T I M E S

Issue 6 Summer 2015

AROUND THE WORLDSUMMERNATURE & THE COUNTRYSIDE

3

3. INTRODUCTION

4. VOX POP What are your plans for the summer?

7. A SUMMER REUNION

8. NATURE AND THE COUNTRYSIDE

CONTENTS

11. THE IMPORTANCE OF 11. THE ENVIRONMENT

12. WHAT’S ON AT TLG?

14. TLG AROUND THE WORLD

2

4

Dear students,

Welcome to the Summer Edition of the TLG Times!

We’re sure you’re all looking forward to a well–deserved break. Summer is one of the best seasons: it’s a time when nature can be at its most beautiful, and when we’re on holiday we have the opportunity to enjoy it properly after months of hard work.

In this issue, you can find out what other students are planning for their holidays and read original articles from our students about nature, the environment, and what summer means to them.

In TLG news, our partnership with Liverpool FC is going swimmingly, with children and teenagers signing up in huge numbers to learn English and play football with the help of one of the world’s most famous football clubs.

We’ll be welcoming them to our training centre for the summer programme in just a few weeks – we hope you’ll be having as much fun as they will.

Enjoy your summer!

Elena RoginskyTLG Managing Director

INTRODUCTION

3

5

VOX POP“I will go to the beach in Cartagena because I want to be with my family and have a good time with them.”

4

65

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANSFOR THE SUMMER?

“In summer, I will visit different places in England with my friends. When I go back to Colombia, I will go to the beach in Cartagena because I want to be with my family and have a good time with them. I want to visit the USA too. I am learning English for that. There are many amusement parks and some beautiful beaches. After that, I will go to some countries in South America to learn about them; for example, Chile, Argentina and Brazil. If I have time I will go to Mexico. Those are my plans for my holiday in summer.”

– Mathew Steban Alejo Rodriguez, TLG Manchester

“I might go to some games in Toronto. Hockey is over, but I have heard about the Pan Am Games and TFC. I don’t know the rules of baseball but I might go there too, to see the Blue Jays. If I can, I might go swimming on Toronto Island too.”

– Rodrigo, TLG Toronto

“Apart from studying at TLG, I will visit some other places in the UK with my parents before I go back to my country to extend my visa.”

– Oliva, TLG London

“My plans for this summer holiday are to spend time with my family in London. My family love London because they can spend their money shopping for clothes and jewels. My father likes

to drink London beer and wear t-shirts saying ‘I love London’ with a picture of Big Ben on the front. We will stay in a nice hotel with other tourists who will also be going sightseeing.

My favourite place in London is Camden because the goth people there are so strange to me – we don’t have them in my country. Central London is very busy at the weekend which I don’t like, but I am very happy to be planning my summer holidays in London.”

– Gullem, TLG Birmingham

“This summer will be an exciting one for me as I will work at the Glastonbury Festival!”

– Liss, TLG London

“I’m in Toronto all summer, so I plan to go to the lakeside [Lake Ontario] beach and go to some clubs. Maybe I’ll go to Niagara and later Ottawa and Montreal…I really like the summer in good cities!”

–Yunus, TLG Toronto

“I’m going to prepare for my IELTS exam first and then after taking the exam in June, I will travel with my mum and my friends around Europe. We are planning to celebrate my birthday in Paris. I’m really looking forward to it.”

– Dami Lee, TLG London

76

8

A SUMMERREUNION

7

This summer is going to be one of the best ones. Why? I don’t know - maybe because I’ll be with my father. I haven’t spent time with him for a very long time. On the whole, I feel very happy, but I also feel worried. I’m afraid. I haven’t seen him since I was five. How is he now? How is my step-mother? How is my half–brother?

I wonder how this August is going to be. It seems unreal. I’ve dreamt of this moment, and now my wish will come true. We will probably go to our country house in the mountains in the south of France. I have memories of my childhood in this place. I remember when my father and I went in the river with the fishing rod he bought me. I was sitting in the green grass while he was fishing. He didn’t manage to catch any fish, but I was with my hero. He used to carry me on his shoulders; it was like being on the shoulders of a giant.

All these memories make me anxious about this summer. What are we going to do? We are two adults now. I don’t know what people of my age usually do with their fathers. Perhaps we will talk about politics. God knows there are a lot of things to say about this topic! Is my father a communist? Is he broad-minded? It’s like discovering a new person. What could go wrong, though? He’s my ‘Daddy’. He has so much to say to me. I want to know why he didn’t want to see me between 5 and 18. I need to understand why he left our house when I was five.

