two colleges. One of them was the Jesus College, and we learnt his history. But we didn't forget to buy some souvenirs, a usual activity everybody does when he or she goes abroad to remember the trip. In Oxford there are a lot of souvenirs shops and it's very typical to buy a jumper or a t-shirt. So, in our free time, we went shopping and we bought clothes of different colours that have different messages on it: I<3Oxford, Oxford University...
After that hard day, we came back to Leamington by train and we took the bus to go home, were our host families were waiting for us. We were really tired, but we enjoyed the day and had a very good time.
SC & MA

HATTON AND THE STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

2011-07-18T02:03:00.001-07:00

On Wednesday, we started our day as always with the morning English lessons, although not all of us are very keen on having an English lesson at nine o'clock. Despite this, we managed to sail through them. We finished at 12’30 and we went straight to take the bus to Hatton. This was a new trip for this year, so event the "veterans" didn't know how this would be like.
It was a cloudy day, but luckily it didn't rain at this time. What we saw in Hatton is called "The Stairway To Heaven". There are 21 locks that allow boats to go up and down through the flyovers.. It was amazing to see how a person had to walk to one of the doors and open a gate so the water can flow filling or emptying the lock, depending on the direction of the boat - up or down, and then opening another gate, so the boat can move forward. It was incredible, and some of us took part in that, helping a couple that was travelling around England for 6 months! After that, we went to a pub to have a little snack because we were really hungry. Then, we took the bus back to Leamington and went to Newbold Terrace, where some of our families were waiting for us; some of us had to get home by bus. We spent the evening with the families.
MC

10 PIN BOWLING AGAIN

2011-07-14T03:24:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, all of us arrived very early at the school and started our morning lessons at nine, on time.
After that, we had an hour to have lunch and after we walked to the bowling alley, the same we went last week. We played two games, but before starting, we had to divide in three groups of five and six people. In my group there were six people: Alexey, Roger, Oscar, Miquel, Sergi and me.
In the first game, Alexey was the best player, Miquel the second one and I was the third one. I think we scored 97, 80 and 75 each one, and I can't remember how many points got the other members of the team. Alexey was really lucky, because he won the second game too.
After that, we had some free time, and then we came back with our families.
I like the day and I think it was very enjoyable and interesting.
MJ

VISITING RUGBY

2011-07-14T03:13:00.000-07:00

On Monday, like everyday, we started the lessons at 9 o'clock in the morning, where we reviewed the subjects of the first week. The we did a debate about a Subject. Finally, we completed our Scrap-book for the day. We finished the lessons at half past twelve and then we took the bus to Rugby, where we had lunch. In Rugby we visited some museums about this sport and some shops where we could buy a present for our family. The museum was quite small but very interesting. Then we walked around the Town Centre and we saw the shopping centre.
At five o'clock we returned to Leamington and then we went to our homes and stayed with the families.
JU & JC

A DAY WITH THE FAMILY

2011-07-14T03:11:00.001-07:00

On Sunday, we stayed all the day with the families, and all of us did some different things.
Some went to the School Fete, where the boys in our families are studying. We had fun with all the children in the school. Some went skating or at medieval events and saw a knight tournament.
Everyone did with their families whatever they wanted and it was a day for fun and speaking a lot.
We also took part in a very English tradition: we had tea with the families and friends and so involved better with our families.

AP & OS

LONDON

2011-07-14T03:06:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we went to London. We went by train and we arrived at eleven o'clock and then we took the underground. We begun our visit in the British Museum, where we saw the Egiptian world, the Greek Parthenon of Athenea and Mesopothamian sculptures. After that, we went to the Convent Garden, which was an ancient market, but now is a place full of restaurants and shops. We ate our packet lunch there.
In the afternoon we followed our visit in Trafalgar Square, where Nelson Admiral's statue dominates all the surroundings. The National Gallery, which contains a great collection of paintings, is also in Trafalgar Square.
In our way to Westminster, we passed by Downing Street, where the Prime Minister lives. We visited Westminster Abbey, were all kings and queens of Great Britain have been crowned, and the Houses of Parliament.
After, we took the underground to Picadilly Circus. From there we all had some free time walking Regent Street and looking shop windows.
Not everybody got in time to the meeting point, but we were able to get back to Leamington safely.
I have enjoyed the visit and the explanations. We had a good day visiting the Britain's Capital City, London.
EL & PMA

SWIMMING DAY

2011-07-13T03:43:00.000-07:00

On Friday we had classes in the morning and after them we had lunch at the shopping centre because it was raining. When we had lunch, all the group met at Newbold Terrace and we went to the swimming-pool walking. We didn't go by bus because any of them went there. The boys were a little bit sad because they wanted to play football and they couldn't because of the rain.
We arrived at the swimming-pool, but we couldn't get in because there were a lot of people, so we had to wait. Luckily, it stopped raining, so some of us went and play a football match. Finally, we got in. The swimming-pool was very big and there was a slide, so we had a good time.
By 17'30 we were at Newbold Terrace again and we came back home to spend the evening with our host families.
CG & LL

BIRMINGHAM JEWELLERY QUARTER

2011-07-13T03:22:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, after having our usual morning lessons with Mrs Payne and Mr Khalid, we went to Birmingham by train. When we were there, we visited the Jewellery Quarter Museum. There we learnt how the jewels were made. The place we visited used to be a factory during the 19th century. It was really interesting to learnt how was the routine of the workers and all the rules they had to follow so they couldn't keep any of the gold, even gold dust. And all of them had to be really skilled too, because making jewellery was so difficult!
After that, we went to a big shopping centre in Birmingham called The Bullring, where we bought a lot of things, such as clothes.
When we finished all the shopping, we returned to Leamington and then came back home with the host families and we spent a really nice evening.
MS & SM

VISITING WARWICK

2011-07-12T03:53:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday the 6th we went to Warwick.
We caught the bus to Warwick. When we got there, we learnt about the history of the town of Warwick and some of the most historic buildings. First, about the Lord Leicester Hospital, then we visited Saint Mary's, the Parish Church of Warwick, a very fine gothic church in which some important people are burried. Finally, we went over Avon river from which we saw the very nice picture of Warwick Castle.
After all visit, we went to play Minigolf (Crazy Golf). It was funny. Not all of the 18 holes were easy to get. Some us got a very nice score.
When we finished, we returned to Leamington by bus and we went back home.

AP & RT

BOWLING DAY

2011-07-12T02:52:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday the 5th, we had the results of the test we did the day before and we were splited in two groups. One group had their lessons with Mr Haroon Khalid and the other one with Mrs Barbara Payne, so we are doing different things in the class. For example, that day, with Mr Khalid, we learnt about phonetics and sports.
After that, we went to have lunch in Jephson Gardens with all group, and later we went to the bowling, where we played two games. Some of us had a really good score!
When we finished, we caught the bus to came back to Leamington town centre and came back home.
We had a really good time in the bowling.
PM & PD

OUR FIRST DAY

2011-07-08T01:33:00.000-07:00

Dear diary,
At the first fay in Leamington, the teachers told us that we had to be on Saint Peter's Church a few minutes before than nine o'clock, so some boys and girls went by bus, and the family took some others by car.
When we were all there, we made a test, as a way to know what level we have. The teacher made two groups, and we made some classes and we know each other. We make some breaks too.
At 12'30 we went to a park and we had lunch (we ate the packed lunch that our own families made for us). In the afternoon we went to visit Royal Leamington Spa (the town centre). The teachers gave us some instructions and then we went on our own.
At half past five we went again at the usual meeting point. And after that, we took different buses to go to our houses and then we stayed with our family.
It was a good day, we'll talk tomorrow.

Love,

xOxO

MA & SC

THE ARRIVAL IN LEAMINGTON

2011-07-06T04:06:00.000-07:00

"First day and things couldn't go better". We all were very excited and a little bit nervous as well, being honest. Most of us are living for the first time with native families.
The flights were nice and we got on time to Heathrow. Families came to pick us up by the time we arrived in Leamington. The ones coming from Barcelona got here first and then the ones from Madrid. We all were quite tired for the long journey.
There were no longer time except for our meal and a nice rest.
M.C.

UN IDIOMA, UN PAÍS, UNA ILUSIÓN...

