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Ive been back inNanchang, Jiangxi,China, my hometown,for a while now. Imissed Nanchang witha passion while I wasin York, but now thatIm home, I realizehow living and studyingin York was one ofthe most precious,unforgettable andrewarding experiences ofmy life.

I arrived at Manchester Airporton a rainy day in July. It was socold. Sitting in the coach headingfor my college, excited and a littlebit anxious, I tried to imagine

the days to come in this strangecountry. Would I be able toadapt to life here? Will I keep upwith the class? Two hours laterwe arrived at our destination.The rows of houses in whichwe were to spend the next fourweeks looked like villas. Fivestudents shared a flat, and therewere several flats in one house.Our group was separated intodifferent houses, mixed in withstudents from other countries.This was going to be a challengefor us; to get used to living withunfamiliar people. I dropped myheavy luggage immediately andrushed out to look for my friendsin the different houses. Our tutorsexplained later that we had beendeliberately assigned to separatehouses to help us learn to beindependent . Everyone shouldhave his or her own private space,once youve got used to that,youll find its really enjoyableAnd it was, I discovered.

That afternoon, we visited YorkMinster. The Minster is a Gothic-style church that has offered aplace for worship for nearly 1000years. It has one of the largestareas of medieval stained glassin the world; its measurementssimilar to those of a tennis court.Inside, we were impressed by thegrandeur, holiness and solemnatmosphere of the building.

Our classes started on thethird day, after a trip to thepicturesque seaside town ofWhitby. The building in whichour classes were held wasfifteen minutes walk from ouraccommodation and was over 500years old. We were told that ifthe College wanted to put a nailin a wall to hang a picture, theyshould apply to the governmentfor permission.

Our study schedule was wellplanned and rather busy. We hadclasses Monday to Friday, 9:15am 3:30pm. Classroom activities

Memories of YorkYang Guo has fond memoriesfrom her four-week long Englishlanguage course in York, England

This page: Red devil,Stonegate, York.Opposite: Vikingentertainment; CliffordsTower built in the 1300s,in a defensive position on ahilltop overlooking the city;Shopping in The Shambles

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were mainly student-centeredand included: discussions, jigsawreading, information gaps, andproject work. These methodswere very different from themethods we use in China. Oneexperience that sticks in mymind was a research project ona traditional local food calledYorkshire Curd Tart! We had tofind out its ingredients, how tomake it, and its history. It wasan interesting but embarrassingexperience! We had to stopstrangers in the street and askthem politely whether they couldbe of some help. Fortunately,most people were very patient andwarm-hearted.

The one thing that we couldntreally get used to was Britishfood. Fish and Chips is delicious,but you cant eat that everyday. Chocolate and cakes aretoo sweet and high in calories.We really missed our delicioustraditional Chinese food!

For a small city York has a great dealto offer, says Andrew Hjort, Principalof Melton College in York

Why study in York? Well, for a small city, York hasa great deal to offer! York is the historic capital ofthe north of England. Yorkshire people are famousfor their openness and friendliness. Whether you arecoming for a short language course or studying for apostgraduate degree, York is a student-friendly city.

People have been coming to York for over 2000years! Our first overseas visitors, the Romans cameto control an empire. Nowadays students are drawnto York by less warlike attractions!

Yorks history can be read like a book coveringevery significant period in the history of England.Roman emperors lived (and died) here. The Vikingsmade York a major trading city.The Normans builtthe Citys castle and our first great cathedral.Medieval Kings based their court in York and thefame of the City was ensured by the constructionof York Minster. In the seventeenth century theRoyalists defended the city from the forces of OliverCromwell. Later, York was associated with the riseof rail transport in the Industrial Revolution.

