ESL Wilderness Ranch

The Winter season is coming soon... study English esl!

noreply@blogger.com (Chilcotin Holidays) — Wed, 11 Nov 2015 01:16:00 +0000

Greetings ESL students

As an ESL student, learning English esl is in high demand worldwide to develop communicative competence in the four areas of language skills, speaking, listening, reading and writing. Teaching English as a second language doesn't have to take place in just a classroom!

The best way to learn a language is by immersing our ESL students in English speaking country and Canada is one of the best destinations to study English esl. Now that you are determined to learn the language, the next big question is: what type of a learning environment do you prefer to be in? Do you prefer attending a university or college in a big city like Vancouver or Toronto? Or, do you prefer to experience the true Canadian wilderness beyond your classroom environment? Here at the English esl Wilderness Ranch, we not only provide a high standard of English language study by highly qualified ESL instructors, but we also provide a variety of wilderness activities to participate in BC's gorgeous natural landscape. Our ESL instructors are always teaching English as a second language in fun, interactive ways! As the winter season is approaching, we have lots of fun and interesting activities in store for students enrolling in the ESL program. Teaching English as a second language can have so many possibilities here on our ranch, and never means solely studying grammar. Have you always wanted to snowshoe across the forest? Do you prefer the thrills and chills of riding a snowmobile? Or do you want to participate in ice-fishing and catch a nice rainbow trout? If you answer yes to all these questions, then our ESL wilderness program is right for you. Give us a call or email us and we will make it happen for you. Check our website for more Details!

Best regards,
ESL Wilderness Ranch Team
info@eslwildernessranch.com
Phone (250) 238 2274

Winter Tracking, putting our esl English grammar to use!

noreply@blogger.com (Chilcotin Holidays) — Wed, 11 Nov 2015 00:56:00 +0000

Now that we have a new Esl English grammar Wilderness class going for February, the students can learn fascinating skills in the Canadian wilderness during the winter, such as how to track wild animals. Of course, the bears are all hibernating, right now, but there are still many big animals on the prowl, such as our mountain lion, or cougar, wolves, coyotes, mule deer, mountain sheep and moose. Our ESL reading material covers how to track the prints of wild animals in the snow, complete with guide sheets on all the different prints and what makes them. Of course, the Esl English grammar we learn in the classroom can later be put to immediate use outdoors, as we take snowmobiles into the wilderness to look for animals, or just take a walk through the nearby woods. Afterwards, it's back indoors to enjoy a hot cup of coffee or hot chocolate near a roaring fire in one of our tall stone fireplaces.

Bear Wisdom esl reading for Wilderness Students

noreply@blogger.com (Chilcotin Holidays) — Wed, 11 Nov 2015 00:46:00 +0000

Spring is just around the corner and that means bears will soon be coming out of their winter dens. Mother bears are bringing their inquisitive cubs outside to learn about their surroundings. Male bears are coming out hungry and looking for new green shoots and small mammals to eat. We have both black bears and grizzlies in the Chilcotin Mountain Range.
Our Esl reading material covers bear wisdom, bear safety, and facts about black bears and grizzlies. We also have bear safety videos to watch and discuss so our students can take care of themselves in the Canadian wilderness.
There are many myths and legends about bears and how to survive a bear encounter or attack. We give you the facts, using knowledge gained from scientific studies and years of living close to these furry beasts. It is important to be able to identify which bear is sighted because your safety rules change depending on whether it is the big, brown grizzly or the smaller black bear. What to do also changes with the type of encounter, whether your stumble across a mother bear and her cubs, a bear eating a carcass, or a troublesome bear searching through your garbage in a wilderness camp.We also cover what to do if you come across a bear while riding horses in the mountains. You can learn all this through our Esl reading! Some of the exciting adventures while you are here include grizzly viewing, when our experienced mountain guides take you to a safe viewing area to watch the wild animals in their natural habitat. We want your experience at the ESL Wilderness Ranch to be an enjoyable one and a safe one.

