The life of a Mountain Camp Counselor

English student Molly has recently returned from working as a Mountain Camp Counselor in Italy, as part of TTPL’s global programmes. Here’s Molly’s story on her time in the mountains of Bardonecchia:

We had the best time in Bardonecchia, it's been an amazing experience. The internship was completely different to what I expected us as camp counselors were involved with everything. We went horseback riding, mountain biking, hiking and those were just the main activities.

Every day was different and we bonded more and more with the children as the days went by. Being there for the children was very rewarding, we had to help them through missing their parents to cuts and scrapes. It was quite stressful at times, trying to organise children that were excited and hyper and get them participating in activities but luckily all the camp counselors worked well together.

We each had our strengths. Mine was definitely getting the children's attention, I didn't know I could shout that loud! The camp itself was in a perfect location, stunning landscape and lots of nearby walks and activity centres. 

The Olympic village where we stayed was very well organised and the rooms were much better than I expected, we had a balcony with views of the mountains. There was a bar downstairs which is where we went for our coffee pick me ups and to use wifi as we didn't have it in our rooms. That didn't matter as much as I thought though because you didn't really have time to browse through social media we were too busy entertaining the children.

The food provided was great although pasta got a bit repetitive, luckily it's a thing in Italy apparently to have pasta as first course and then a second course of some sort of meat and veg which allowed us to try other things. Over all the experience was fantastic although slightly exhausting. I would definitely consider doing it again but maybe at a different camp.

TTPL offer a range of teaching programmes in Italy, click here for more information 

First impressions on my new home

First weeks are always exciting and eventful - here's Spanish student Marta's story on her time so far in England...

After a hard day leaving my family, my friends and my country I started my adventure. When my host mum picked me up from the train station in Torquay she showed me the most important places in the town and guided me. At home there was another girl from TTPL, who made my arrival really comfortable with her and the host mum.

On Monday I had the first welcome meeting with Debra and Jo who explained about the country, the activities we would have on the next days, the job we were beginning next day… It was there I met the first girl, from Spain. Before meeting anyone I had a lot of expectations: who I’m going to meet, where from, how old will they be, what they would they look like… At the first contact with her I saw she was so cute and that we could be big friends. After the meeting we decided to take our first walk together around our new town. We saw the harbour, hundreds of shops and bars and the famous big wheel.

8.30 am on Tuesday and the alarm was sounding. First day of work. I took my time to freshen and be ready at 9.30 am when Jo was picked me up to go to work. In the evening there was a student social where we met other students, some that arrived like us, others already here a few months. It was such a nice evening where we had more contact with people from other countries. 

As with every Thursday we finished early at work because there is the student meeting. This time it was at Paignton Zoo. We all met at 2 pm to enter and walk around the zoo together. I didn’t expect it was going to be that big and with all the variety of animals we saw (monkeys, kangaroos, giraffes, elephants, reptiles, tigers, lions…). In the middle of our walk around the zoo it started raining a lot so we decided to go in to a bar and have some drinks and dinner together. I have to say that we had a really nice evening.


As you can read it has been an amazing first week where I felt really comfortable with everything. I really recommend you to come abroad and enjoy your stay in Devon. It doesn’t matter if it’s for a short or a long time because I’m sure you will love it and enjoy it as I’m doing!

A very special Birthday Party

Over one hundred people gathered at Torre Abbey for a traditional afternoon tea yesterday (June 9) to celebrate the Queen's Birthday. Felice, a German student who has been working with TTPL this week, has written a fantastic blog on the busy day! 

Let’s be honest, what better reason is there to throw an amazing traditional tea party than the 90^th birthday of  none other than Queen Elizabeth herself?

For this week’s student meeting TTPL members planned the celebration of this special event. Being part of the preparation team for the party, I can tell you that arranging all the bits and bobs for this day has been a once in a lifetime experience by itself.