2011-06-10T02:08:00.000-07:00

Un saludo desde los diferentes “blogs” de nuestra página Web, con el deseo que se haga realidad el lema escogido para este Verano 2011: “Un idioma, un país, una ilusión…”

Así pues, que todos y todas sepamos aprovechar esta oportunidad de aprender, mejorar y profundizar nuestros conocimientos del inglés y que verdaderamente nuestro aprendizaje sea del todo exitoso. Que los nuevos amigos/as nos ayuden a conseguir los objetivos que nos proponemos realizar: divertirnos aprendiendo y madurar en nuestro ser personas.

Feliz estancia a todos en cada uno de los lugares escogidos, dentro de nuestra Organización de Idiomas Padre Manyanet.

P. Antonio Sorribes
Director

HASTA SIEMPRE

2010-08-08T05:42:00.000-07:00

Un año más cerramos nuestros cursos de Idiomas, con la confianza que todos nuestros estudiantes hayan alcanzado los objectivos que nos habíamos marcado. Quiero pues, agradecer desde aquí, en primer lugar, todo el trabajo llevado a cabo por los directores de grupo y los monitores responsables de cada uno de ellos.
Asimismo, agradezo a los padres la confianza que habéis tenido con Idiomas Padre Manyanet. Que todos terminemos de pasar un feliz verano en familia y hasta siempre.

P. Antonio Sorribes S. F.
Director de Idiomas Padre Manyanet

WARWICK AND FAMILIES!

2010-07-28T07:33:00.000-07:00

Today, 24, as friends of Madrid have already gone home, we, (catalan students) went to Warwick to visit it because they were parties.

We got up later than other days and stayed at 10 am Newbold Terrace. We took the bus and climbed 146 stairs to reach the top of St Mary's Church.

Also we saw some dancing there and we really liked.
We went to lunch at a tapas restaurant that is casually called "Catalan".

After lunch we went to Leamington and we spent the evening with our families.

DEAR DIARY:

2010-07-23T02:38:00.000-07:00

We went to Birmingham and we saw the library, the Town Hall and the Birmingham Cathedral which is the new Parish Church in the "High Town" area of Birmingham.
It has amazing windows which portray four significant themes within the Christian faith.
The Cathedral immits the classical roman built.
The rest of the trip was all about the shopping because of the farewell party.

C.dM.

2010-07-23T02:27:00.000-07:00

On 21th July Alison, our teacher, explained some stories about Stratford because the day before we went to Stratford and we visited William Shakespeare's house.
At 10.15 a.m we finished the first break and when we came back classes, we finished the unit and we started with another completly different.
At 12.30am, we had lunch together and at 2.00am we went to a park where we played football and girls danced because of the farewell.
At 4.00.pm we went to the swimming pool and we came back our houses at 5.30pm.

P.M.G.

STRATFORD!

2010-07-23T02:12:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday we went to Stratford after the classes.
When we arrived we went to Shakespeare childly house, where he lived with his parents, his two brothers and his three sisters.
We also saw his bed, the rooms, the bathroom, and Shakespeare's father shop where he sold gloves.
When the visit finished, two actors interpreted Romeo and Juliette only for us. It was amazing!
Then we went to other Shakespeare's house where he lived in the end of his life.
There was archaologist shearching things from Shakespeare's time.
That visit was very interesting.
At the end, we took the bus and we came back to Leamington.
C.T.V.

A DIFFERENT DAY!

2010-07-20T01:58:00.000-07:00

On Monday morning we went to the classroom like every day.
It was a funny class because all of us saw a white cock with beautiful colours in his beak. His head has a red comb, and his tail feathers was pastel shades of purple, pink, blue and green.

In the afternoon we made a Royal Pump Rooms and Quiz.
There was three groups. My group was formed by Elena, Juan, Pablo2 and me. There was a group only formed by boys (Pablo3, Pablo1, Joan, Jose and Jorge) and the last group formed for Claudia, Julia, Cris, Ana and Carmen.
It was a great day and I think that my group and me won the quiz!

T.dJ.V

BIRTHDAY!

2010-07-19T04:15:00.000-07:00

Today I'm going to explain a very especial day for me because it's my birthday and I've got many surprises on it.
I got up at 8.00am and I had a shower. After that I had breakfast and my family gave me a birthday present. It is a Rubik's 360. It is very difficult to solve.

Later, I played in the garden and we had lunch. After lunch, I went to a cars museum and I saw the most important British cars and many cars that have been used in famous movies, like James Bond movie.
Then we had on exiting 4x4 experience in a Land Rover and after that, we came back home.
Five minutes later we went to a restaurant called Frankie&Benny's, where I met Pablo.
I ate steak and then I had one of the best moments of the day. The lights turned off and a waiter came to me with a cake in his hands.
Everybody applauded and I was embarassed.
After that we came back home and I prepared the school bag for the next day.

J.C.E

TRIP TO ALTON TOWERS

2010-07-19T04:07:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, we went to Alton Towers.

We woke up earlier than the other days and we met at Newbold Terrace at 8.15 am.

We went by bus and we arrived at 10.00am.

We also met with Aston and Solihull group.

All of us got into the oblivion, air, nemesis, spinball, rita, and other funny atractions.

We've passed a very exciting day!
Finally, we arrived at home at 8.00pm very tired.

C.C.R and A.S.de la N.

IN LEAMINGTON

2010-07-19T03:59:00.000-07:00

On Friday morning we went to school where we did a funny test about trick questions.
Then we played interesting games, and we also made a competition with planes (made with paper).
When the classes finished, we went to Jephsons Garden to have lunch.
After that, we went to a park and there we played football and baseball.

When started raining, we went to the swimming pool and there we played, swam, and had fun.
Afterwards we finished swimming we went to our houses.
The day was so interesting, but all of us wanted that Saturday arrives to going to Alton Towers.

J.S.B and E.C.A

OXFORD'S DAY!

2010-07-16T03:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we have gone at the school like every day, but only John has done the classes because Alison went to a funeral.
In the morning rained a lot. For this reason, we went to the train station, where there are a small place where we ate.
After the lunch, we went to Oxford.
We visited lots of important places like Magdalen College, Oxford University... When we was visiting Oxford University we saw some deers.
We had free time to go shopping and we bought different jumpers.
Finally, we came back by train.
P.F.F and J.D.G

CINEMA'S DAY

2010-07-16T03:11:00.000-07:00

On wednesday we went to school.
The length of the classes is about three hours, so after that, we ate in Royal Priors because it was raining a lot.
When we finished, we went to the cinema which is next our school, Saint Peters.
When we arrived to the cinema, we bought lots of corns.

The film started at 2.50 pm more or less, and the name of the movie was "Get him to the greek".
It was a funny film!
After the cinema we return to the centre and then we went to our houses.
P.M.A

VISITING WARWICK

2010-07-16T02:55:00.000-07:00

Today we have had a very interesting classes.
We ate quickly and then we take the bus for going to Warwick.
There we visited Warwick's Castle.
We think that it is an interesting place because everyting is in a very good state.
We have seen an espectacular Catapult and an exiting birds show.
The catapult launched a fire ball. It was incredible.
In warwick we had free time and we could visit the town too. It was raining all the day, but the rain couldn't prevented we had a perfect day.

J.S.dS and JM.V

2010-07-16T02:49:00.000-07:00

On Moday 12th we went to class at nine o'clock as ussual. Then we learned about prepositions, and we think they are little difficult.
In the afternoon we went bowling. We love bowling so it was very funny.
After that, we came back to Leamington centre and we went shopping.
It was really interesting because we watched all the shops that we like in Royal Priors.

Later, at six o'clock we went to our houses by different busses.
It was a great day!
T.dJ.V and B.V.L

ONE SUNDAY WITH MY FAMILY

2010-07-16T02:44:00.000-07:00

I woke up late. My family didn't go to the church, so after have breakfast my family and me went for a walk.
When we arrived home, Dean and me played computer games and then we went to a restaurant, where my "uncle" works, because he's the restaurant's cook.
After that, we came back home and we watched the final World Cup.
Spain won! We celebrated and we finally went to bed.
J.M.V.

TRIP TO LONDON

2010-07-13T02:48:00.000-07:00

Firstly, we met in Newbold Terrace at 8.15 am and we took the train to set off to London.
When we arrived, we started to visit the city. Our first stop was in British Museum.

Fr Jesus explained us the secrets of Egyptian cultures and mummies too.
After that, we visited Greece and temples.
Then we went out and we sat in the shade for lunch.

After lunch, we took the underground and we visited Tower of London and the famous Tower Bridge.

