An extraordinary school trip to the adoring Ripon
Lan Anh To
TESOL MA
Vietnamese student
Celebrating my sixth month in the UK with a school trip to Ripon could be a blast for my student life. I couldn’t have enjoyed this extraordinary experience without the support of the School of Education and Professional Development.
Ripon’s iconic landmark must be a magnificent gothic cathedral in the centre of the city which earned a place in our heart at the very first sight. Reaching out from the cathedral are small streets and snickets that are home to the eclectic and specialist shops or cafes offering refreshments and home-cooked food throughout the day. It wasn’t too challenging for us to go from sight to sight as all the destinations are quite close in proximity.
After exploring the breathtaking architecture of the cathedral and wandering along the streets for a while, we enjoyed our lunch box together in the Spa Garden. Chatting and sharing photos of what we have seen the whole morning in this beautiful floral theme park created such precious bonding time that we all have been longing for. It’s been quite a long time since we could go out, enjoy the sun and get to know our classmates who we just connected via the online classes during the social distancing time.
The most delightful moment must be when we could witness the very first wedding ceremony in the central cathedral after the Covid-19 restrictions. We spent our last hour in Ripon eye witnessing the joyfulness in this adoring British wedding and daydreaming of our wedding ceremony in the future.
All in all, I didn’t highly expect that Ripon could really steal my heart as it has done with the utmost tranquility, ancient charms, and flowering spectacle. More importantly, I do appreciate the priceless opportunity this pleasant trip has offered me and all of my buddies to tighten our bond that could certainly motivate us to fully enjoy the rest of our study life in the UK.
