Student Newsletter
30th April 2010 Issue 17
Dear Students,
Have you been for a walk along the beach recently? Now the sun has decided to come out and the volcano ash cloud has gone (and two of our students write about their experiences in this issue) it’s all about getting outdoors. We have some fun activities planned for you in this issue.
Enjoy the sea air!
The Editorial Team
Student Events Coming Up…
Bowling Friday 30th April
Come along to perfect your bowling skills at Bowlplex in the buzzing Gunwharf Quays. Cost: £2.90.
Meet: 12.30 in college
Brighton Saturday 8th May
Join us for a day out in Brighton. Marvel at the detail and opulence in the Royal Pavilion, the magnificent pier and the twisting alleys in The Lanes, which is the place to browse boutiques, antique and jewelery shops.
Meet: 9am at college. Cost: £7 each when traveling in groups of 4
Football
Meet on Tuesdays as usual.
Tennis Thursdays
Come and practice the truly English game of tennis! We’ll be playing on the hard courts near the D-Day museum. There are 5 rackets available to borrow from reception, otherwise you can hire them from Southsea tennis club. Bring a few pounds for hire of the court. Afterwards there’ll be the opportunity to refresh yourself with a drink in a local pub.
Meet: 4pm at college
Stranded by the Icelandic Ash Cloud
Two of our students, brothers Ahmed and Moneer, from Saudi Arabia, were on holiday in Barcelona for a week. Here they tell our reporter about their experience.
They had a great time. And then the volcano erupted. They heard on the news that flights were cancelled. Nevertheless they turned up at the airport on the day of their flight, but were told that they could have a refund or book a ticket for the next week. At the time Moneer was happy about having an extension to his holiday!
They decided to take their hire car back and rent it for
longer. But when they inquired at the car rental place the price for two days was now the same as they had paid for the whole previous week. So they just booked it for two days.In order to find a cheaper hotel they asked around amongst people they knew. There were three possible options, but all the prices had gone up. Despite these annoyances they decided to enjoy their extra days off!
In the end they couldn’t wait longer than a week, so in order to get back to England they booked a flight with a different airline, paying nearly seven times as much for their ticket as they had originally paid.
Asked how they felt about the whole experience, although it was obvious that they had enjoyed their extra days of relaxing and sightseeing, Moneer said that it was “too much”!
Trip to Old Portsmouth
by Samuel Kern, from Germany
Our tour to Old Portsmouth began at ten 
o’clock. At the start, we were given a lot of questions about Old Portsmouth by our teacher. It was fun to search for the answers. We all laughed very much. At first we had to do an alphabet with all the things that we saw (for example Buildings or Figures). After half an hour, we arrived at Portsmouth Cathedral in St Thomas’s Street, where we listened to a lecture about its history. After the lecture, we went to the seaside, near the cathedral. It was very nice there and we took a lot of photos with my digital camera. Because everybody was so friendly, and the weather was so nice, it made the trip really great.
What’s On
Heavy Horse Parade 1st-3rd May 2010Castle Field, Southsea
From 10am
FREE
A free event that includes a spectacular show of heavy
horses, a fascinating array of stalls and lots more.
Sea Cadets Festival 1st-2nd May 2010
Gunwharf Quays
From 11 am
FREE
Gunwharf Quays is supporting the 150th anniversary
of the formation of the Cadet movement with an
exciting Sea Cadet festival.
Premiership Football – 1st May 2010
Portsmouth vs. Wolverhampton
Fratton Park
Kick Off 3pm
Contact Ticket Office on 0844 847 1898 for
ticket availability and prices - from £20
World Village Market – 6th – 9th May 2010
Gunwharf Quays
From 11am
FREE
Unique street market with a festival feel.
Nelson Trail Guided Walk – 9th May 2010
Starts at Portsmouth Grammar School
At 2.30pm and ends at Spur Redoubt
Tickets must be bought in advance from
The Visitor Information Centre or the City Museum.
Tel: +44 023 9282 6722
Adult ticket £3
A guided walk led by Portsmouth Guiding Service.
"My host family was very welcoming and I celebrated Christmas and the New Year with them. It was my first experience of an English Christmas and I loved it. Also they have been really helpful with me and they are always willing to do me some favours. "
