Welcome to Chester!!!!

Welcome to Chester!

It was amazing to welcome everyone to Chester – the Spaniards, Greeks, Belgians and Finnish – all ready to explore our wonderful part of the UK. I hadn’t had the chance to meet any of the other students or teachers before their trip to Chester, but I was so excited from all I had heard from my classmates and Marta about their previous trips.

Although everyone arrived at different times, and not everyone was able to join all the trips and activities, it struck me from the beginning how open and easy conversation was with the whole group. It was clear to see from everyone’s face the excitement to rekindle friendships already started, and to make new ones. On the Thursday evening we were looking forward to heading to dinner with the Greek contingent of our group, and while we all enjoyed delicious (albeit a little spicy!) food, conversation flowed. Not only was it great to get to know some of our international group but also to continue friendships made within our own class.

Friday brought the staggered arrival of the rest of our international friends. We all met in Liverpool to explore the city and the culture while chatting non-stop. We divided into smaller groups that we were to work with throughout the trip. The English students were split into pairs to act as tour guides while exploring the city. It was a brilliant opportunity to get to know some of our large group on a more personal basis; from our group experience there were many shared giggles as we explored; sometimes at our communication barriers or pronunciation but mainly at shared stories and first impressions. For what was a fairly sunny say by English standards saw the Spaniards wrapped up in coats from head to toe while others walked around in shorts and t-shirts! After a day exploring, and a few drinks at The Cavern, we headed to Camp and Furnace for a relaxed dinner. The variety of food on offer (and the quality) meant that there was something for everyone….some of us even tried more than one meal! Even though it was fairly loud, the atmosphere of our group was already so relaxed with each other – people were chatting in various languages and switching between groups as if it was the simplest thing in the world! I have to say after a drink or two, switching between languages gets a little complicated for me… J

Saturday brought us all to the University of Chester for some activities. We were welcomed by Marta who gave a great speech about Chester and explained what the plan for the day was. We divided into the same groups as before and started thinking about our favourite words. We had to choose our favourite word and explain why, as well as writing two fakes. The rest of the group had to guess which one was the real word and why we thought it was that one. It was super interesting to see that no-one in our small group chose the same word, however some of the reasons behind them were similar; perhaps it was the sound of it that we liked, or that it evoked a certain memory or emotion. Our group had so much fun, helping each other when stuck but also learning new things about each other. At the end of the day everyone’s words from each group was put up on the projector – and not one word was the same! Out of 40 plus people, every word was unique and meant something to each of us – just one tiny example that language is individual to everyone – even their second or third language.

Saturday afternoon started with a yummy lunch at the Bishops Palace before a tour of Chester in our groups. By this time, I think that everyone’s confidence had grown and people were happy to push themselves in what they were trying to say, although everyone had such a high level of English it was hard to believe not everyone had been studying most of their lives. The day finished with a presentation from each group about the trip. It was clear to see that by this point, everyone’s personality was shining through and there was complete relaxation and enjoyment in each other’s company.

Dinner that night was a fantastic end to what I can only describe as a brilliant weekend. The room was alive with chatter and laughter, and I know on my table that we were still finding out new things about each other, as well as demolishing all the fantastic food! The end of brilliant weekend just had to be topped off with some dancing at a local bar – enjoyed by all from the amount of smiles that I could see!

One thing that I think is special to our group is the complete diversity that is evident – not only in where we are from and the languages we speak, but also in every aspect of our lives. There is a complete mix of ages, backgrounds and life experiences but this only makes each of us more interesting to get to know and provided endless topics to chat about. It was also really interesting to see the different approaches to the trip and what different people wanted to gain from it – language and experience being the main two, but also just learning about different places and people. Language allows communication to melt distances between people and to facilitate the understanding of someone else’s culture and life. With a group as diverse as ours where there are five different native languages, to be able to come together and share experiences through the learning of different languages is, to me, really impressive and exciting!

Impressions from Heidi Douglas