2012 has now started!

We seem to be living in confusing times. In which direction is Europe heading? What impact will that have on the rest of the world?

However, here at MPL we are optimistic about the coming year. In confusing times it is all the more important to communicate well, and we plan to help all our students do that in English.

Locally, Cambridge is still doing well, as we can see from all the building projects in the city!

Then, we have the London Olympics to look forward to, as well as the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

Take a look at the queen's barge - Cleopatra, eat your heart out!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16129983

Mark.

P.S. A barge is a flat-bottomed boat found on rivers or canals.

Here we are in the middle of the autumn and we have already completed several exciting courses. In September we trained three Chinese managers from Sandvik. They came for two weeks and really made the most of their stay, with a full programme of excursions and visits. Recently we trained an MEP and a sales manager from SCA, France. Needless to say, vocabulary for those courses included words such as "debt", "default" and "financial crisis". However, we managed to put together a good plan to solve all the Eurozone problems. We just have to send it over to Brussels and hope they listen to us!

Mark.

The summer is here again and our Nordic students are already on holiday.They will be back at work by the middle of August, while other Europeans take their holidays later and get back to work at the end of August.

Here I am planning a week in North Norfolk (the east coast of England) with my family. The beaches are very big and empty. We just have to hope for good weather!

Mark.

Burns Night was on the 25th of January - or was it? This is the date when Robert Burns, the national poet of Scotland, was born in 1759. Burns Night Suppers are held in many countries all over the world on or near this date to celebrate the life of the poet. This year, I took part in a concert on the 25th when I sang Burns songs and played the bagpipes, together with friends. I was also asked to play at two other suppers in Cambridge Colleges, but had to decline for various reasons.

However, there will be one last chance this year. On the 3rd of March I will hold a supper in the SKF Competence Centre for staff and students. There are many connections between Scotland and Gothenburg, and I will mention some of them in my next blog entry.

Meanwhile, I hope the students are ordering their tartan - sashes and skirts for the ladies, and bow ties (and kilts?) for the men.

Scotweb will see you all right, everyone! You can order here:

http://www.scotweb.co.uk/

Mark.

A Happy New Year to all our students!

Christmas is over, January is here, and the British weather is back to normal - a little over zero, cloudy and rainy...

However, we have something to look forward to in January: Burns Night. On the 25th of January we celebrate the birth of Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns.

I'll be blogging about Burns Night plans soon, but for now you can read all about it on this BBC website.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/robertburns/burnsnight/running_order.shtml

People all over the world hold a Burns Night supper, but you have to wear a kilt (gentlemen) or a sash (ladies) in a suitable tartan.

You can find a great selection of highland dress items and tartans on the Scotweb site, one of the best retailers.

http://www.scotweb.co.uk/

So get your outfit together, and don't leave it too late to buy that kilt!

Mark.