Day Trip - Loch Lomond Highland Games

Another of our annual student events is a trip to the

Loch Lomond Highland Games

in Balloch.

Time is given for students to enjoy the various events of the games, including tossing the caber, highland dancing and the pipe bands and also to explore the stalls.

After the games we spent an hour or so at Lomond Shores where Ania & Derek were brave enough to tackle the mechanical rodeo bull (much to the entertainment of those watching)
Our day was rounded off with a wonderful BBQ in Bishopton. Thank you David & Aileen for your wonderful hospitality!

Day Trip - Linlithgow Palace

WHAT A BRILLIANT DAY OUT

at the Medieval Jousting event,

Linlithgow Palace

Jessica, Sarah, Chang, Sugu, Lynne, Ania & Fu Yu

Day Trip - Summerlee Heritage Park

Munish, Derek, Sarah, Lynne, Anne, Cherry & her Mum, Abiola, Fu Yu, Sugu, Jessica & Chang all had a great day at the Summerlee Heritage Park and Scottish Museum of Industry.

Day Trip - Blair Drummond Safari Park

Another great day out - this time to Blair Drummond Safari Park.

Here are some of us taking the boat to Monkey Island ...

Derek, Alison & Amy

Lynne, Chang & Tobi
Jessica, Sarah, Sugu & Fu Yu

Here are just some of the animals we saw ...

Lilias Day

Lilias Day is a festival said to be named after Lilias Cuninghame, daughter of an 18th century laird. In the past, Lilias Day was celebrated with a cattle market and races, and then with a procession of men from different trades banging drums and waving flags. Nowadays there is a fancy dress parade through the village ending at the local park, where there will be a host of different stalls & events. This has become one of our annual events for international students

Chang, Ania, Sarah & Jessica wait for the parade which is led by the town crier ...

As always, we are grateful to Neil & Anne Pitcher for their generous hospitality, a scrumptious BBQ and some great games.

Trip to Sma' Shott Cottages, Paisley

Paisley is steeped in history, mostly especially in relations to the textile & weaving industry. What better place to learn more about this than at Sma' Shott Cottages close to the centre of the town.

Our tour gide for the day was Eric Garner - he made the tour so interesting with great answers to our many, many questions

Here Eric demonstrates a whale oil lamp ...

We all very much doubt that Emmanuel would've fitted in this bed!

Our few hours ended with some refreshments in the wee coffee shop

Gloria, Emmanuel & Eric
Titi, Cindy, Lynne, Ania & Patricia

Polish Night

One of the joys of hanging out with international students is the pleasure of trying new foods ... and many thanks go to Magda & Ania for hosting this fabulous Polish Night. They cooked enough food for an army!!!

This was some of the best soup I've ever tasted and virtually a meal in itself.

All who came had a great time and ate far too much ...

Misha & Lena

Alison, Derek, Ania, Sugu, Magda & Fu Yu
... I (Lynne) was there too but don't seem to have got in on any of the photos.

Progressive Meal

Once every few years I organise a PROGRESSIVE MEAL at Hopehall and, in recent years, we've been able to invite a number of international students along.

It's quite a mammoth task with seven starter hosts and six main course hosts and 56 people going in different directions to different locations to enjoy different courses with a different group of people - which is why it only happens once every few years!

Then everyone comes back together at the church for some wonderful desserts and a spot of entertainment.

Our enteratinment slot included music from Hollie & Barry ...

A song Chinese song from Sarah, Jessica & Fu Yu ...

A sketch from Eric entitled 'My word, you do look queer (ill)' ...

A sketch entitled 'The Law' from Eric & Lynne ...

Plus songs from Misha and music from Jack

- if anyone has photos of these do please email them to me.

TABLEtalk - International Night

Everyone looks forward to our annual INTERNATIONAL NIGHT at TABLEtalk ... and what a feast we had this year with dishes from China, Taiwan, Poland, Russia, Ghana, England, Wales and Scotland.

We don't have a set programme for the evening ... people eat and chat and eat some more!!
HOWEVER, we did have some entertainment from ...

Eric who, being from the far off land of Yorkshire, taught us some Yorkshire phrases and read a poem about Yorkshire Pudding.

Cindy sang us a popular Taiwanese song

Misha & Lena sang us a Russian and English song

We ended the evening with a few manic games to burn off some calories, including my favourite hula-hoop game :-)

Day Trip to Troon

Day Trip to Troon

- a very windy day ...

I came home with half a kilo of sand in my handbag (not intentionally!!)

(left to right) ERIK (Sweden), FU YU (China), LENA (Russia), EMMANUEL (Nigeria), RAZVAN (Romania), PATRICIA (Germany), GLORIA (Ghana), JOEY & LIMING (China).

Day Trip to the LOGOS HOPE

The LOGOS HOPE

- bringing 'knowledge, help and hope' to many around the world

Another great day out - 12 students joined several friends from Hopehall Church to visit the OM (Operation Mobilisation) ship Logos Hope which was docked in Edinburgh.

