"Isle of Wight" Isle of Wight by tejanasueca

Two hours South of London, lying just off the centre of southern England, the Isle of Wight is known as the Garden Isle. It is a diamond shape, thirteen miles north to south and twenty three miles east to west. Within its boundaries, the Isle of Wight contains a wide variety of landscapes from sheltered river valleys to wild, wind swept headlands, from long golden sandy beaches to forests, picturesque villages and market towns. It is truly England in miniature. The Isle of Wight is blessed with a very favourable climate, being consistently warmer and sunnier than the English mainland, with sub-tropical plants growing in sheltered south facing gardens.

Located in the centre of the Island, Newport, with its narrow streets and town squares, is the capital of the Island. It has a town Quay, now used mainly by pleasure craft, its history was of cargo ships and barges bringing supplies to the Island.

St. Thomas Church

I went to Isle of Wight for a month when I was 14. It was a combined confirmation/English study abroad trip with an organization called STS. I spent the mornings studying with a priest, and my 20 some Swedish classmates, at St. Thomas Church, and I spent the afternoons studying English in the basement of a local pub!

The best part of the trip was staying with a local family. While I already knew English (I had studied it since 3rd grade), this was the first time that I started to speak it without any inhibitions.