There, explained us that Tower of London was a prison when Henry VIII reigned.

Afterwards we took a tourist bus and went to London centre for visiting Big Ben and the spectacular Parliament.

Then, we went to Westminister Abbey.
At the end, we went to Oxford Circus, a street with lots of shops.
Finally, we took the train and we arrived in Leamington at 8.00 pm.
A.S. de la N and C.T.V

A SPECIAL DAY

2010-07-13T02:31:00.000-07:00

On Friday we went to school at 9.00 am like every day.
It was a special day because one person of our group was 16; Claudia!
When she arrived at the school all of us, sing a song for congratulated her.
After that, we started classes, where we practise the prepositions of time and place with Alison and John.
Then, we have our break time and while boys played football, girls talked about interesting things.
On the second part of the classes, after the break, we played some games for work prepositions another time.
When the classes finished, we went to Jephson Gardens to have lunch together.
Later, we went to a park, in Leamington. Thetre, we played fo9otball and baseball. At 3.00 pm we went to the swimming pool, where there was a big slide, and we stayed in the pool unitl 5.00pm.
After that, we wet home.
J.B.S and E.C.A

A FUNNY DAY IN COVENTRY

2010-07-12T01:52:00.000-07:00

In 8th July we went to school and started classes at 9.00 am very punctual.
Alison and John, our teachers, sat us one boy and one girl respective, and we played funny games, spoke about real questions (war, pollution...) and we also did adjectives exercises.
At half past 10, more or less, we stopped the classes because of the breakfast but at eleven we returned with our teachers.
When we finished the classes we ate togehter in Newbold Terrace Park, and later we took the train from Leamington to Coventry.

There, we went to Ice-Skating and we skating a lot, and when we were tired, we left to visit the New Coventry's Cathedral; while Fr Jesus was explained some interesting historic anecdotes about Coventry.
At 17.15 we took the train and we came back Leamington.

P.M.G. and C.C.R.

BOWLING IN LEAMINGTON SPA

2010-07-12T01:24:00.000-07:00

Every day we met in the school and started classeswith differtent games and exercises.

The classes are funny!

More over, at half past twelve we had lunch with our "delicious" meal.

In the afternoon we went to the bowling and we had done two matches. In the first match, we make groups, but then, we stand over levels.

When we finished with the bowling, everybody went to their houses because we were tired and we want to be on time for watching semi-final Spain-Germany.
It was a great day!

J.S.O and P.M.A

VISITING BIRMINGHAM

2010-07-08T01:57:00.000-07:00

Today we met our teachers, Alison and John. To encourage us to learn English they asked us to build bridges as languages are between people.

In the afternoon we went to Birmingham by train. When we arrived Fr Jesús told us about the long jewellery tradition in Birmingham. In this quarter we visited The Pen Room, a museum and learning centre of writing and pen trade memorabilia for more than a century. We have learnt about the different manufacturing processes and we tried to write with a quill. To finish this beautiful (and I must say sunny) day we went to the Bullring shopping but we had only 30 min to do that because of the time to return to our houses and we got back later than we thought.

Carmen DM.

ARRIVING IN LEAMINGTON

2010-07-08T01:28:00.000-07:00

Students from Madrid arrived in Leamington today by midday and the ones from Barcelona a short time late, because they slept in Birmingham at BCU's residence, and early in the morning they took a coach and came to Leamington.

Today we have visited a little bit of Leamington and we have done our bus-passes. As the teachers will be there tomorrow, we sat a test so they may have an idea of our level in English.

By 5:45 our host families came. We met them and we went to our new home for the next three weeks. They are very nice. (Monday 5th)

Joan S. & Pablo MA.

HASTA SIEMPRE

2009-07-24T05:50:00.001-07:00

P. Antonio Sorribes S. F.
Director de Idiomas Padre Manyanet

EVERYTHING IS DRAWING TO AN END...

2009-07-23T15:26:00.000-07:00

On the 23rd of July, we attended English lessons in the morning. We reviewed some of the lessons we had already learnt during our stay during the first two hours of class and then, in the third one, we carry on with the preparation of next Friday's Get Together ceremony! As everything goes to an end, we took a class photo. We had lunch in the park all together and at 2 p.m. we went to the swimming pool. After that, we came back home. We sadly had almost our last dinner with our lovely English families...

Luis & Alberto

BIRMINGHAM PEN MUSEUM

2009-07-23T15:08:00.000-07:00

On the 22nd of July, we attended our English lessons, as always and in the afternoon, we visited Birmingham. We went there by train and then, we had to catch the metro until the Jewellery Quarter, one of the most known neighbourhoods in this city. We went to the Pen Museum. We stayed there more than two hours, I'm afraid! There were lots of old machines and even, we could use them. We could also write on our own, which was amusing! After that, we went to the city centre and we had one hour to go shopping. At 17.20 p.m., we met the group and we caught the train in a different station, which was in the city centre. As it is a big city, the station was really overcrowded, which got on our nerves! Once in Leamington, we went back home. It was actually one of the best visits, from my point of view!

Nil

VISIT TO THE MAYOR AND LEAMINGTON QUIZ

2009-07-22T14:02:00.000-07:00

On the 21st of July, we attended our English lessons in the morning. We learnt the different uses of the verb "to take", depending on the word that appears after, for example: take up, take on...When we finished, we went to the Town Hall, because we had a meeting with the Mayor of Leamington. He was really nice with us, even he invited us to have a cup of tea or coffee and some biscuits! Father Jesus and Laura had prepared a speech so as to let him know who we were, what we were doing in Leamington...and also, some of us gave him their personal opinion about Leamington. We asked him some questions and to finish with, he showed to us the different rooms the Town Hall has: the meeting room, his office... Besides, we gave him a present, Idiomas Padre Manyanet's bag, which really surprised him.

In the afternoon, we played a Leamington Quiz, consisting of answering some questions about the history of Leamington by reading the Notice Boards set in the town. It was difficult; however, it helped us to know more things about the town where we have spent three weeks.
Silvia

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S TOWN

2009-07-21T10:29:00.000-07:00

On the 20th of July, we attended our English lessons in the morning and in the afternoon, we visited Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare. It is set in the rural Warwickshire countryside, on the banks of the river Avon and it is one of the most important tourist destinations in the UK. We visited the house where Shakespeare was born many years ago, in 1564, in Henley Street. It is really big and it is preserved intact. We also visited the house where William Shakespeare lived when he came back to Stratford, after living in London during some years. After that, we went to the Holy Trinity church, where we could see his grave. We also saw The Swan theatre, which is being rebuilt. After all these visits, we had free time. At five, we met the group again and we caught the number 15 bus to come back to Leamington. We really enjoyed the journey because the bus driver drove the bus as if it was a rally car. You can see in the photo how we enjoyed! Once in Leamington, some of us went home and some others, practised a dance because they are going to dance on the next Friday's Get Together ceremony.

Ferran

OUR SECOND SUNDAY IN LEAMINGTON

2009-07-20T13:36:00.000-07:00

My second Sunday in Leamington was quite different. On Saturday evening, when we arrived from Alton Towers, my family didn't pick me up because they were at a wedding. Owing to this fact, I went to Father Jesus' host family and I slept there. On Sunday morning, I went to mass with Father Jesus and his host family. When the mass finished, we went back home and after having lunch, we played board games. At about 4 o'clock in the afternoon, my host family pick me up and I went to my English home. We had dinner and we watched a film called "Cool running". So, as you can see, Sundays are the best days to be spent with our families. It is a chance to develop our English skills during all the day, which, needless to say, is quite hard!

Carmen

ALTON TOWERS!!!

2009-07-20T13:25:00.000-07:00

On the 18th of July, we met at 8 o'clock in the morning at Newbold Terrace. A coach was waiting for us there. We first stopped in Birmingham because the students who are in Aston had to use the same coach. Once in Alton Towers, the leaders took us an initial photograph and then, we separated ourselves in different groups and we had free time! We rode all the attractions we could: Air, Nemesis...As this theme park has got big parks, we could have lunch on the grass and relax for a while. At five, we came back to the coach and after two hours, more or less, we arrived in Leamington. Our families were waiting for us in our meeting point. However, before going home, Eduardo's host father took us a photo, which is going to be a present for Leamington's Mayor. We are going to visit him next Tuesday! It was a really wonderful day!

