Dave's Dispatch: Time for a new year of activities in London

Hello, everyone! My name is Dave Rogers, and I work with the Social Program at Kaplan International London Covent Garden. New students from all over the world arrive every week and I am responsible for welcoming them to London and helping them to enjoy their time in the city!

Happy new year, everyone!

The Christmas tree has died and the decorations are back in the box, but don’t despair! 2015 is going to be a great year. And what a start to the year we have at Kaplan Covent Garden – the program for January is filled with exciting activities and events for our students to enjoy.

Three particular highlights are all Kaplan exclusive trips, each with Kaplan guides. We’re going to Cambridge, Harry Potter Studios, and Edinburgh at the end of the month for Burns Night. Awesome!

Cambridge is always a trip that students enjoy. It’s a beautiful place with lots of rich history and stunning architecture. The shopping’s not bad, either!

Cambridge is a market city, and stalls have been trading at the historic market square in the city center since the middle ages. Students will be able to peruse the stalls at their leisure and will also get the opportunity to visit King’s College and take a punt on the River Cam. What a way to experience British culture at its finest! I can definitely see why this trip is always a best-seller.

Speaking of best-sellers…nobody can deny the popularity of Harry Potter, just like no one can deny the passing resemblance I have to Harry Potter’s best friend, Ron Weasley. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but students tell me that I remind them of him every day. (I think it might be because of my ginger hair. Not because of my amazing magic skills.)

Students absolutely love visiting Harry Potter Studios. They get to tour actual sets that were used in the films and also learn all about the special effects that made the films so impressive. This trip pairs well with the free Harry Potter London walking tour that we host a few times a month led by our resident Harry Potter expert, Marie-Pasquale!

At the end of the month, we have the Kaplan trip to Edinburgh. I’ve taken students there myself a few times and I must say, Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever visited – especially on Burns Night. We’re going whiskey tasting and will also take a special tour of the Highlands. In the evening, we’ll learn all about Scottish dancing - I’m sure that will be fun, but I imagine there’ll be lots of bruised toes afterwards…

So 2015 has started very well indeed! Lots of new students have started settling in and there’s definitely a feeling of excitement in the air. Although I wish my best friend Harry Potter was here… I miss him so much.

Until next time!