GALERIA

I had always dreamed about an English language course and my dream came true. I couldn’t believe that I won a 2-week course. I went to York in August 2011and stayed with an English family who showed me the way to school on the first day. At the beginning I was terrified because I had to speak only in English. At school I met people from Spain, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan and China. In the morning I had lessons where I could improve my grammar and pronunciation. In the afternoon I had communication lessons where we talked to each other. At school we had social programs and we could choose how to spend our free time. I saw Skipton Castle, Bolton Abbey, Leeds, with its Museum of Armour, and also important ancient monuments in York. Once we went to The Museum of Art and I had to choose one painting and describe it in an afternoon lesson. I had a nice time and I was disappointed when I had to come back after 2 weeks. I would like to thank Mrs and Mr Kokosiński for this wonderful time. Jadwiga Sorotiuk  

The two weeks in England were absolutely unforgettable! York is a lovely town where you can get everywhere on foot and the inhabitants are the most amiable people I’ve ever met. What I liked the most was the variety of people in the school. There were students from all around the world including Taiwan, Mexico, Columbia and Kuwait. It was a great opportunity to get familiar not only with English culture, but e.g. Asian as well. I’ve met some great friends from different countries, who I still keep in touch with. The funny thing was that we all spoke English but it sounded more like many different languages because of our accents. During weekdays there were lessons which no one would’ve found boring (always highly interesting and funny) and at weekends – amazing and unforgettable trips (e.g. to Scarborough and Fountains Abbey). When I was saying good-bye to my host family, I felt like they were old friends of mine - not people I’d met 2 weeks earlier. I couldn’t believe the time had passed so quickly! Kasia Suchoń  

York 26.06-10.07.2010 When I realized that I won a trip and a 2-week course in one of the best schools - the English Language Center - in York I was really happy and I couldn’t believe it. I only had one week to prepare for the flight. I have never flown a plane before so, for me, it was an adventure. When I got to York, I met my host family- Hannah Saunders (she’s a traffic engineer) and her boyfriend Alistar. At the beginning, I was terrified because I was alone in a foreign country with a different culture. But , after a while didn’t want to come back to Poland. On Monday I started my lessons in ELC. I met many people from various countries, for example: Nori from Japan, Cristina from Spain, Philip from Germany, etc. I had a lot of lessons. I started at 9:15 a.m. and finished at 4 p.m. In the morning I had General English where I could improve my grammar (vocabulary and pronunciation as well). In the afternoon I had Communication Classes where we were talking to each other. The ELC is a school which develops a lot of different skills. It wasn’t only learning- I also had the opportunity to see York, Richmond and Aysgarth falls as well. York is a really beautiful old town. I saw many monuments like York Minster (it made a big impression on me), City walls, Clifford tower, York’s Bars, etc. I was sightseeing through York with my friend from Poland- Aleksandra Mazaraki. She had also won the same trip. I’m really glad that I could take part in this adventure. It was definitely the best part of my holiday. K&K School of English thank you very, very much!!! Nina Ciupak  

I was shocked when my name was called out during the prize draw. I was going to England for 2 weeks! I went to York at the end of June for an English language course. I set off from Balice Airport in the morning together with Nina who won the course just one week before going there! After a two-hour-long flight we landed in Leeds where we were picked up by a cabman who took us to our host families in York. My host family was organizing a birthday party for their grandfather so I spent my first day in a neighbour’s house. There I met my first school friend who also showed me the way to the school on Monday. On the first day at school we took a test and while waiting for the results we went on a little guided tour of York. One of our teachers showed us all the important monuments in the town. When we came back the results were announced. Most of the classes were really interesting and gave me a great opportunity to improve all my English skills. I made many new friends there from around the world. In the second week we changed the buildings and we were learning at university grounds from Middle Ages. Also new people came to our class. After school there were many activities in which every student could participate, such as going on trips, playing football or volleyball, watching football (it was the World Cup time and there were many Spaniards at school), barbecues, parties and many more. Together with Nina we went on a professionally guided tour of York, a trip to Richmond Castle and Aysgarth Falls and we also took part in a barbecue. I regretted that my stay in York lasted only 2 weeks as I had a lot of fun there. It was without doubt one of the best holidays I have ever had. I cannot wait to come back there one day! Aleksandra Mazaraki  

Dziękujemy swoim słuchaczom za zachwycające prace przekazane na konkurs Halloween :) 

I was very happy when I found out that I would go to Cuba. On this great trip I learnt a lot. It was the first time I went by plane and it was the first time I was abroad. I lived in the hotel “Tryp Penisula Varadero” in Varadero. I swam with dolphins in a beautiful blue sea. I learnt how to dance Salsa. I drank traditional Cuban drinks (without alcohol). I saw the sunset at the Carribean. It was an unforgettable adventure. Thank you very, very, very much! Natalia Polaniak. 

At the end of the semester, as usual, there was a gala evening with the prize draw at the NCK centre. I always go there thinking that I won’t win anything and so it was this time. I even joked that I would win a 100% discount or a trip and I stood up laughing whenever a winner was announced. Imagine my surprise when I got up once more and then I heard my name ! I thought “no way” ! But it was true. I thought that at last I would have a little time off the horrible winter. I decided to take my mother with me and five days later we were on a plane to Gran Canaria. We set off from the airport in Warsaw, it was my first flight so I was very impressed with the view of cities and mountains from such heights. After five hours we landed on Gran Canaria. I must add that I was simply astounded with the sight of illuminated Las Palmas from above (it was at night). As soon as we got outside the airport I was surprised by the warm night. Our hotel called Riu Vistamar was in Playa Amadores, near Puerto Rico. It was situated on a steep cliff by the sea and because of that it was called “Alcatraz” by the local people. I must say that the Canarian people are very nice and have a great sense of humor. We spent our first day walking around the hotel and the neighborhood, both of which made a great impression on me. But that was just the beginning. Later on we met our guide, who gave us some information about the Canary Islands and recommended some attractions. We decided to participate in a sightseeing tour around the island and scuba diving. Next day we went to a city called Vecindario, to do some shopping. The day was warm, it was about 24 Celsius degrees, which was a very nice change from our Polish winter. On Sunday a man from a Polish (!) scuba diving centre picked us up and we set off to Playa de Taurito. We had to go to Puerto de Mogan because in Taurito there were such big waves that it could be dangerous to dive, so we took our equipment and got into the car again. Scuba diving and watching the underwater flora and fauna from such short distance was a great new experience. After that we went to see the city of Puerto de Mogan with Spanish architecture of colonial times. Two days later we had a tour around the island. It’s impossible to describe the whole trip in a few words, but I must say that views are breathtaking and Canarian culture and history is very interesting. Some tourists were very frightened because of the fact that Canarian roads are quite narrow, situated on the hills and there are lots of sharp bends. In fact it enabled us to get a better view of the island’s landscape. We even visited the house of Christopher Columbus! The trip gave us pain in the legs, as it lasted the whole day, but it was awesome. Next day we went to the zoo called “Palmitos Park”. I wish we had a similar one in Poland ! It was built in the valley near Maspalomas. At given times there are shows with birds. I was very impressed with the show of eagles and other birds of prey, and the one with trained parrots was very funny, their skills were truly astounding ! I must add that the zoo has just been rebuilt after a big fire that took place in 2007. It was our last trip, after a whole week we departed about 8 am, the next day, from the airport. It wasn’t a long trip but the great memories from those winter holidays will last forever and I think that what one day some Canarian barman said to us will come true … We will come back. Konrad Dybał