Maria

OUR SECOND FRIDAY

2009-07-19T03:44:00.000-07:00

On the 17th of July, almost everyone arrived at Saint Peter's church at about half to nine. We spent half and hour speaking and sharing opinions before starting our English lessons. The exercises Ruth gave to us were more difficult than others given before. We did them quiet well, that's why I think we are improving our English! We have two breaks during the morning and in one of them, we played football in the park opposite Saint Peter's. After class, we wanted to have our packed lunches on the grass, but we couldn't because it was wet. We also had time to relax or to play football before meeting at Newbold Terrace at two o'clock. Even, we played football with a group of English people and needless to say, we won! Then, we went to a park near the swimming pool and we played baseball until it started to rain. We swam during an hour, more or less and it was amazing! After that, Father Jesus gave us some advice and we came back home.
We are looking forward to going to Alton Towers!!!

Deborah

OXFORD UNIVERSITY T-SHIRTS AND JUMPERS, TODAY?

2009-07-19T03:13:00.000-07:00

On the 16th of July, we visited Oxford, one of the most famous cities in England. However, during the morning we attended our English lessons with Ruth. In the lessons we learnt pronunciation and we cut out photos of Leamington. After class, we went to the train station because our train was leaving at 1 p.m. Owing to that, we had to go to the station really fast and we had our packed lunches in the waiting room. Once in Oxford, we visited lots of places: Carfax Tower, the Brigde of the Sighs, some colleges...We were luckily and we could visit Merton College!! It was a perfect chance so as to know how students live in Oxford. We also had one hour to go shopping, in which almost everyone bought t-shirts or jumpers of Oxford University. We came back to Leamington by train and it was completely overcrowded; we had to stand up the entire journey! And once more, when we arrived in Leamington, it was raining!

Pablo

Here are some photos:

THE CENTRE POINT OF OUR STAY

2009-07-16T13:42:00.000-07:00

On the 15th of July, it was the centre point of our stay in Leamington although it seems as though we only arrived yesterday. As a current day during the week, we attended our English lessons during the morning and then, we ate our packed lunches. Owing to the sunny day, we could eat in Pump Rooms Garden, the park in front of Saint Peter's church, where we attend our classes. After a while we met the group and we went to the cinema. We watched "Harry Potter and the half-blood prince", which had its premier the same day. Unfortunately, the film is quiet sad and believe me, there are a lot of surprises...my advice: go to the cinema!! After that, we met Father Sorribes. He visited us and asked us if we were learning English, if we were enjoying ourselves...We also went to Jepshon Gardens until twenty past five, when we went back home and had dinner with our English families.

Alejandro

WARWICK, A TOWN WITHIN THE COUNTY OF WARWICKSHIRE

2009-07-15T13:20:00.000-07:00

The 14th of July was the second Tuesday of our stay in Leamington. Despite we are feeling more comfortable here because we are not so lost, we have the chance to learn, see or visit something new everyday. The day started in a funny way: all of us were sitting down in the building where we attend our classes, chatting and laughing at the rivalry between my Real Madrid t-shirt and Nil's Barcelona one, while our teacher was getting ready to start the class. We started class at 9 a.m. and after one hour hwe had a fifteen minutes break. We really enjoy Ruth's classes because they are very dynamic and interesting, but we must have in mind that it is quite difficult for us to attend classes in summer...After class, we had our packed lunches on the grass and had a walk around Leamington. Some of us went to our favourite sport's shop, which is in the shopping centre meanwhile some others went to Mc'Donalds to have an ice-cream. We met the group at 1.25 p.m and we caught the x17 bus to go to Warwick. I really enjoy cultural visits!! Warwick is a town within the county of Warwickshire. It has got incredible monuments such as the castle, some churches, Leicester Hospital...We learnt a lot about all these places thanks to Father Jesus' explanations. Then, we went to a park were we were supposed to play mini golf. However, it was not possible. Consequently, we changed our plans and decided to play rugby in the park or to walk into the town. I preferred to play rugby, but unfortunately, I started to feel pain on my neck. We caught the bus again to go home, where we had dinner with our families.

Eduardo

OUR SECOND WEEK STARTS

2009-07-15T12:49:00.000-07:00

Today, on the 13th of July, a week has passed: we did a lot of activities, trips and cultural visits.

In class, we reviewed all the vocabulary we learnt last week. We also did some listening, speaking and grammar. After classes, we had lunch on the grass all together because luckily, it was sunny, as you can see in the photographs. However, a few of us were really hungry and left the group for a while and went to a shop to buy some food. After that, we met at Parish church bus stop and we caught the bus to go to the bowling centre. Although we have been there more than once, we always enjoy ourselves! Then, Father Jesus gave us some advice into how to help us fit in with our English family and he asked us how things were going, how we were feeling with them and so on. After that, we came back to Leamington and caught our buses to go straight home.

J.Manuel & Javier

OUR FIRST SUNDAY IN LEAMINGTON

2009-07-13T13:43:00.000-07:00

As our timetable says, Sunday is a special day: we spent all the day with our families. We visit some new places, we meet some people of their family, we have a picnic wherever, we have a barbecue with them, we go to the church... Is the only day during the week in which we can relax ourselves.

We have been here in Leamington for one week now. We have enjoyed a lot during this first week and we are looking forward to attend our second week classes, to do new activities and to visit new places such as Warwick, Oxford and Alton Towers!!

Alberto

LONDON!!

2009-07-11T13:23:00.000-07:00

On the 11th of July, we visited London!!! Although everybody was really nervous, all of us arrived on time at Newbold Terrace at 8.15 a.m. We caught the train and we arrived in London in one hour an a half! We played cards in the train all together.

The first thing we saw in London was a street show. It made us laugh a lot and even, one of us, Maria, participated in.

Our transports in London were the underground and the public bus (the red ones). Thanks to them, we were able to visit a lot of places. Firstly, we visited one of the most famous markets in London: the Covent Garden. After that, we went to the British Museum, where we listened to Father Jesus explanations. We also visited Saint Paul's cathedral and we walked through two important bridges in London: the Millennium Bridge and the Tower Bridge. Then, more or less, at half past one, we had our packed lunches next to the Tower of London. After lunch, we went to the Houses of the Parliament and to the Westminster Abbey. Then, we kept on walking until we arrived at Trafalgar Square. Once there, we went to Piccadilly Circus, where our free time started. Some of us visited "Hamleys", an enormous toy's shop. At half past five, we met with the rest of the group and we visited the last thing in London: Sherlock Holmes' house. We caught the train back to Leamington and our families picked us up at Newbold Terrace.

We had a good time in London!

Nil & Ferran

Here are some photos:

SWIMMING POOL

2009-07-11T13:10:00.000-07:00

On the 10th of July, we attended our last week class. We did some vocabulary related to detectives, thieves... and Ruth also explained us some things about London (our next visit). Our afternoon activity was sports & swimming pool. We played baseball on the grass and then, we went to the swimming pool, which is really big: it has got two swimming pools, one for children and another one used to improve swimming skills. After that, we went back home and we had dinner with our dearest English families.

Silvia & Maria

CULTURAL VISIT TO BIRMINGHAM

2009-07-10T14:26:00.000-07:00

On the 9th of July, we attended our English classes. Ruth (our teacher) introduced to us some important places of Birmingham, where we were during the afternoon. We went by train; it takes half an hour from Leamington to Birmingham. We visited several things: Saint Martin's church, the Mail Box, the canals, Victoria square and the Bullring.

The Bullring is a big shopping centre where we had some shopping during almost an hour and a half. Although I do not support Manchester United, I have bought one Manchester United t-shirt! Back in Leamington, we spent the evening with our English families and we went to bed. It was an interesting cultural visit!

Luis

BOWLING

2009-07-09T14:53:00.000-07:00

On the 8th of July, the day started better than yesterday because all of us arrived on time at our English classes. Ruth (our teacher) was waiting for us at Saint Peter's. We had some homework today: asking to our English families some things about their jobs. After having lunch, we caught the number 68 bus to go to the bowling centre. Father Jesus was the winner again, he's so good at bowling!! However, some of us had improved a lot comparing with the first day we played. At half past five, more or less, we caught our buses to go back home. During dinner time, we did our homework. It was a great opportunity to know more about jobs vocabulary.

We are looking forward to visit Birmingham tomorrow!