On Thursday morning the team met up at Torre Abbey, which is a stunning historic building in Torquay surrounded by beautiful gardens. The weather was a bit foggy and grey, but nevertheless we decided to assemble the party equipment outdoors, embracing the optimistic thought that even if it had started raining, that would’ve just set the mood for a perfect British event. In the end I think we were all glad that it didn’t rain throughout the whole day.

There was a lot of work to be done, including preparing sandwiches and ‘cream tea’, blowing up balloons and decorating the whole place. Nobody could answer my question about the reason for cutting the crusts off the bread to create the perfect sandwich and cutting a hundred sandwiches didn’t help, but it tasted pretty good in the end. Listening to the English National Anthem and traditional music made the whole process even more special and authentic. It got a bit hectic in the end, but we managed to have everything settled in time and when the clock struck two and the other students arrived the real fun began.

The students enjoyed the variety of English cakes next to the typical ‘cuppa tea’ and there was even a small gift given to everyone, which is always exciting. I saw some people around me taking Instagram pictures, which I can totally understand, given the ideal photo opportunities. For those people who couldn’t get enough pictures taken, there was a little set up of silly hats and masks of Queen Elizabeth and Philip and a Union jack covered picture frame. I’m not too sure if the royal couple would be flattered seeing some of the pictures taken by students that day, but they would certainly be amused… and we were, too.

It is always nice to see the other students at these weekly meetings and to have the opportunity to chat about everyone’s work placements, experiences and plans for the next weeks. TTPL Queen’s Birthday party was a particularly successful and unique gathering and the amount of work and time put in the preparations were totally worth it.

Making the most of weekends

German student Annika has packed a great deal into 5 weeks with TTPL. With just four weekends to discover the area, there were certainly no quiet days. Here’s Annika’s story of her action-packed first weekend in England:

Saturday: 

At 5:30am my alarm rang far too early but I had to wake up. I planned to visit Bath and Bristol in one day with Julia - a lovely girl from France who became my best friend during my time in England.

Our train was set to leave at 7.00am. Julia and I were both really tired. However when we got on the train, riding along the coast with the sun shining in our faces woke us up and got us excited for the day ahead.

Bath

Bath Abbey

After a 2 hour journey we arrived in Bath.  We had a quiet little walk through the empty streets of Bath, taking photos and talking, then had a nice coffee in the sun.

Julia and I decided to join a free guided tour. The meeting point was outside Bath Abbey and luckily our tour guide was a very funny older man.

Every corner we turned there was something interesting and we were always the last to move on. The tour guide smirked, “Are you ready Germany and France?” The photo opportunities couldn’t be missed – even if the tour took 3 hours!

After a proper lunch at one of the cafes in Bath, our journey continued to Bristol.

Bristol

At 3:00pm we arrived at the Bristol Temple Meads station which looks similar to an old castle.

Cabot Tower

As the sun was shining the whole day we were in a really good mood and felt motivated to walk around Bristol. First we had a look at Bristol’s Cathedral and then we moved on to see the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery and decided then to go to a platform called Cabot Tower where we had an amazing view of Bristol.

As the time was flying, we continued with our plans and headed across the Clifton Bridge - no sooner said than done!

When we arrived at Clifton Bridge, we couldn’t believe how incredible it was - we were so impressed! I would recommend it to everyone because we couldn’t imagine how huge and extravagant the bridge looked. At 7:00pm it was time to go home.

Clifton Bridge

After this day I was so happy and I went to bed with so many memories and lingering images of the different places going around my head, it was remarkable.

Sunday: 

On Sunday we were tired from our trip so we relaxed on Babbacombe beach with a little picnic followed by a stroll around the seaside.

Babbacombe beach

My first amazing weekend in England had now reached its end and I could not be more excited for what the following weekends could be holding for me.

An English student's view

In the midst of GCSE revision, English student Tommy took the initiative to organise work experience with TTPL during his Easter break – we’re very impressed!

Hello everyone,

My name is Tommy and I’m a year 11 student at Torquay Boys’ Grammar School. At this time I’m standing only four weeks away from the most important exams of my life so far. I found work experience at TTPL because of my school and the careers day that we had to look at possible options for the future.