I think that every young man wants to spend his summer with his friends in a summer resort near the sea. But when you live in front of the Mediterranean all year you prefer to discover your father. I hope he will love me as much as I loved him.

Before that, I am going to stay in Manchester for the whole of July. I really like Manchester, even if we have four seasons in one day. I hope that July will have a good temperature so I can enjoy the English wildlife, during the weekend of course! I have heard that Scotland is beautiful - I wish I could visit some cities there such as Glasgow and Edinburgh. I would be very disappointed if I wasn’t able to travel. I used to visit foreign countries every summer.

What else can I do this July? What is the typical English way of life during the summer? French people are always joking about English people who come to the southern area of France in the summer. Most of them want to get a tan, but they only manage to get red like a crayfish.

This summer will be unforgettable for sure. I hope it will be unforgettable for a lot of reasons. Meeting my father and spending July in Manchester or the UK in general would be great. I hope I won’t regret it.

– Mael Belan, TLG Manchester

9

NATURE &THE COUNTRYSIDE

FRANCE

The countryside in France is beautiful, and summer is the best time to go to this part of my country. It is a sunny time, with a blue sky, and the clouds look like pictures. You can imagine things and see them in the clouds in the sky. The ground is yellow, or like a rainbow, and you can feel the wind like breath on your face.

In the countryside, there are a lot of little gardens full of flowers in summer. I remember it was 25 degrees, and all the dogs wanted to lie in the sun. It was usual to climb to the top of the hill to look at the view. I rode a bike to visit my old uncle to visit a farm with the old farmer. It is a very important memory of

this countryside: friendly people, a sunny time, no problems, the freedom in the countryside when you are a child.

In Paris there are a lot of squares and gardens, and nearby there is some beautiful countryside and a forest. I live near this countryside, near the city of Versailles. There are a lot of very beautiful forests. I like to take my car and go along narrow roads. In summer it is very beautiful when you are in the forest with the trees, the green leaves, and the sun shining in the sky. I like this moment, when you are alone with nature. You can hear the noises of the forest and you can feel the freedom.

Near Versailles, there is some beautiful countryside called Meudon Forest, and

8

10

pastures, and hills. In five minutes you can change the atmosphere of the city to the atmosphere of nature. It’s very relaxing. I think I’m very lucky to live in this part of France. Near the forest, you can visit a small village with ponds and nice gardens. It’s perfect for relaxing and to avoid stress.

In conclusion, the countryside reminds me of my past, when I was a little child; without problems, without stress, without negative things. When I go to the countryside, I can relax myself, thinking about my past with my grandmother, and with very kind people. It was happiness, it was innocence. When I go back to the countryside I remember all these positive things and I want to find in my future the same sensation of happiness.

– Kevin, TLG Manchester

MEXICO

Mexico in the summer is fantastic. Everything is alive. It’s really colourful and you can enjoy the landscape there with friends or by yourself all day.

While I’m from Mexico City, the surroundings are forests and mountains. The weather helps too—days are hot but night is cool, going down to ten degrees.

I love to stay out there until sunset, around eight thirty, where it’s quiet and you can see the eagles flying in the sky.

– Lucero, TLG Toronto

SPAIN

First of all, I must say that most of my family have lived in the countryside in Spain for the last sixty years, mostly working in the field. However, some of

them have had to move to the city to look for a better life.

The people that have stayed in the countryside work in the field planting wheat and hops. Usually they plant the hops in February so they can harvest them in August. This is one of the most typical things to be done in my village.

Secondly, in this kind of place, a lot of people have ranches with a lot of cows that are mostly used to provide milk to the big milk distribution companies. They are having a lot of problems, owing to the fact that these companies are trying to buy the milk for low prices.

The people who live in the countryside have a lot of sheep to sell when they are big enough to be eaten or to sell their wool. It is very demanding work due to the long hours people spend in the fields with the sheep, and because of the low salary you receive for the hard work. However, the people who live in rural areas don’t usually care about the chores of the big cities: they live a peaceful life.

On one hand I would never live in the countryside because of the way of life and also because everything is too far, like cinemas, shops, restaurants, and so on. On the other hand, their way of living has some good things, like less stress; they don’t have to run everywhere and they have more time for themselves.

In conclusion, from my point of view the people who live in the countryside usually live longer because they are not so stressed and they are healthy eaters compared to the people in the city. However I don’t think I could manage to live there, even if it was only for a couple of months.

– David Fernandez Gomez, TLG Manchester

9

1110

1211

Nowadays everyone is talking about how to protect and preserve the environment. It is important to educate ourselves on why the environment is important and what we can do to protect it.