J.Manuel

ICE SKATING IN COVENTRY

2009-07-08T13:52:00.000-07:00

On the 7th of July, we attended our English classes during the morning and after that, we went to the train station to catch a train from Leamington to the city of Coventry. We ate our packed lunches at the train first went to the ice skating rink and after falling down more than once, we visited some of its cathedrals and Lady Godiva's statue. Some of us also visited an art museum, where we were told of Lady Godiva's legend. At about 6 p.m., we came back to Leamington and we went home, where we had dinner and enjoyed ourselves with our new mums and dads. It was a beautiful journey!
Carmen

OUR FIRST BUS TRAVEL EXPERIENCE IN LEAMINGTON

2009-07-08T13:20:00.000-07:00

On the 6th of July, we all met at Saint Peter's church at nine o'clock. Some luckily students were driven here, but some others, had to catch a bus. First of all, we went to the place where we are going to attend classes. Father Jesus and Laura gave us the itinerary of our days here in England and some rules and instructions, too. After that, we did a test in order to check our level. It was quiet difficult, in fact! We also went to the Tourist Information Office to pick up some maps of Leamington and its nearest villages. Then, we walked around Leamington town centre just to be a little bit more orientated. At lunch time, we ate our packed lunches and we also had some free time to go shopping or to have a look around. At twenty-five to three, we met at Newbold Terrace and we all went to the bus stop at Parish church, because we caught the number 68 bus to go to the bowling centre. We enjoyed ourselves a lot there! Father Jesus plays very well and that's why we asked him several times how to throw the ball. Oh, I've forgotten two things: the first thing is that it has been raining during the day, but only a little, and the second one is that we went to the Travel Shop to buy our travel card to be able to travel by bus. After playing one hour, more or less, we came back to Leamington town centre where everyone caught their bus to go home. It was our second day in England and it was fantastic!

Deborah

ARRIVING IN UK

2009-07-08T05:26:00.000-07:00

The day finally came! We were at the airport at 9 o'clock in the morning. We saw off our parents and we took off from Spain by midday. We arrived in London airport on time, where a coach was waiting for us to take us to Leamington Spa. There, at Newbold Terrace (our meeting point during our stay) families were waiting for us. Once at home, our new English mums and dads showed our bedrooms and, after having dinner, we went to bed. We were so tired... it was a very long tiring day!

Alejandro & Javier

WELCOME!

2009-06-12T02:54:00.000-07:00

Bienvenidos al FORO del grupo de Idiomas Padre Manyanet en Leamington.
Durante los días de duración del Curso de Idiomas intentaremos poner aquí algunas informaciones del día a día. Los mismos alumnos serán quienes redacten los artículos que irán apareciendo. También incluiremos alguna fotografía de las diferentes actividades que realicemos.
Esperamos que sea un espacio de gran utilidad para todos.
Hasta pronto!

HASTA SIEMPRE

2008-07-30T04:47:00.001-07:00

La Direccion y todos los responsables y colaboradores agradecen la confianza que habeis tenido en Idiomas Padre Manyanet, deseando que acabeis de pasar un feliz verano con toda la familia.

Que San Jose Manyanet bendiga cada uno de vuestros hogares.

Hasta siempre.

P. Antonio Sorribes, S.F.

It draws to and end

2008-07-28T04:46:00.000-07:00

Today is last the last day for English lessons. So we close down all activities done through out the Course. We also have faced a new text. The results have been very good. We all passed it! After that we have taken a moment to assay our sketches and dance for the Get Together. We still needed of serenity when we speak.

In the afternoon we went to the swimming pool. Today it was a nice Castle in the pool for the kids, but we couldn’t go through, we are teenagers. We had fun altogether. Today we have gone home a bit earlier so we can get ready for the Get Together with our families.

At 7:30 pm it was supposed to start. Ms Antonia and Fr Jesús started thanking the families and the teachers what they have done for us. Then we started our Weekday Routine sketch followed by an informal News programme. Finally we sung and dance “Bad day”. The audience cheered a lot.

We also wanted to thank the families and our teacher for so many things they have done for us and we gave them a picture of us all. It was a very special moment.

It finished with a Slide Show, from our arriving in Leamington the very first day till today morning. We are looking forward for the set of pictures we have seen.

Tomorrow we will meet for our farewell. This is going to an end…

Hoy es el último día de clase. Hemos acabado todos los ejercicios y hemos repasado cuando en clase hemos hecho. También hemos hecho otro text para comparar el resultado con el del primer día. Los resultados han sido muy bueno: todos hemos pasado! (en UK, pasar significa tener más del 60%). Después hemos tenido un momento para ensayar nuestras actuaciones para el Get Together. Nos ponemos nerviosos y nos falta aún serenidad cuando hablamos.

Por la tarde hemos ido a la piscina. Hoy había un castillo inflable para los niños, pero como somos mayores, no hemos podido jugar con él. De todas formas, nos hemos divertido. Y nos hemos vuelto a casa un poco antes que otros días para prepararnos para la tarde con nuestra familias.

A las 7:30 empezaba el Get Together. Ms Antonia y P Jesús empezaron dando gracias a las familias y a la profesora por el trabajo que han hecho para nosotros. Entonces nosotros empezamos nuestra actuación con «La rutina de un día cualquiera» y luego un «Noticias a las 6» informal y cómico. Terminamos con una canción cantada y con coreografía «Bad Day». Hubo muchos aplausos.

También quisimos agradecer a las familias lo que han hecho por nosotros durante estas tres semanas, y a la profesora. Fue un momento especial cuando les entregamos una foto de todos nosotros.

Y acabamos con una “película” de fotografías que hemos hecho durante nuestra estancia. Quisiéramos tener una copia de ella…

Mañana nos encontraremos nosotros para despedirnos, porque esto ya se acaba…

Kung Fu Panda Film

2008-07-25T02:41:00.000-07:00

My dayly life starts at On Thursday I got up at 7:30 like everyday. I had my breakfast and I left my English house. Then I caught the bus and arrived at school at 8:40. After that, we did our class all together. In the afternoon we went to the cinema to watch a film. The film we watched was “Kung Fu Panda”, a funny cartoon film. The film was about a fat Panda who learnt about Kung Fu and was able to fight against a bad tiger who wanted to attack a village in China.

We ate some pop-corns and chocolate bars while we where watching the film. We really enjoyed it and we could understand what the characters said: our English is better now!!

When we finished watching the film, we had some free time to sit on the grass in the park and we then met at 5 o’clock, before catching our bus. We wanted to get home soon, because we had a big day the following day.

El jueves me levanté a las 7:30 como todos los días. Desayuné y salí de casa para coger el autobús que me deja en la escuela a las 8:40. Después, asistí a clase con los otros cursillistas y por la tarde fuimos al cine a ver una película de dibujos animados muy divertida: Kung Fu Panda. La película trata sobre un Panda recio que aprende los secretos del Kung Fu y lucha contra un temible tigre que tenía como propósito atacar un pequeño pueblo de china.

En el cine comimos palomitas y chocolatinas mientras mirábamos la película. Nos lo pasamos muy bien y pudimos seguir la película sin problemas: nuestro inglés ha mejorado considerablemente!!

Al terminar de ver la película, nos dejaron algo de tiempo libre hasta las cinco que aprovechamos para descansar en la hierba del parque. Luego cogimos el autobús; queríamos llegar a casa pronto, ya que el viernes iba a ser un gran día. (SFF & MBC)

At Shakespeare's Birthplace

2008-07-24T08:51:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, we had to say bye to Andrea because she was flying back to Barcelona with her father. It was sad that she could not stay with us until the last day and so we bought a card to cheer her up. We will all miss her and hope she feels better soon!

After our lessons, we caught a bus that took us to Stratford. That’s the town where Shakespeare was born in 1564. The first thing we did as soon as we arrived in Stratford was visiting Shakespeare’s birthplace. It’s a nice house where they keep furniture from the 16th century. We felt as if we where visiting the past there! We learnt about Shakespeare’s father job: he was a furrier. We also learnt how he worked with leather and what kind of products would he create.

After that, we went for a walk and we visited an old school also from the 16th century and the Church where Shakespeare was buried, together with his wife, his old daughter, called Susanne, and his son in law. It was amazing visiting the grave of such a great writer!

When we went out the church we all bought a huge ice-cream, which we really enjoyed. It was a hot day! The sun was finally shining! Finally, we went back to Leamington on the bus. It was a great day. We won’t forget it. (AFM & FJS).