I am, from what I’m told, a rare English student who was lucky enough to have work experience at TTPL. I’ve spent my two weeks off during the Easter holidays working in the TTPL office, and even though this meant I had next to no days off throughout Easter, due to work experience and extensive amounts of revision, I am glad I have had this opportunity. 

Unlike most other students, I didn’t quite have the large experience over the two weeks as I did not have to travel across Europe or stay with a host family. However, this did not take away from my experience at TTPL.

Throughout the two weeks I learned many new skills and had the chance to work with a very friendly, funny and hard-working team. It has been a genuine pleasure to work for them over these two weeks and they have made me look forward to my future time in the working world. I would just like to say a big thanks to everyone for making me feel so welcome during my work experience.

To anyone reading this who is considering coming to England through TTPL, you will not have a better group of people looking after you when you are here!

My time in Torquay – an unforgettable experience

In February, TTPL welcomed Alba – a Business Management Degree student from Valencia. Here's Alba's take on her first two months in Torquay:

Do you want to work in a foreign country and learn a different language too? If you think about this for too long maybe it will seem hard, but the experience is unforgettable! Let me tell you about my short experience…

I’m a Spanish girl and I arrived in Torquay last February. I remember when I said goodbye to my parents in the airport and I was very confused about the new area that I would live in for five months.

My first days in a new country were a bit odd because I had to know new places and talk in a different language, but here the people are very kind and they try to help you if they can. Nevertheless you make a daily habit quickly!

Since I started my internship at TTPL I feel well received and every day they help me to improve my English. Furthermore, when I go to my new home, I spend a lot of time talking with my host family.

During my first two months here, I have had many experiences and visited lots of different places, and I can say that it is amazing! At the moment, I’ve visited lots of places near Torquay, and if you want to take beautiful photos and spend all day around nature, I recommend you that visit Berry Head in Brixham, it’s really nice!

I decided to come here because I want to learn more English and understand different cultures and work habits in another country. Before I arrived, I thought that it maybe was a difficult adaptation, nevertheless now I can say this is a tremendous opportunity to grow and meet new people. 

Two weeks at TTPL - a word from Nils

For the last fortnight, we've had the pleasure of having Nils – a German student working with us at TTPL. Here's his story:

Hey everyone,

My name is Nils and I want to tell you a little bit about my two weeks in Torquay.

Some of you might think “Two weeks? That doesn’t sound very long…” – and you are totally right. But I was surprised how many experiences you can have in only 14 days.

At the beginning, when I was exhausted by the journey, I just did not realize that I was in another country, since on the first look everything looked really similar to Germany. Of course it is interesting to hear all the people speaking English, but the first day it felt more like a background noise than a real language. Only on the second day in England I began to really hear the words and sentences and to read all the English names and descriptions in the town. This was the first moment I realized where I am.

My work placement was at the TTPL office itself. I think it was simply luck. Everyone at TTPL was so kind and friendly, I cannot imagine a workplace I rather would have been. But also my host family was very nice. Tracy, my host mother, took care of us and it felt like home.

The first days were only a stringing-together of little challenges, especially everyday-things like bus travel. I came late to the welcome meeting, because the bus did not stop on the station. I mean, who knows that you have to stop it by hand?! But finally I got it and the really friendly bus driver helped me to get out at the right stop. I was surprised how kind everyone was – everywhere you heard “Thanks” and “Excuse me”.

Soon I met the other students around Torquay at the student meeting and we planned our free time activities together, so we were not sitting at home the whole evening. After exploring Torquay over the week, we decided to visit Exeter on Saturday, connected with a visit to the Skirmish paintball arena. It was cheaper than expected – I would really recommend using group tickets for the train!

Now I only have a few days left and I think two weeks are really way too short. But being here is a great experience and I found some great friends. Back in Germany I will definitely miss the open people but maybe I will bring home a little more openness with me.

GOING ABROAD: IT’S WORTH IT!!!

Hi everybody,

My name is Jonathan Prudent and I come from France. I am 34 and (with modesty) I am the Student Ambassador in Exeter.

