Adventures from 2011 Part Two!

Following on from our Part One of 2011 are our Adventures Part Two! As well as the daytrips organised by INTO over the summer are a number of exciting events ranging from pizza nights to salsa dancing, International Appreciation day to Pirate appreciation day! And not to forget the great end of term Black & White party! So please join us in enjoying these images from 2011...

The café in Exeter Cathedral is famous for its Devon cream teas - they're delicious!

At the university we have a heated outdoor swimming pool!

Summer School students getting ready for the massive pizzas!

The 'On the Waterfront' pub is a great place to eat at the quayside

Can you guess all the flags?

The winners of our International Day competition!

The reception of INTO enjoying Pirate Day!

Students preparing for pirate day!

Yaaaaarrrrrrggghhhh!!

Some of our Spanish students enjoying some beer before dancing!

Everyone can dance salsa!

The Summer Support Team advertising the end of term party in Black & White

Our end of term party was the first one to be held in the newly refurbished Ram Bar on campus

A pre-dancing drink!

We were on the dancefloor for the whole night!

There were some great black and white outfits!

The Summer Team in our outfits :)

Adventures from 2011 Part One!

2011 has been a very eventful year at INTO! So we thought it would be a nice idea to put together a montage of photographs from the social programme recapping the exciting adventures of the year...

If anyone has read our blog from the Summer, you will know that a lot happens at INTO during this time. The social programme is packed full of exciting events and activities, so we thought it would be nice to start with these!

Over the summer months we have many groups that come to learn English with us from all over the world! We regularly have students from Japan, Spain, Italy and China who study in Duryard, our other academic building which consists of a lovely Victorian house. It's also the perfect place (weather permitting) to stage outdoor activities like our Old Fashioned Sports Day which consisted of wheelbarrow racing and egg and spoon racing!

Every weekend during the summer we also had daytrips on each Saturday from the end of June until the middle of September. We started with a walk around Exeter city, starting at the university, stopping halfway at the beautiful quayside and ending at the stunning cathedral! It was a very popular day out and great start to the summer!

Our first daytrip to Exeter Cathedral

Other trips which took place over the summer included the Roman city of Bath, the Welsh capital of Cardiff, the seaside town of Sidmouth and its yearly national Folk Festival, Stonehenge and Salisbury, the impressive ecological Eden Project and glorious St Ives!

 

The Summer Support Team posing with the Royal Crescent in Bath

Students enjoying the boat ride to Sidmouth!

The Summer Team getting ready to head into the Biomes of the Eden Project!

Windy Stonehenge!

 

The beautiful Salisbury Cathedral

The very picturesque Cornish town of St Ives!

St Ives has 3 beaches and a Tate Modern Art Gallery!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas...

Greetings everyone from a very quiet INTO Centre! Last weekend quite a few students left Exeter for the holidays to visit friends and family, so to you all hope you had a fun and safe journey! To all those left here we hope you all enjoy this festive time! Ho Ho Ho...

Exeter Museum Opening Today!

As we mentioned in a blog from November the Museum in Exeter is re-opening today! It has been closed for the last few years due to a huge refurbishment which includes new exhibition rooms as part of the renovation of this 160 year old building. The entry is free and tonight is open until 7.30pm, so if you feel like combining some late night shopping with a visit to this cultural centre tonight is the night! 

I Want my INTO TV...

Hello everyone! If you manage to have some free time in the evenings and weekends then a good way to entertain yourself at home is to watch some free television online! The main channels have their own official websites which show programmes that have already been broadcast on television, and some also keep popular and classic shows from the past. So around this festive time it's also the best way to enjoy some English seasonal entertainment! 

The core channels on British television are BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, and by clicking on these words you will be taken to their websites. Although you can watch as much online programming as you would like, due to TV Licensing Laws you are not allowed to watch any Live television online (it's illegal without a TV licence). But don't worry as the website will alert you to this!

Christmas Lunch 2011!

Any students around Exeter on the 25th of December? The university is holding a Christmas Day Lunch between 12.30pm and 4.30pm in Lopes Hall (an accommodation near Cornwall House) and they will be serving a traditional meal of two courses, as well as games and entertainment! The tickets are on sale online only and you must book them in advance before 5pm on the 16th of December. They cost £10 each, and family are also welcome to join this festive meal :)

Remember Remember the 8th of December

Today is quite a significant day in terms of pop music; it's the birthday of Jim Morrison from The Doors, and also the anniversary of the death of John Lennon! So in remembrance of these great iconic musicians enjoy some of their amazing songs!

Winter Plant Sale!

This Saturday December 10th there will be a winter plant sale! It takes place in the Nursery which is on Clydesdale Avenue (near Nash Grove and Clydesdale Rise accommodation) and starts at 10am. The plants on sale are grown in the university so it's very special to be able to buy them, just bring cash with you!

Christmas on Campus Leaflets!

