The week could not have started better. At the Welcome Meeting there was a new large group and everyone was excited to be in London and to start this new adventure at UIC. The students shared their fears and joys at the George pub with me. It’s always great to listen and advise them!

We started the social programme week by exploring the Museum of London on Tuesday. Inside the museum we learnt about the history of London and got a feel of how it was living in this amazing city in different times. We had the chance to take a trip in the time machine through Roman London, Victorian London and more until nowadays where we could have a look at some of the amazing costumes of the Olympics opening ceremony in 2012.

Thursday was an excellent day: we went to St James Park and Buckingham Palace with a large group. In the park we paused to take some pictures close to ducks and squirrels. After that, we decided to keep walking and see Big Ben, Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey, also because there was beautiful sun throughout London.

Thank God it’s Friday! And we are going for the first time to Zoo Bar & Club in Leicester Square to have some cocktails, pizzas and nachos. I am sure that we will spend a wonderful evening there!

The School will be closed on Monday for the Bank Holiday, but this should not discourage you because the newspapers are saying ‘May Bank Holiday to be the hottest of the year!’. So after you have done your homework head to the 2013 Canal Way Cavalcade London event for a unique and free festival celebrating the city’s waterways.

The London Canal way Cavalcade at Little Venice festival takes place from Friday 4th May – Sunday 6th May 2013. Opening times are 10am – 6pm Saturday, 10am – 6pm Sunday (followed by music at 8pm and the illuminated boats procession at 9pm), and 10am – 5pm Sunday.

Admission is free.

I hope you all have a great Bank Holiday Break!

Stephanie

A new week, new students, and the sun has been shining in an amazing London: we could not ask for more!

On Monday we had a new group of students and after the welcome meeting we went to the George pub. Luckily we had a reserved table and we enjoyed a lovely evening exchanging our stories having some English beers and some of the students ate fish and chips.

On Tuesday we wanted to go to discover Covent Garden but the weather was so lovely outside that we decided to have a walk along the river. We went to Trafalgar Square as it was St George’s Day (the national day of England). We took some pictures and some of the students also tried to jump onto the lions! That was really funny!

After that we went to have a walk near the southbank centre, by the river close to the London Eye where we could enjoy some of the street shows and we had some fresh fruit coolers in Las Iguanas terrace (a South American restaurant bar) at the Royal Festival Hall. Even though we walked a lot , we wanted to discover more and we walked through The Mall, by St James’ Park where there were plenty of people enjoying the sun in deck chairs.

Our journey finished at Buckingham Palace where we took some pictures and sadly we had to say goodbye!

On Thursday we decided to discover Canary Wharf.  It was another sunny day so we decided to have a walk through the canals of the new economic city and then we stopped at a relaxing Spanish terrace in Cabot Square. The atmosphere was like we were in Spain, with fountains and chilling Spanish music.

After a nice walk between new buildings and canals, we decided to go to Borough Market near London Bridge where we found food from all over the world and we did some English cheese tasting and had a really good coffee from San Salvador! What can I say?! Everyday London give us new surprises and experiences,  in fact as a cosmopolitan city it offers a wide range of multicultural experiences that the students and I are starting to experience all together and we enjoyed a lot!

Hello to all!

I’m Stephanie and I am the new Social Programme Organiser at UIC London.

I can only say that I am honored by this new adventure which I am about to embark on with the students and with the staff of UIC. I consider myself lucky because for my first week London was wonderful and the sun accompanied us throughout the week. On Monday it was great to get to know the new students and to listen to their different and interesting stories. After the welcome meeting we enjoyed a traditional British beer at The George Pub. New students asked the bartenders about the difference between beer and ale, and the staff at the pub made ​​us try a few ales to understand the differences. The afternoon was fabulous, because we exchanged life anecdotes and I was very happy to answer students’ questions about transport, shopping and much more. Tuesday we met in the E-Lounge, and with the new students went for a walking tour in Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, M & M’s World, Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace. I was able to answer all the questions and curiosities students had while taking a lot of photos. We were really excited to take photos with sunglasses on because the sun was shining more than ever!

On Thursday we went to the Tate Modern. But first we had a fantastic walk to the Millennium Bridge and St Paul’s Cathedral. It was the first time I had been to the Museum of Contemporary Art and I must say it was a beautiful afternoon discovering ‘new and crazy’ paintings and sculptures.

I have to admit I’m a little sad that this week is over, but I am not worried because I’ll meet UIC students at 7 pm at the Cock Tavern this afternoon to relax and talk about their week in London and at UIC. I think that we will spend a wonderful evening!

Stephanie

As we wanted to enjoy a cultural day out, we went to South Kensington to visit the Victoria and Albert Museum, which prides itself on being the world’s greatest museum of art and design. We spent the afternoon exploring the remarkable collections which made us realise why this museum is so renowned.

Last week we went on the well-known ‘Jack the Ripper’ walking tour to learn more about the darker side of London in a fun and exciting way. We followed in the footsteps of infamous East London serial killer Jack the Ripper, notorious for his crimes in Whitechapel in the late 1800s.

You can also enjoy this tour every ‘even’ Thursday of the month, for only £5 (pay on the day)! Meeting point: outside Whitechapel tube station, 17:30).

Last week started with a visit to the Sea Life London Aquarium which is home to one of Europe’s largest collections of global marine life. The fantastic displays and the themed zones on all sorts of creatures of the sea made our afternoon truly special.

We ended our week by going to the Cock Tavern, our favourite lively pub, for some well-deserved drinks. We got to know our new students better in a warm and relaxed atmosphere, away from the cold outside.

Last week we visited Tate Britain, which is second only to the National Gallery when it comes to British art. It prides itself on currently holding the largest collection of British art in the world from 1500 to the present day! As we were marveling at the masterpieces, we could not understand why Tate Modern is the one that gets all the attention.

We are proud to say that we hosted our third UIC International Night on Wednesday evening in the trendy All Bar One close to the school. It was a great opportunity for our English language students to meet and exchange experiences with our foreign languages students. The conversation keep flowing the entire night, so were our drinks, friendships were made and stories were told! All in all, a fantastic night out!  Since a picture is worth a thousand words, check out for yourselves some of the photos taken!

After a busy week studying English enthusiastically, we decided to go out for drinks to our favourite Victorian pub, The Cock Tavern. As always, the atmosphere was relaxed and friendly, which made our night worthwhile. There’s no better way to practice your English skills outside the classroom!

For this Wednesday evening, we have organised a truly special event: UIC International Night. It is a great opportunity for English and Foreign Languages students to meet each other and practise speaking English, French, Japanese, Spanish and so many other languages in an informal setting.

Wednesday 20th February, 8pm

All Bar One, 289-293 Regent Street (very close to UIC
school)

Hope to see you all there!