The number of people living on our planet grows significantly year to year, so it’s important to protect our environment for future generations. We can do so by promoting environmental education: teaching people how to look after natural resources, animals, and their habitats so they aren’t destroyed.

There are a lot of animals that have disappeared because of the polluted environment they live in. If we continue like this, it is very likely that future generations will not have enough trees to produce oxygen and more animals will be at risk of extinction. It’s already sad to see how fish have died because of pollution in the sea.

The environment is where we live and our mission is to protect it and save the planet for future generations.

– El Habib Jiddi, TLG London

THE IMPORTANCE OFTHE ENVIRONMENT

13

WHAT’S ONAT TLG?

TLG LONDON

Boat Party

Our students had a wonderful time at the boat party on the river Thames. The music was great and the views were incredible. The students had never seen London’s famous landmarks at night before, and they looked even better than during the day. It was a truly memorable night.

Easter Egg Hunt

Students, teachers and staff all joined in for a fantastic Easter celebration. They used their teamwork skills to find hidden eggs during a massive Easter egg hunt all over the school.

Shakespeare Workshop

TLG students had the opportunity to learn more about Shakespeare by exploring his plays and poetry in a workshop. It was an excellent way to discover more about one of the most famous men in British history.

TLG Walking Tour

Teacher Merlyn took students out for a historic walking tour of London based around famous British literature and newspapers. The group passed pubs that were once frequented by Charles Dickens and DR Johnson, the writer of the first English dictionary.

St. Patrick’s Day Celebration

Everyone loves celebrating St Patrick’s day! Our students celebrated by painting their faces and, of course, having a pint of Guinness.

12

14

Business Class & Photography Workshop

TLG Business English students brainstormed over a cup of coffee in Shoreditch, and others took part in a photography workshop to be creative, gain experience, and most importantly have fun!

TLG TORONTO

While the winter in Toronto was long and pretty cold, students and staff kept themselves busy and came through it doing a lot of great activities.

Our Easter celebrations were rung in with a school-wide Easter egg hunt, and everyone took part in the ever-Canadian National Maple Syrup day, complete with waffle and maple syrup samples.

To beat the cold, students were treated to exciting indoor sports like paintball, soccer, and kickboxing; and outside, they enjoyed winter-friendly activities like tobogganing and snowman construction.

Most recently, the new spring weather in Toronto has grown unseasonably warm and students have taken to it in full force.

During the first week of May, many TLG students and their teachers journeyed to Toronto’s premier natural landmark, High Park, for its annual cherry blossom festivities. The cherry trees were donations from Japan to the city of Toronto, and the blossoms were out in full bloom. TLG also took part in National Denim Day, and hosted a bake sale to raise funds for cancer research. Over two hundred dollars were raised.

The summer offers many other excursions in and around Toronto, including city tours, trips to Toronto Island, and canoeing outside of the

city. With the 2015 Pan Am Games fast approaching and Toronto hosting it, TLG Toronto promises to be at the centre of a lot of excitement this summer.

13

15

TLG AROUND THE WORLD Birmingham

14

16

Birmingham attracts over 33.5 million visitors each year, and has recently seen a 10% increase in these numbers. Why? Because Birmingham and the surrounding region is diverse, exciting, and acclaimed for its cultural strengths. The city is heralded as a foodie haven, with more Michelin-starred restaurants than any other city outside London, and the culinary cultures of 27 different nationalities on offer.

There are three universities in Birmingham and two university colleges, supporting over 70,000 students: it is truly a student city.

Birmingham has a vibrant mix of nationalities, religions, and arts, with a wide variety of festivals and cultural events happening throughout the year. Birmingham’s Museum and Art Gallery houses the world’s largest Pre-Raphaelite collection, as well as the magnificent £3.285 million Staffordshire Hoard: the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found in Britain.

The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, one of the world’s leading symphonic ensembles, is the resident orchestra of Symphony Hall – a prestigious and stunning contemporary music venue, famed for its perfect acoustics.

Home to the famous Jewellery Quarter, which produces 40% of the UK’s jewellery, Birmingham is in the top three most visited places to shop in the UK. It has more miles of canals than Venice, the oldest working cinema in the UK and each winter, Birmingham’s central streets are filled with the world’s largest authentic German Christmas market outside of Germany and Austria.

Our students love the atmosphere at TLG Birmingham, and we’re proud of this great city.

15

©2015 The Language Gallery. All rights reserved. The Language Gallery Times, Issue 6  – Summer 2015.

London Oxford Birmingham Manchester Dublin Hannover Toronto www.TheLanguageGallery.com