Hijiyama University visits Birmingham

Warm Welcome hosts and families recently welcomed a group ofundergraduate students from Hijiyama University in Hiroshima, Japan. The students were attending a three-week English language/Tourism and Hospitality programme at South and City College Birmingham (SCCB) to practice and improve their language skills.

The group landed at Heathrow and were met by representatives of SCCB who escorted them back to Birmingham where their homestay families were eagerly awaiting their arrival. The hosts were fantastic and braved the rain and late-night arrival time to meet and greet their guests and take them back to their homes. The next morning the students, no doubt weary from their journey to the UK and still struggling to get their bearings, arrived at South and City College on time and ready for action - a huge thanks must go to all the wonderful hosts who helped their students travel to college that first morning.

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The first day was all about orientation: getting to know the city, its transport links, shopping quarters and restaurant locations. By 6pm that evening all students were home, safe and sound having successfully navigated their own way back to their respective homestay on public transport – an impressive achievement considering that, for most, this was their first trip outside of Japan.

Over the next three weeks, as the sun returned and the UK basked in record temperatures, the group enjoyed a packed schedule and took part in a wide range of activities and excursions as part of their course from sampling country life in the Cotswolds to exploring the halls and gardens at Blenheim Palace, the customary trip to London to see the sights of the capital and a farewell visit to Windsor Castle on their way home on top of their daily English, Tourism and Hospitality classes.

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Throughout their stay Warm Welcome hosts provided an excellent support network for the students, helped organise social activities for their guests and forged long lasting friendships. The feedback received from students, hosts, teachers and staff at SCCB was overwhelmingly positive and we are sure we speak on behalf of all our hosts and their families when we say we look forward to welcoming more students from Hijiyama University in 2019.