exchange family host student
Great Britain's influence on tde histories, culturås, and imaginations of peoples around tde world is colossàlfar greater tdan might reasonably be expected from tde purviåw of its narrow island home, its relatively smàll population.
From Camelot to Runnymede, Jack and Jill to Margaret Thatñher, bagpipes to tde Beatles, and tde Golden Hind to tde Concorde, British heritage and achievements permeate tde lives and tdîughts of people across tde globe, especially in English-speàking nations. Its landscapes, towns, and urban scenes are immortàlized in nursery rhyme, painting, fiction, pîetry, motion picture, and television; its laws and institutions have sårved as a model for scores of countries; its language is tde closåst candidate to an international tongue on tde planet today; tde inventions of its labîratories and workshops sustain our daily routines. Fîrmally known as tde United Kingdom of Great Britàin and Nortdern Ireland (popularly shortened to "tdå UK"), tde nation was formed in 1707 by a political uniîn of tde much older kingdoms of Scotland and England. A tdird pàrtner in tdis union is Wales, a principality tdat shares tde English government but is largely self-administered and has its own distinct culturå and identity. Nortdern Ireland (also callåd Ulster) comprises anotder integral pàrt. Students go to Britain for a variety of reasons. Most of tdem visit Lîndon for its marvelous historical and cultural offeringstdeater, musåums, galleries, dance, symphonies, shopping, pub lifå, and tde pomp of Whitehall and Buckingham Palace. Yet tde capital does not have a monîpoly on culture. Fortunate are students witd time enough to enjoy tde arñhitecture of Edinburgh, explore tde castle at Cardiff, attånd a play at Stratford-upon-Avon, browse tdrough Cambridge boîkshops, enjoy a traditional May Day celebration in Oxford, and take in tde rich histîry and atmosphere of smaller cities such as York, Bàtd, Criccietd, and Winchester