By Kazuki Nakata

I participated in the English study tour called British and American Studies for four weeks during this summer vacation. British and American Studies is a course where students go to an English speaking country, and they study English while doing homestays. This year I was one of twenty-nine students led by Professors Radcliffe and Kojima. We studied mainly in London, England. Our language school was in the suburb of Beckenham near London. We studied there at King's School of English for three weeks and then we went from London to Edinburgh, Scotland and stopped at various places such as the Lake District, Beatrix Potter Home and Stratford-upon-Avon on the way. We also did some sightseeing in Paris, France on the last two days.

It took about 30 minutes for me to get to the school on foot, but I walked every day. The people in my family were very kind. There were four members in my host family--the father and mother, a son, and a daughter. There was also a dog, a cat, parakeets, rabbits and Guinea pigs. My host mother Juliet told me that she went to King's School of English many years ago, and that she once appeared on the television quiz show "Who wants to be a Millionaire?"

King's School of English is small, but it is located in a cozy place and I loved its atmosphere. Moreover, there are many teachers and they were kind. This school held many events. For example, there were social meetings and sports days every week. We also went to the pub on the weekend.

However, the class was difficult for me. It took some time for me to understand the meaning of the questions. I sometimes asked the person next to me the meaning, and I was able to make many friends that way. I especially got along well with the German student named Robert, and we often did things together. He was an apt student and kind of the leader of the class. He knew about Japan through his father who has an interest in Japan. We even went to eat sushi together. We went to a lot of places after school every day because school lessons ended around noon. I couldn't see everything I wanted to see in London in three weeks because there are so many places to see.

I want to mention some places which impressed me. One of those places is the British Museum. I was especially surprised at seeing the Egyptian mummy. The mummy exhibit made me feel uncomfortable, but it attracted many people.

Another place was the peculiar and cozy looking rows of houses in London. Moreover, there were street performers everywhere tourists gathered, and I was greatly delighted.

After we finished the course in Beckenham, our tour bus headed north. One of our stops was Liverpool. Needless to say, Liverpool is a Mecca for Beatles' fans. Moreover, the day we visited was during the last week of August when the annual Beatles festival is held. This is one of the big reasons I participated in this trip this year. I didn't want to miss this opportunity as I am a big Beatle fan. I have fond memories of going to the Cavern Club on Mathew Street on this trip to Liverpool. The Cavern Club is where the Beatles performed live before becoming famous. It is one of the most famous Beatles spots in Liverpool.

When I went into the Cavern Club and I could listen to a live performance by a Beatles tribute band. There were a lot of young and old people of both sexes in the club. Some people drank by themselves and some people danced to the music. All the people enjoyed themselves. It especially made a deep impression on me when everyone sang along together with the music. All this time I'd been waiting for this trip to Liverpool and this was the highlight. I could realize that the Beatles' songs have no borders and appeal to all ages and races.

The last two days were spent sightseeing in Paris, the capital of France. We had trouble because they didn't understand our English but it gave us a good and strong impression of Paris. Versailles Palace was breathtaking in its magnificent grandeur. The Louver was huge and I couldn't see everything in only one day. And the night view in Paris was amazing. I heard the building code in Paris is very strict. Stores are prohibited from displaying signboards. Their rules are stricter than those in Kyoto. However, thanks to the code, the night view of Paris was unearthly.

The trip finally came to an end after one month. I was repeatedly impressed with people's kindness and with the wonderful buildings in Britain and Paris. I swore I would go to Britain again one day. I want to continue to improve my English skills, and I realize that I must become more knowledgeable in the history of Britain and Europe.