El miércoles tuvimos que despedirnos de Andrea porque debía volver a Barcelona con su padre. Fue triste saber que no iba a estar con nosotros hasta el último día y por eso le compramos una tarjeta para animarla. Vamos a echarla de menos y esperamos que se recupere pronto!

Después de las clases, cogimos un autobús que nos llevó a Stratford, la ciudad donde nació Shakespeare en 1564. Lo primero que hicimos al llegar allí fue visitar el lugar donde nació el escritor. Se trata de una casa que conserva el encanto de la época, donde todavía se conserva mobiliario del siglo XVI. ¡Nos sentíamos como si estuviésemos viajando al pasado! Nos contaron que el padre de Shakespeare se dedicaba a la marroquinería y nos explicaron también como trabajaba la piel y qué tipo de piezas creaba en su taller.

A continuación, dimos un paseo y visitamos una escuela del siglo XVI y la iglesia donde descansa el cuerpo Shakespeare, junto a su esposa, su hija mayor, Susana, y su yerno. Fue impresionante visitar la tumba de un escritor de tanto renombre!

Cuando salimos de la iglesia, nos compramos un helado, que estuvo riquísimo. Era un día muy caluroso; por fin el sol había brillado! Finalmente, nos volvimos a Leamington en bus. Fue un día maravilloso. No lo olvidaremos.

Final Bowling: And the winners are...

2008-07-24T03:07:00.000-07:00

We started the classes at 9 o’clock yesterday. We learned the present simple and the present continuous. Three hours later, we ate our packed lunch. After that, we went to the bowling on foot and we had a good time there: we bought some sweets, we asked the waiter for tap water plenty of times, and we enjoyed the bowling. The winners were Felix (in the group of the boys) and Vicky (in the group of the girls). At five o’clock we caught the bus and we returned home. (VCG & LML)

Ayer empezamos las clases a las 9. Repasamos dos tiempos verbales: el “simple present” y el “present continuous”. Tres horas más tarde, tomamos nuestro “packed lunch”. Después, fuimos a la bolera y nos lo pasamos bien: compramos caramelos, pedimos muchísimos vasos de agua del grifo al camarero, y nos divertimos jugando a bolos. Los ganadores fueron Felix (en el grupo de los chicos) y Vicky (en el grupo de las chicas). A las cinco, cogimos el autobús de vuelta a casa.

Quiz About Leamington

2008-07-24T02:55:00.000-07:00

As every weekday, we take our English lessons for three hours. Today Andrea has gone again to the Hospital. It wasn’t too late when she came back and joined all of us with the lessons. Grammar, comprehension, listening… and phonetics games to improve our pronunciation. We are enjoying with Ruth.

In the afternoon, we have met Father Jesús and Mireia in Newbold Terrace. Today’s activity was a quiz about Royal Leamington. So, Father Jesús explained to us everything we needed to know about the activity. Then, we all went to different places so as to look for different clues that would later help us to answer some questions. We have learned about both the history and monuments in Leamington, and we have had to answer the quiz also in English. What a hard work!

Como cualquier otro día de la semana, hemos asistido a tres horas de clase. Hoy Andrea ha ido otra vez al hospital. Ha vuelto bastante pronto y ha podido unirse al grupo de Nuevo. Gramática, comprensión lectora, comprensión oral… y juegos de fonética para mejorar nuestra pronunciación. Lo pasamos bien con Ruth.

Por la tarde, nos hemos encontrado con Mireia y P Jesús en Newbold Terrace. La actividad de hoy era un cuestionario sobre Royal Leamington Spa. P Jesús nos ha explicado todo lo necesario acerca de la actividad. Luego nos hemos dirigido a distintos puntos de la ciudad tratando de encontrar pistas para poder responder luego a las preguntas del cuestionario. Hemos aprendido bastante acerca de la historia de la ciudad y acerca de los monumentos de Leamington, y hemos tenido que responder a un cuestionario también en inglés. Qué trabajo más duro!

Sunday Festival in Warwick

2008-07-24T02:38:00.000-07:00

On Sunday morning I woke up at 9:30. Then I had my little breakfast with my host family and I went with them to a Thai Festival in Warwick. In the Festival, there were plenty of shops and I could try typical food from Thailand. After that, I went to visit the Castle of Warwick and it was absolutely fantastic. I could see some interesting show with eagles. At lunch time, my host family took me to a restaurant in Warwick, where I ate a hamburger because I didn’t understand the menu! I even didn’t know what “jacked potatoes” means!! When I got back, I met my Spanish friends and we spent some time together. After that, I went back home because I was very tired. (ADP & CPD)

El domingo por la mañana me levanté a las 9:30. Después desayuné con mi familia en Leamington y pasamos la mañana en un festival tailandés en Warwick. Allí había una gran cantidad de puestos donde ofrecían comida típica tailandesa para ir probando. Luego visitamos en Castillo de Warwick, un lugar realmente fantástico. Disfruté de una exhibición de cetrería, con águilas. A mediodía mi familia me llevó a un restaurante en Warwick, donde pedí una hamburguesa, porque no entendía nada de la carta!!! Tampoco sabía qué significaba “jacked potatoes” (patatas al horno)! De regreso quedé con mis amigas españolas y pasamos un tiempo juntas. Finalmente volví a casa porque estaba muy cansada.

Where the Magic Never Ends

2008-07-21T03:57:00.000-07:00

Today is 19th of July and we have been in Alton Towers. All of us have left home earlier because the coach was waiting for us in Newbold Terrace at eight o’clock. We have met the group from Aston in Birmingham, as the coach was picking them up as well. Once we have arrived in Alton Towers, we have started the day with one of the best rides: Oblivion. After queuing for an hour, we have been to Air, another great ride. So as not to waste our time, we have even had lunch in the queue! We were lucky no one was sick!

At about three o’clock, we have gone on other rides such as Rita, where you reach 120 Km/h. Finally, we have slept a bit on the coach as we have returned to Leamington.

Hoy día 19 hemos estado en Alton Towers. Todos hemos salido de casa algo antes de lo habitual, ya que a las 8:00 nos esperaba el autobús nos esperaba en Newbold Terrace. Nos hemos encontrado con el grupo de Birmingham, ya que el autobús les ha pasado a buscar a ellos también. Al llegar a Alton Towers, hemos empezado el día con una de las mejores atracciones: Oblivion. Más tarde, después de hacer una hora de cola, nos hemos montado en Air, otra atracción de lo más emocionante. Para no perder ni un minuto, incluso hemos comido en la cola! Suerte que nadie se ha mareado!

Hacia las tres, nos hemos montado en otras atracciones como Rita, donde uno llega a alcanzar los 120 km/h. Estábamos tan cansados, que más de uno se ha quedado dormido en el autobús de vuelta a Leamington. (LPD & AFM)

A Great Baseball Game

2008-07-21T03:08:00.001-07:00

It’s the 18th today and we have started the classes as always at 9 o’clock. We have been doing grammar and pronunciation the first two hours and the third hour we have been practising with Mireia our last day show.

We have eaten the packed lunch at Mac Donald’s and after that the boys have gone to the countryside to play baseball while the girls have been rehearsing our dance. Afterwards… we have gone to the swimming pool!

At the swimming pool we have met the lifeguards and we have taught them some Spanish. We have also played some games. We are very tired as we leave and go home to sleep because we have a big day tomorrow in Alton Towers!!

Hoy es día 18 y hemos empezado las clases como siempre, a las 9. Hemos trabajado gramática y pronunciación durante las dos primeras horas. Durante la tercera hora hemos practicado con Mireia la actuación del viernes, día de la fiesta final.

Hemos comido el “packed lunch” en el Mac Donald’s y luego hemos ido a un prado donde los chicos han jugado a Baseball mientras las chicas hemos practicado un baile. Y después de esto, hemos ido a la piscina!!

En la piscina hemos conocido a unos socorristas y les hemos enseñado algo de español. También hemos jugado en el agua. Ahora que nos vamos estamos muy cansados, por lo que nos vamos a casa a descansar: mañana nos espera un gran día en Alton Towers!!

(MBC y VCG)

Becoming Universitarian?

2008-07-18T02:48:00.000-07:00

We took the one o’clock train service to Oxford where we got 45 minutes later. First we walked through the streets of Oxford noticing the large number of Colleges, up to forty! We entered Magdalene College and we visited the quadrangle (have you seen it in Harry Potter’s film?), the Chapel, the Dinning Hall… In the gardens we also could see does and dears. It is a very nice College which runs since the 14th Century.