I wanted to write this blog in order to share my experience and my everyday life in Exeter.

First of all, going abroad is a beneficial experience because when you return home, you will return with a new perspective on culture, language skills, a new work experience to add on your CV and a willingness to learn. Needless to say, all of these are very attractive to future employers.

I have been in Exeter since the 13^th September 2015. Before coming to United Kingdom I have never heard about Exeter before. If I could describe this city in a few words I would say “Calm”, “Enriching” and “Lovely”.

Obviously Exeter cannot be compared to London because it is smaller and the way of life is different. Nevertheless if you like History, Nature and you want to discover the famous Devon Cream Tea, come to Exeter!!!

I chose to live in a host family because you have the chance to know the daily life of a typical English family and you get more opportunities to speak English and they are able to correct your mistakes. From the beginning they were very nice and made me feel comfortable. Thanks to them I could taste different English dishes like the Sunday Roast and the Meat Pie.

As I told you above, a work experience abroad interest employers. I came to Exeter to improve my English level and at the same time to gain some additional skills in Human Resources. I was offered a work placement by TTPL in a Recruitment Agency called Blue Arrow. This company is really a great place to work as I have learnt a lot about Human Resources including Recruitment, Payroll, Human Resources Administration. My first day in the company, they were welcoming, attentive and helpful. Moreover they gave me responsibilities very quickly. To tell the truth the most difficult thing for me was to understand their accent. I had to get accustomed to all the procedures set up in the agency as well. That meant a lot of things to know and new words to learn. But I didn’t lose hope. I was here to progress and it was some another challenges to take up. Now everything is better as I can understand my colleagues and I am autonomous in my role.

During almost 6 months, I got a deep insight regarding the way of life in Exeter. For instance English people are really polite and always ready to help you. They like using very often these words “Sorry”, “Lovely”, “Cheers mate” or “Brilliant”. It is so funny to hear that. And sometimes they can call you “Darling”. So you may feel embarrassed but I was told that is common in UK…

I met a lot of people from Europe and South America. What I like the most when you meet people is discovering the culture and the story of each other. I had the chance to meet most of them during the Conversational English café and the Student meetings organized by TTPL every Wednesdays and Thursdays. I had the chance to make friends and to practise English.

United Kingdom is an interesting country to discover. Since my arrival I have gone to several places: Birmingham, London, Bristol, Bath, Exmouth, Dartmoor  just no name a few.

But above all Brixham was the best place I visited. Some friends and I decided to go and see Brixham Harbour, Brixham Breakwater and Berry Head National Park. How fabulous was the harbour! What an impressive and astonishing landscape it was! You should go there because it is worth it.

I am leaving UK very soon and I know that I am going to miss the awesome times I spent in this country. But I am bringing with me a lot of good memories. I met incredible people, I visited lots of places.

It is not the end. A new page is turning and a new life is starting somewhere else. That’s the way it is.

Jonathan Prudent

Lina...my first trip to England!

One of our students, Lina from Germany, is leaving us this weekend. She was working at the English Riviera Magazine and has had a great time here in Torbay. This is her first impression of England!

Ok, so first of all, I didn't realise we were in England until I met my hostfather. The time before I just felt tired of the long journey and hungry because I forgot to take food with me... The school organised our internship. So I didn't know what I should expect. The 10 hours journey left me feeling exhausted and I just wanted to sleep.

The moment I realised, I was in England I was also overwhelmed by nearly every impression I got. Everyone was talking English... that was so confusing... and the cars were driving on the wrong side!!!... but no one cared about that... Those were such too much influences on a small and tired girl like me!

But my host family was really nice and open minded. They showed us everything we needed and made us really delicious food.

My internship was exciting too. My workplacement was in the editorial office of a local Magazine. Even the first day, I was allowed to write articles for them, which will also be published. But because my adapter for my laptop didn't worked, I just worked until the juice of it was empty and the laptop turned off. Without a laptop, there wasn't any work for me, so I was allowed to go home then. But even if my first day of internship was just very short, I enjoyed it a lot.