One group was given a tour of the ship by the tallest man onboard (6' 8")!

(from left to right) Gloria, Theo, Lynne, Wendy, Cherry, Liang, Alistair & Julia
(from left to right) Titi, tour guide, Patricia, Aileen, David, Liz, Cindy & Abiola

Easter Sunrise Service

Several students were brave enough to rise early and join our inter-church Easter Sunrise service up Gleniffer Braes. It was a great time to come together and celebrate the significance of Easter.

Afterwards it was back to Lynne's flat for a cooked breakfast!

Day Trip to the Easter Play, Edinburgh

THE EASTER PLAY

Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh

This is the group of students who joined our annual trip to Edinburgh to watch the outdoor Easter Play.

Misha & Lena from Russia

Cindy from Taiwan and Titi from Nigeria

Gloria and her sister Theo from Ghana

Liang & Cherry from China

The play takes place in six different sites around the gardens and we, the audience, follow the actors as they unfold the story of Jesus. The play begins in a market place where we see and hear of the many miracles Jesus performed.

Here Jesus heals a sick woman

(Matthew 9:18-26)

Zacchaeus climbs a tree in order to see Jesus

(Luke 19:1-10)

Nicodemus, one of the Pharisees, comes to question Jesus.

(John 3:1-21)

Jesus speaks with his disciples at the last supper.

(Matthew 26:17-30)

Jesus is arrested after praying in the Garden of Gethsemane.

(Matthew 26:36-56)

The Roman soldiers mock and beat Jesus.

(Matthew 27:27-31)

Jesus is crucified

(Matthew 27:32-56)

But the story doesn't end there ... as he foretold, on the third day Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to many of his followers.

(Matthew 28:1-10)

The message of Christianity is a message of the empty cross - Jesus died in order to reunited us with God but He didn't remain in the grave, He rose again!!!

We were all grateful for great weather and such a moving, thought-provoking play ... after a welcome cup of coffee we headed home.

Student Comments

"A great day ...

thanks for the chance to serve!"

Abiola (Nigeria)

Fundraising event

COMMUNITY CAFE, CAR WASH,

SALE OF BRIC-A-BRAC

& HAND-MADE CRAFTS

Our fundraising event on Saturday, April 4th was a great success and I'm sooooooooooooo grateful to all the students and volunteers who helped to make it a great day. Everyone worked so hard!!!

Our craft stall was a big hit with many and such an encouragement after our many hours of work.

We sold cards, gift scrapbooks, bookmarks, gift boxes and fridge magnets.

Cindy, Magda & Ania worked non-stop in the cafe serving numerous bowls of soup & toasties & baked potatoes ... there were a few muddles and some really manic moments but all-in-all most people went away happy.

A BIG THANK YOU goes to Volker, Abiola, Sugu and others who washed car after car in both sunshine and drizzle ...

FINALLY ... after four hours of hard work, we all got to sit down and enjoy a toastie and tea.

Many, many thanks go to Richard, Sandra & Lorraine for their partnership and all their help.

We raised a grand total of £800 !!!

Crafts, Meal & Movie Night

For several weeks students and volunteers have been working away making crafts for a TABLEtalk fundraising event ... it's always a great time and everyone gets rewarded for their hard work with a meal and a movie.

Jessica, Sarah & Lena

Mandy, Judy & Christina

Christina, Lena & Barry

(apologies for Barry's 'sweat-shop face')

Student Comments

"TABLEtalk is a weekly breath to go out, meet some new people, chat, improve your English, try to think in matters that affect our society and that usually we are not concerned with. Lots of enjoyable times, a lot of people who want to help you enjoy without asking anything for that. The first time I wanted to go there, I thought that 1 1/2 hours would be so much, but then I discovered how talented Lynne is preparing that, and the time you spend there passes so quickly that you don't realise it.

Lynne, thanks for all the effort and all the time you spend for us, maybe we never say that, but we really value it, and I am very glad to assist in your activities. I know how difficult it is to carry on an event, and that people only see the final result but sometimes are not able to see how much a job it is. I really value it and encourage you to continue working."

Ramon from Spain

Jiaozi making lesson

Ryan, Alison, Lynne and 'the undercover genius' Lena all enjoyed a great evening with Jessica, Sarah & Fu Yu - learning to make jaiozi (Chinese dumplings).

Whilst we all rolled and stuffed - Jessica beavered in the kitchen making a zillion other dishes ...

Oh what a great feast!!!

Thank you soooooooooo much!!!

TABLEtalk - Chilli & Chat

Once or twice a year we enjoy a Chilli & Chat evening at TABLEtalk - no set discussion theme but simply the opportunity to enjoy each others company, hopefully some good chilli (hmmmm) and a variety of games.

A huge thank you goes to Fu Yu who spent the day helping me shop and cook and set up!!

TABLEtalk - Valentine's Night

Valentine's Night at TABLEtalk is always a lot of fun. Below are some photos of our DATING AGENCY role play in which students need to visit a number of 'agencies' in order to try to find their soul-mate.