After this time of visit we had some free-time for ourselves. We couldn’t avoid entering the shops and buying some souvenirs for our friends and family. Of course we also bought some Oxford University jumpers for us.
We got tired. We walked a lot. The visit was very interesting because now we know a bit more about one of the most well-regarded universities in UK.

Tomamos el tren de las 13:00 horas hacia Oxford, donde llegamos 45 minutos más tarde. Comenzamos nuestra visita paseando por las calles de Oxford y apreciando el gran número de Colleges con que cuenta la ciudad, ¡nada menos que 40! Entramos en el Magdalena Collage y visitamos el claustro (¿lo habéis visto en Harry Potter?), la capilla y el comedor… En los jardines incluso vimos algunos cervatillos. Es un Collage muy hermoso, que está en funcionamiento desde el siglo XIV.

Después de la visita, disfrutamos de algo de tiempo libre. No pudimos resistir la tentación de entrar en algunas tiendas y de comprar recuerdos para nuestras familias y amigos, sin olvidar las sudaderas de Oxford que nos compramos. Terminamos agotados. Anduvimos mucho. La visita fue realmente interesante, puesto que ahora sabemos algo más de una de las universidades inglesas más renombradas. (ADP).

Historic Warwick

2008-07-17T02:46:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 16th May 2008
Visit to Warwick

In class we have made games in English today and then we’ve been to Warwick. First, we have visited an old hospital that was built to help ex-soldiers and their families in the XIVth century. It’s called Lord Leycester Hospital and it has got Santiago’s Church and a lot of rooms. The wood is really old but it holds up the weight The houses we have seen have wood on the walls and on the roof. The more wood they have, the richer the owner was.

We then visited another church called Saint Mary’s Church, which has got a crypt with some tombs. We saw a video about the Church in the crypt. After that, we went to the Mini-golf. It was really funny. We came back to Leamington very early.

Hoy hemos disfrutado de algunos juegos en las clases de inglés y luego hemos ido a Warwick. En primer lugar, hemos visitado un antiguo hospital que fue construido en el siglo XIV para ayudar a antiguos soldados y a sus familias. Este edificio se conoce como el hospital de Lord Leycester y cuenta con una capilla dedicada a Santiago el Mayor y con muchas habitaciones. Aunque la madera con que está construido es muy antigua, soporta el peso de forma satisfactoria. Las casas que hemos visto en Warwick tienen madera en paredes y techo. La cantidad de madera de las paredes es un indicador del nivel de vida de la familia que habitaba la casa.

Más tarde hemos visitado la iglesia de Santa María, que dispone de una cripta y de algunas tumbas. Allí hemos visto un video sobre la iglesia. Después, nos hemos dirigido al mini-golf. Hemos vuelto a Leamington en autobús un poco temprano. (GCR & CPD)

A Walk in Birmingham

2008-07-16T03:56:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday we went to school in Saint Peter’s church at 9 o’clock and we stayed inside until half past twelve. We were all in the same class because we only had one teacher. When the classes finished, we ate the packed lunch and then went to the train station and caught the train to Birmingham. Then, when we arrived at Birmingham train station we went to Saint Martin’s church and we visited it. After that, we went to the canal on foot and visited something near there.

El martes a las nueve de la mañana empezamos nuestras clases en la iglesia de Saint Peter's y las terminamos a las doce y media. Estuvimos todos en un aula porque sólo había una profesora. Al terminar las clases, comimos nuestro “packed lunch” y nos dirigimos a la estación para coger el tren hacia Birmingham. Después, al llegar a la estación de Birmingham, nos dirigimos hacia la iglesia de Saint Martins' y la visitamos. A continuación, nos dirigimos a pie hacia los canales y paseamos por los alrededores (SFF).

Como todas las mañanas nos dirigimos a las clases de inglés en Saint Peter’s. Al final de éstas se nos dijo el tiempo que disponíamos para el lunch. Quedamos a las 12:45 en la estación de Leamington para, desde allí, coger el tren a Birmingham.

Nada más llegar a nuestro destino, vimos un edificio muy moderno y llamativo, que nadie sabe qué representa exactamente. Continuamos nuestra visita por los canales, donde pudimos ver gran cantidad de pequeños barcos dedicados a restaurantes o vivienda. También vimos la parte dedicada al ocio: se componía de viejos edificios reformados en los que se han instalado restaurantes y tiendas.

En el centro de la ciudad nos dieron una hora y media de tiempo libre, para realizar algunas compras y comer algo. Como anécdota, nos encontramos a un grupo de españoles de Madrid, Barcelona y Valencia. Alrededor de las 16:55 cogimos el tren de vuelta, que nos trajo a Leamington (AFM).

Bowling Championships

2008-07-15T02:49:00.000-07:00

Today we had our English lessons and we enjoyed a lot because we played games and we ate sweets! The other teacher wasn’t here and tomorrow we are going to stay together in the same class. It will be funnier but Ruth will finish the day very exhausted. In the midday, we enjoyed visiting our favourite place: Mc Donald’s. We had our packed lunch there and we went shopping. Then, we met at Newbold Terrace to go to the bowling. The programme said that today we were going to Warwick but the Crazy Golf is closed on Mondays. When we arrived in the bowling, we were divided into two groups: girls and boys. We played one game and the winners were Felix and Claudia. After that, we went home and we did our families activities. Tomorrow we are going to go to Birmingham and we are looking forward to it!

Hoy hemos asistido a nuestras clases de inglés y lo hemos pasado en grande porque hemos jugado a juegos en inglés y hemos comido algunos dulces. Una de las profesores no ha venido hoy y por eso mañana formaremos todos un solo grupo para hacer las clases. ¡Será más divertido pero Ruth, nuestra profesora, va a terminar el día agotada! A mediodía, hemos visitado de nuevo nuestro lugar favorito: MacDonald’s. Allí hemos comido nuestro “packed lunch” y luego hemos ido de compras. A continuación, nos hemos reunido en Newbold Terrace para dirigirnos a la bolera. Según el programa, hoy tocaba ir a Warwick, pero el mini-golf está cerrado los lunes. Al llegar a la bolera, nos hemos dividido en dos grupos: chicas y chicos. Hemos jugado una partida y los ganadores han sido Felix y Claudia. Después de la bolera, hemos regresado a nuestras casas y cada uno ha pasado tiempo con su familia. ¡Mañana vamos a Birmingham y es algo que esperamos con muchas ganas!

Sunday, Family Day

2008-07-15T02:44:00.001-07:00

Ya llegó el domingo. Es el día que pasamos con la familia y con ellos hacemos cada uno diferentes cosas. Por la mañana algunos fuimos a misa, otros hemos estado durmiendo. El horario de comida fue más variado: Algunos a la una, otros a las tres…
Por la tarde tuvimos diferentes actividades. La familia y yo hemos ido a visitar el Canal de Warwick, en Hatton, que no está muy lejos de donde vivimos, y está muy bien, con barcas largas y estrechas, algunos patos y un camino junto al canal para pasear. Hay muchas esclusas y es muy interesante ver cómo hacen para que las barcas suban y bajen de un nivel a otro. Otros nos reunimos un rato y dimos una vuelta o hicimos una partida.
Al terminar el día, casi todos estábamos muy cansados y nos fuimos a dormir enseguida (SFF y FJM).

We had fun in London

2008-07-15T02:27:00.000-07:00

Nuestro día en Londres comenzó a las 08:15 cogiendo un tren que en 1h y 30 min. nos llevó al Covent Garden Market, que antiguamente era un Mercado pero que ahora está lleno de tiendas y restaurantes; también hay gente que actúa y entretiene como malabaristas y músicos. A continuación visitamos el British Museum, donde el P Jesús nos explicó las colecciones griegas y egipcias. Comimos a las puertas del museo.

A lo largo del día cruzamos el río Támesis, por el Millenium Bridge y el Tower Bridge.

Vimos además, el Teatro Globe donde empezó a triunfar Shakespeare. Luego llegamos hasta la Tower of London; y de allí fuimos hasta Trafalgar Square para seguir andando hasta las Casas del Parlamento y el Big Ben; desde allí se veía el London Eye.

Luego, nos dejaron una hora libre para poder pasear y comprar recuerdos en Oxford Street. Por último, visitamos la casa de Sherlock Holmes y cogimos el tren de vuelta a Leamington (MBC y ADP).