And what of York today? Certainly the history isa great attraction. York Minster, the largest GothicCathedral in Northern Europe dominates the City.The medieval walls surround the busy heart ofYork and provide a wonderful means of seeing theCity. World famous museums cater for all tastes.Tourists can time travel at the Jorvik Centre throughthe crowded streets of Viking York. In the CastleMuseum they can stroll down the elegant Victorianstreet scene of Kirkgate. At the National RailwayMuseum the technologically minded can marvelat the power of the worlds fastest steam trainwhilst those more interested in history can seethe carriages which carried Queen Victoria to hersummer holidays!

Yorks railway heritage means that the City hasan excellent rail service to London with regulartrains taking only 2 hours to reach the capital. TheCity also has direct connections to ManchesterAirport, the largest airport in the North withexcellent services to many destinations including allthe important European gateways.

For visitors who choose to stay in the City thereis a huge range of hotels and guesthouses to suit alltastes and budgets. Many students choose to staywith local families and experience at first hand thefamous Yorkshire welcome!

But York is more than history. The readersof The Daily Telegraph voted York the bestdestination for a short holiday and it is this varietyof attractions that make York unique. Many of ourvisitors are here for the shops. The car-free centre isideal for a mornings window shopping and, if yourfeet start to ache, the city has a wide selections ofcafes and tea rooms. The compact city centre meansthat everything is within easy reach and the narrowstreets add to the lively atmosphere.

The evening attracts younger visitors to the barsand nightclubs. The City also tempts visitors withexcellent restaurants, theatres and cinemas.

Regularly, throughout the year, the City runsa variety of festivals. The Early Music festival inthe summer offers visitors the chance to enjoyworld-class performances in a variety of beautifuland atmospheric settings. The Festival of Food andDrink in the early autumn draws famous chefs andfood writers to the City for a feast of special events,cookery demonstrations and wine tastings.

With so much to do it is no wonder that York isa popular destination with students from all overthe world. Whether they are studying for a degree atYorks top rated university or preparing for an examat one of the Citys accredited language schools,York provides an ideal environment.

YORK a city for everyone

British peoplereally enjoy theirlives, and arenot just focusedon making aliving...

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Britain is really a country of art andculture and people have combinedculture with their daily life.Walking along the river, we heardviolin music. Historical buildingswere decorated with classicalstatues and gardens were full ofbeautiful flowers. We felt thatBritish people really enjoy their

lives, and are not just focused onmaking a living.

Before we went to Britain, wewere told that the weather is weirdand that we might experience allfour seasons in one day. This wasexactly right; one minute it wasraining and we needed a coat tokeep warm, the next minute the

sun struggled out from behind theclouds and it was unbearably hot.I felt I like I was never wearingsuitable clothes! I noticed thatpeople didnt use their umbrellaswhen it was sunny. For them,perhaps, sunshine was tooprecious!

British people love andprotect animals to an extent thatmost Chinese people may findunbelievable unless they see itwith their own eyes. A groupof wild ducks lived near ouraccommodation and wheneverthey wandered onto the road,drivers, even if they were in arush, would all stop and waitpatiently, making sure that all theducks had passed safely before re-starting their engines.

Britain has very strict laws onthe sale of alcohol. Pub ownersand storekeepers are absolutelyforbidden to sell alcohol to under18s. One night, when I askeda barman for a glass of shandyhe said seriously, I know itmay annoy you, but I still wantto make sure that you are over18. Its my duty to ask. I had toshow him my passport to provethat I was an adult.

The month flew by and wordsare hardly able to express mycomplicated feelings about livingin York, but there are aspectsof my stay that will live in mymemory forever.

Yang Guo studied MA EnglishLanguage Teaching Programme atYork St John University College

...one minute it was raining and we needed a coatto keep warm, next the sun struggled out frombehind the clouds and it was unbearably hot...

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Above: York city walls,built by the Romans andused to quarantine the cityagainst the Black Death inthe middle-ages, have beendefending York for twothousand years.Below: Signs in front of York Minster, York

britainonview/ McCormick-McAdam

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