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| Students take part in Salsa lesson |
This weekend, our students visited the Salsa on St Clair street festival. Toronto is one of the most multicultural cities in the world and home to a large Latin community. Salsa on St Clair is an annual street party that takes over 4 city blocks and celebrates all things Latin, including dance, music and food. Our students had a great time, and even took part in a learn to Salsa class. How did they do? Check out their moves below!
One of the highlights for all Quest students is a visit to Niagara Falls, one of Canada’s most famous tourist attractions. Students had a chance to experience the historic Maid of the Mist boat tour, which takes them to the base of the falls and provides breathtaking views and even the opportunity to experience the spray of the falls. It’s been a hot summer here in Toronto, so the students quite a few students were happy to take off their blue rain ponchos and let the spray cool them down.
After the boat ride, students had free time to relax, view the falls, pose for photos and take in some of the many tourist attractions that line the famous Clifton Hill.
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| Our ride for the afternoon |
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| On board the Maid of the Mist |
On Friday and Saturday, Quest welcomed groups from Brazil and Italy to our Summer Experience program. The first group of Brazilians arrived on Friday and took a tour of Casa Loma, with their activity leader Matt. Casa Loma is a beautiful historic home that has become a Toronto landmark. On Saturday, the rest of the Brazilian group arrived, and all students came to the main Quest campus for grammar and speaking tests.
Although Toronto is a big city, it is still possible to enjoy some nature! Yesterday, our students took a trip to High Park, which is in the west end of the city and conveniently located on the subway line. Students enjoyed playing soccer and volleyball in the massive park, and were able to take some time out to relax in the shade under the trees.
Today we stopped in on Matt’s class to see what is going on. Matt’s class is Level 8 (Advanced), and includes students from South America, the Middle East and Europe. A highly interactive class, these students love to speak English and have all bonded. In today’s class, the students participated in some drama-based activities that let them practice their speaking skills in a fun and interactive way.
Sitting in a desk all day is boring! Matt’s class walks around as part of an activity. They also mingle around discussing topics as part of a structured activities that mimic real life conversation situations.
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| Matt’s class in action! |
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Welcome to Quest! More than half of our summer students have arrived and classes are in full swing. Let’s take a look in the classes!
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| Now Lorraine’s class are all friends! |
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| Matt’s class breaks the ice on day 1. |
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| Bredgeen’s beginner class. Look at those great smiles! |
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| Who Am I? Lorraine’s class gets to know one another. |
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| Zach’s class using newspapers to learn about current . |
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| Adam’s class hits the books. |
This week, our students visited Toronto’s tallest building and most famous landmark, the CN Tower. A marvel of civil engineering, the tower serves as a telecommunications hub. Towering above the city at 533m tall, the CN Tower houses a restaurant and 2 observation decks. Students took an 112-floor elevator ride to the top, and enjoyed the 360 degree panoramic views o Toronto and the surrounding areas. Students also had the opportunity to brave the glass floor. It’s a long way down!
The CHIN Picnic is the largest free multicultural picnic in the world and attracts over 250,000 people a year. A star-studded lineup of international singers, dancers, performers and animal shows alongside a number of competitions and amusements is a great way to introduce visitors to Toronto’s culture. Students get a literal taste of what we have to offer here: lots of different food, entertainment and people.
Toronto is know for its festivals and parades held throughout the summer. One of the loudest and most colourful is the annual Pride festival, one of the largest festivals of its kind in the world. The festival takes place over 10 days, and culminates with a large parade through the downtown.The Pride Parade is a major tourist attraction in Toronto, and it has become a popular event for families. Some of our students attended the festival this year, and had a great time enjoying the spectacle under the hot July sun.
Toronto is a great city for sports fans! We have 6 professional sports teams here, representing baseball (MLB), hockey (NHL), basketball (NBA), soccer (MLS), football (CFL) and lacrosse (NLL). Toronto also hosts the Hondy Indy car race and the Rogers Cup tennis tournament annually.
Last night our students went to a Toronto Blue Jays baseball game to experience Major League baseball for the first time. Toronto took on the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at the Rogers Centre, a stadium located right at the base of the CN Tower. Baseball can be a little bit confusing to watch for the first time, but every student could enjoy watching batters hit towering home runs out of the park in this exciting match. There were a total of 5 home runs, including one by Toronto’s famed Jose Bautista, who is leading all of baseball in home runs for the 3rd consecutive year. Students got in on the fun, and could be seen sporting Blue Jays apparel and temporary tattoos.