On Fridays, Sports and Swim

2008-07-14T05:46:00.000-07:00

Como todos los días, nos hemos dirigido a nuestras “English lessons” en Leamington Spa. Hoy hemos estudiado dos verbos modales en clase: “can” y “could”. Después hemos ido en grupo a comer nuestros “packed lunch”, aunque lo cumplimentamos con una hamburguesa de Mc Donald’s.

Iniciamos nuestra actividad diaria quedando en Newbold Terrace, nuestro punto de encuentro, a las 14:00. Hoy por la tarde nos tocaba deportes y piscina. Los chicos nos dirigimos a jugar al tenis y al baloncesto, mientras Félix se ha puesto a dar de comer a las ardillas. Incluso ha podido coger una. Las chicas han ido a jugar a baseball con el Padre Jesús y Mireia.

Después del deporte, todos fuimos a la piscina, donde había un fantástico tobogán por el que nos tiramos muchísimas veces; el agua está calentita ¡qué bueno! Acabamos agotados. Sobre las 17:00 regresamos a la parada del autobús, para volver a nuestras respectivas casas. (AFM y GCR)

Let's go to Coventry

2008-07-11T02:36:00.000-07:00

Today it’s 10th of July. I woke up at 8 o’clock and I had breakfast. After that, I went to St Peter’s to have my English lessons. We were speaking about the future and we also spoke about Coventry because we would go there in the afternoon. We went to visit the city and to learn about its history. Father Jesus was telling us that Coventry was an important medieval city and he was explaining the kind of buildings we would find in it. We were skating too. I really enjoyed skating because I like doing it and I could teach my friends and it was very funny. I will repeat it soon! We went back by train and we went back home with our families. I was speaking with my mother and she told me that Coventry is a city because it has a Cathedral and Leamington is a town because it hasn’t got one. I was speaking with her about Coventry Cathedral and we were saying all the time that it is modern but it is really nice and enormous. I really loved the stain-glass windows because they are colourful and altogether makes the Cathedral prettier. After 9 o’clock, I stayed in my room and I listened to music and watched TV. Before going to bed I am going to have a shower and then I will go to sleep. (A.A.C.)

Hoy después de las clases y después de comer hemos ido a Coventry en tren. Primero hemos ido a patinar sobre hielo, nos hemos comprado unos guantes, nos hemos puesto los patines y… a patinar! Ha sido muy divertido.
Después de una hora patinando fuimos a visitar un poco Coventry. Vimos una catedral muy bonita y muy interesante (donde había unos niños ensayando para el coro de la Misa). También visitamos algunas de las calles más antiguas antiguas y muchas estatuas. Nos han dejado un rato para mirar o comprar en las tiendas y hemos regresado a Leamington en tren. (VCG)

We are so great at Bowling

2008-07-10T02:31:00.000-07:00

Hoy día 9 de julio de 2008 por la mañana hemos acudido a las clases de inglés. Ayer, como era el primer día, fueron algo más ligeras, pero hoy hemos trabajo como el que más. Al terminar, nos hemos dividido para ir a comer nuestros “packed lunch” a cubierto, puesto que ha chispeado todo el día. La actividad de esta tarde ha sido ir a la bolera. Nos hemos divertido mucho allí. Los ganadores, como no, han sido María y Javi. Esta tarde también ha habido alguna que otra anécdota. Para muestra, un botón: Claudia, como de costumbre, ha tirado la bola por los aires. Más tarde, sobre las cinco, hemos cogido el autobús de vuelta a casa. Allí, cada uno de nosotros ha tenido la oportunidad de probar por segunda vez la cocina inglesa y de charlar un poco con las familias. (LML CPD)

Our First Day in Leamington

2008-07-09T05:49:00.000-07:00

It has been a long day since we woke up. We have had our exam today. After that, we have been divided into two small groups and we have started the lessons. We have had lunch in a shopping centre where there are many shops and we have visited Leamington. We have walked a lot and we have seen some churches, a park and lots of other things. We have learned a lot about the city today, as we were a little bit lost at the beginning: nobody knew where he was. It has been a day to buy useful things that will help us. It has been a very nice day.

Hoy hemos hecho muchas cosas desde primera hora de la mañana.
Hemos realizado un test de nivel. Después, nos han dividido en dos grupos pequeños y han iniciado las clases. Hemos almorzado en un centro comercial donde hay muchísimas tiendas y hemos visitado Leamington. Hemos andado mucho y hemos visto algunas iglesias, un parque y muchas otras cosas. Hemos aprendido mucho sobre la ciudad hoy, ya que al principio nos sentíamos un poco perdidos: ninguno de nosotros sabía donde estaba. Y hemos comprado cosas que nos serán de gran utilidad. Ha sido un día redondo. (A.F.M.)

Hoy, como era de esperar, muchos de nosotros hemos necesitado de alguna ayuda para llegar a la iglesia (donde damos las clases). Tras reunirnos, hemos empezado a hacer un examen para, más tarde, poder dividirnos. Tras esto, hemos tenido un poco de tiempo libre para hablar y comentar el examen, el tiempo, las familias… Después de nuestro “break”, nos han dado las soluciones de los exámenes y nos han dividido en dos clases. Mi clase ha estado entretenida; hemos estado haciendo un poco de gramática y utilizándola a través de juegos. Por la tarde hemos visitado un poco Leamington SPA y también hemos comprado unos sellos en el Post Office y un mapa en el centro de información. También nos han dejado un poco de tiempo libre para pasear. Después de un largo día hemos regresado a nuestras casas y cenado en ellas. Espero que mañana sea un día igual o mejor que éste. (J.F.F.)

Leamington at Glance

2008-06-19T10:07:00.001-07:00

You are on the edge of Old Town where lords and ladies in all their finery 'took the waters' and paraded between theatres, music halls, libraries, tea-rooms and the medicinal health giving baths which made Leamington Spa as famous as Bath, Cheltenham and Buxton in the 1830's. Whilst time have changed since those days you would enjoy retracing their steps by following our "Taking the Waters" heritage trail (yellow Heritage trail), a leaflet on which, you can buy at the Tourist Information Centre.

Most of the buildings survive and the spirit of William Abbotts, Benjamin Satchwell, Henry Jephson and other famous sons of Leamington live on to help you appreciate why the town became so fashionable, and the forces of change which then led to the decline of Old Town and more recently its renaissance.

The Royal Pump Rooms represent the crowing glory of the prestigious fashionable spa resort. Developers had already stated building north of the river in anticipation that further springs would be found. The landowner, Bertie Greatheed, had searched for several years to find another source of mineral water that could be exploited to ensure the success of the New Town. Whilst new hotels and places for entertainment continued to open in Old Town for a further 15 years, the bath houses, despite their constant improvements, became less fashionable and the focus of the town slowly moved northward up The Parade.

The Royal Pump Rooms required two horse-power steam engine to pump up the huge quantities of water required from the well.

It was believed that drinking or bathing in the spa waters would be beneficial to health. Doctors, such as the celebrated Dr Henry Jephson, advised the regular drinking of half a pint of spa water, a moderate intake f plain food and exercise in the Pump Room Gardens. By the early 20^th Century treatments available included the 'Zotafoam' bath of hot bubbles to promote weight loss.

Royal visits helped to make Leamington popular. The Prince Regent visited in 1819 and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester in August 1822. The young Princess Victoria came in 1830 and subsequently granted royal status to the town in 1838, her coronation year. The fashionable world followed them and many doctors, hoteliers, speculators and builders profited from the development of the spa town.

Look! You can still drink the mineral water from the fountain by the side of the Royal Pump Rooms and also in the entrance concourse.

Did you Know the building and furnishing of the Royal Pump Rooms, opened in July 1814, and acclaimed at the time to be the best in the country, cost £ 18,024?

Welcome to our Blog!

2008-06-15T00:35:00.000-07:00

Aquí intentaremos informar del día a día del Cursillo de Idiomas que tendrá lugar el próximo mes de julio en Leamington, organizado por Idiomas Padre Manyanet.

Los artículos seran redactados por los propios alumnos. También intentaremos ir publicando fotografías de las diferentes actividades que realicemos.

En el menú de la derecha hemos añadido enlaces a los diferentes blogs de la organización.

Esperamos sea un espacio de gran utilidad para todos.

¡Hasta pronto!