SUMMER ESL CAMP 2013 - BRAZIL
Brazil Comes to Kingsway College
BY REMY GUENIN, ‘86
ON AUGUST 5TH, 2013 a large group of
Brazilians arrived at Pearson International Airport in
Toronto, Ontario for a 2 week ESL
(English as a Second Language) Program at Kingsway College. It was a
brand new adventure, one that was
sure to make a lasting impression. To
my knowledge there has never been a
summer ESL Program such as this at
Kingsway College.
60 students from Brazil ages 13 to 18 were greeted by
a small welcoming party at the airport. The group came
in on two different airlines at two different times on the
morning of August 5.
Day One: The week began with a hearty breakfast in our
cafeteria. Soon after breakfast, the students were shown to
their rooms and were greeted by Minnie Edison (Ladies Head
Dean) and Tyler Dooks (Men’s Assistant Dean). After lunch,
the students were asked to take a test for placement in their
respective ESL classes which were led out by 3 of our teachers, Scott MacDonald, Sophia Parkes and Connie Solomon.
Day Two: On the morning of August 6, the group
was loaded into buses and taken to Canada’s Wonderland where they spent twelve hours being spun around,
dropped and splashed to their hearts’ content. Exhausted,
everyone returned to the campus and fell into bed.
Day Three: The plan was to take the group to Thousand
Islands for a boat tour and then to Fort Henry for some
sightseeing, however, plans changed. On the first day any
had requested changes to the schedule because the group
really wanted to go SHOPPING! After a quick phone call
to cancel the boat tour, the group headed for Halton Hills
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KC Contact IWinter 2013
Premier Outlets. This new shopping experience had only
been open for 7 days but the students had already done
their research and they knew the name and location, which
they had found through Google. Needless to say, the rest of
the day was spent shopping.
Days Four and Five: The real work began with ESL
classes.
Day Six: The students attended church service at College
Park Church, followed by an afternoon trip to the Toronto
Zoo. The Panda exhibit was fascinating and the students
enjoyed nearly perfect weather on this day.
Day Seven: Once again, the students loaded onto the
buses and headed for a Blue Jays game which was followed
by a trip up the CN Tower. Baseball was new to most of the