For anyone who would like some information about the University and Exeter itself over the Christmas period, we have some very useful leaflets at INTO reception for you! They contain lots of details about opening times of the libraries, Student Health Centre, Sports Park, cafes, as well as information about the Christmas Lunch on the 25th of December. So just pick one up from the reception when you're in the building!

Mince Pies This Friday!

This Friday 9th December between 12 and 1pm we will be serving mince pies in Astor Library in Duryard House! So for anyone who is leaving Exeter or is feeling in the festive spirit come join us for some traditional English Christmas cake!

Christmas Fair on Sunday!

This Sunday 4th December in the Great Hall and Piazza at the university there will be a Christmas food and craft fair! Locally made produce will be on sale and there will also be musical entertainment. The entry to this festive event is £2 but if you take your student cards you will get a ticket for free! So if you're available between 10am and 4pm and would like to buy some more unique and unusual presents this is the place to be!

Santa Fun Run 2011!

One of the funniest and festive events of the Christmas season is the Santa Fun Run! This year will be the third year it is taking place and is worth watching just to see a flood of Father Christmases running down the High Street! If you would like to take part you can register online and buy a ticket for £11 which includes a Santa outfit to wear, and proceeds go to the 'Make a Wish' charity. It begins at 10am Sunday 4th December and is 1 mile in distance around the city centre starting in the High Street and finishing in the Guildhall Shopping Centre. If you participate you can collect the outfits Sunday morning between 8.15am and 9.40am from Race HQ which is just off the High Street at the back of Marks & Spencer. I will be running myself so I'll see you there!! 

World AIDS Day 2011

Tonight as part of remembering International AIDS Awareness Day which takes place every year on December 1st the university will be holding a Free Concert in the Great Hall! It will start at 7.30pm, and the music will be from Brahms Requim with a choir, solo singers and an orchestra.  

Late Night Shopping!

Don't forget that Thursday nights are late night shopping nights in the city centre! All shops will be open until 9pm :)

Orange Wednesday!

If anyone has the Orange mobile phone network and loves going to the cinema then this offer is definitely for you! They have a very good 'buy one, get one free' deal every Wednesday for their customers, and all you have to do is text FILM to 241, then they will reply with a code which you need to take with you to the cinema. They will ask you to read this code to them, and once you do this, you will get two tickets for the price of one! All 3 cinemas here in Exeter participate in this offer and i'll be using mine later to watch 'My Week with Marilyn'!!

Free Tickets for the Christmas Party still Available!!

Anyone who would like a Free Ticket to this Friday's International Christmas Party all you have to do is complete a questionnaire about St Andrew's day from the reception!! We still have a few free tickets left, but if you complete the questionnaire you will still be able to buy a ticket for only £3!! So don't miss out on this great end of term party!!!

A Night at the Movies?

Hello everyone!! If you love going to the cinema like we do then we thought it would be useful for you to know the selection Exeter offers! There are 3 main cinemas, the Odeon, Vue and the Picturehouse and they're all within walking distance of the city centre. The Odeon and Vue both play the more popular and mainstream kinds of films, whereas the Picturehouse cinema is more independent and international, and also has a very funky bar upstairs! 

If you have heard about the Phoenix Art Centre, which is behind Tesco at the end of Gandy Street, then you may know that every Wednesday they host the Exeter Film Society film screenings which are also similar to the Picturehouse choices. At the university there is a Campus Cinema inside Devonshire House which plays both contemporary films and classics 3 times a week. If you become a member (for the year which costs £15) you will be able to watch films for only £1.50 a ticket, if not then they're only £3.00 each which is still a bargain! It's also the oldest university campus cinema in the country so it's great top be able to support it! 

So if you feel like watching something on the big screen you have a lot to choose from, enjoy!

Oh Christmas Tree!

If any of you were around the INTO building end of last week then you will have already seen our fantastic Christmas tree! It was delivered on Friday, decorated and even had a mini official ceremony to switch on the lights! It stands at 13 feet high, and we're very lucky that it is a real tree this year. When the sun goes down and the building gets dark, it looks very impressive sparkling in the centre and is perfect for photographs...

Take a look at our Facebook page for more images from Friday!

End of Term Christmas Party!

Celebrate the end of term in style this Friday 2nd of December at Lemon Grove right here on campus!!

All students are welcome and students from the university are also invited as part of the new Urban Treats nights happening at the Lemon Grove!

The event will celebrate international music, people and culture and London Premier DJ Que will be playing!

Get your tickets from INTO reception, they're £4 each.  HOWEVER, also this week we are launching a St Andrew's Day questionnaire as part of our celebrations for St Andrews day which is happening this Wednesday 30 November.  Questionnaires are available from INTO reception and the first 10 of you to hand in your completed questionnaires correctly back to reception get a free ticket to the end of term party!!!  For the rest of you, hand in your questionnaire and get your ticket for just £3!

The doors open on Friday at 9am and the night will finish at 2am.

To get entry you will need to bring your ticket and INTO student card. 

Hope to see you there!