Words of the Day: “Focus” and “Kindness”

CAE summer school could not possibly be complete without an excursion to our home: Cambridge. With its immediately recognisable university buildings and the lively market square, Cambridge has more to offer than could be explored in just one day, although of course we did try our best.

To get a sense of the city, students were guided along the River Cam in a punt whilst learning all about the history of the University of Cambridge and the architecture that lines the banks of the river.

Whilst some students soaked up the sunshine, many were eager to learn more about the city. Throughout the tour they engaged with our punt tour guides by asking their own questions.

Punting was followed by a picnic lunch and a light rest on Jesus Green – the perfect interlude to play some football and enjoy the sunshine!

A fairly relaxed morning left us with lots of energy for more exploring later on. Students were split into groups which went their separate ways in order to explore some of the sights of Cambridge.

Some of the most impressive architecture the city has to offer is found at the University of Cambridge colleges. St John’s College was a highlight which left students in awe of its beautiful buildings.

St Mary’s Church tower was the perfect viewpoint to see the city and sketch some of our favourite parts of Cambridge.

Trinity College was the next stop for our returning students. One of the largest colleges at the university and complete with a beautiful chapel, there is no doubt that Trinity College was an impressive visit.

The returning students also completed a challenge in the market square in which they asked questions to the market vendors and explored many of the different stalls on offer.

As with all of our excursions, students were given some time to form their own groups and go shopping and further explore the market square and the Grand Arcade.

After the much anticipated shopping time, we returned to Stamford after a fantastic day out.

Even after such a busy day, energy remained high at the girls’ boarding house! Karaoke to some of our favourite songs and Just Dance in the common room was the perfect way to shake out all of the excitement that had built up over the course of the day.

Sufficiently tired out from all the dancing, we wound down with a group sing-along to ‘Stand By Me’ by Ben E. King.

A wholesome moment after a jam-packed day.