New Class Begins! Get ready for Esl English

noreply@blogger.com (Chilcotin Holidays) — Wed, 11 Nov 2015 00:44:00 +0000

Our next Esl English Wilderness class begins February 2 and we are looking forward to meeting the new students. In the meantime, we are going over class material to make it interesting and pertinent to our wilderness area.
We use reading materials that deal with grizzly bears, cougars, wolves and horse riding, to name a few fascinating subjects. We also have interesting videos to view and later discuss, all in English, of course.
After the morning lessons, the students can partake in exciting adventures of a short duration, such as learning how to shoot a rifle and take target lessons, learning how to shoe a horse, how to drive a tractor, how to feed horses... all in Esl English!
On weekends, the adventures can last a day or the whole two days away from the classroom, going on pack rides into the mountains, snowmobiling in winter, swimming in mountain lakes in the summer, the list is almost endless. How will you spend your time in our Canadian wilderness?

Bird Watching for ESL Wilderness Students, just one of many esl activities!

noreply@blogger.com (Chilcotin Holidays) — Wed, 11 Nov 2015 00:44:00 +0000

Eagles soar above you in the blue skies over the Chilcotin Mountain Range. Woodpeckers tap a beat on old logs in the pine forest as they search for insects. Ravens call to one another in their raucous voices. Humming birds enjoy the sweet nectar of the colorful wild flowers in the mountain alpine meadows. Bird enthusiasts have a wonderful variety of birds to view while studying at the ESL Wilderness Ranch through our potential esl activities. Check off some of those life list birds that you can't find elsewhere. Learn about some of the famous area birds in our ESL reading material, then go outdoors and find them! There's nothing like zooming in on the bird of your quest with binoculars and watching their behavior close up for the first time. Our experienced local guides know where the nests are and the best time to view them.You can even check out the feathered friends while riding up the mountain trails. Blossoms of every color attract hummingbirds and other species high up along the mountain side and in the alpine valleys. Take your bird watching to new heights in the Chilcotin Mountains with our esl activities!

Esl reading - horses of course!

noreply@blogger.com (Chilcotin Holidays) — Wed, 11 Nov 2015 00:41:00 +0000

Riding horses is a fascinating topic in our Esl reading Wilderness classes, because after you learn about them, you go outside and ride them! Of course, we take you through all the safety precautions first so you will enjoy your ride and keep you and your horse safe.
Our esl reading material covers how to act around horses, what to expect from them, how to saddle a horse, how to get on, and how to ride safely along a wilderness trail.
We even teach you how to shoe a horse, feed them, tie them to a post, hobble them in the bush, and take care of their health.
Before riding out on the mountain trails, we ensure you know how to ride and control your horse by practicing in our gymkhana ring, where you will be given riding instruction by a qualified instructor. We have you ride around barrels and over logs, turn the horses this way and that way, stop and go, all while checking how you sit in the saddle, hold the reins, and use your legs and feet. Horse riding is just one of the exciting adventures that can happen at the ESL Wilderness Ranch.

ESL writing on the ranch

noreply@blogger.com (Chilcotin Holidays) — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 15:05:00 +0000

Experience on the ranch

Our current ESL student Rahel from Switzerland had a Esl writing assignment as part of her homework on descriptive adjectives and creative writing. Here is her story, she received top marks for it!

The Chilcotin holiday ranch

The spacious ranch is nestled in a wild, tranquil valley in the Chilcotin mountains. The journey to get here is an adventurous one, and unseen in Switzerland. When I take a deep breath, my lungs fill with crisp mountain air and the smell of the healthy, copious pine trees. At least once a day I stroll over to admire the cute and cuddly horses. Their charming fur is colored in all shades of the earth. The horses are like a strong antidepressant, and I am excited to be around them.We absorb the autumnal forest on a walk, crunching leaves underneath our shoes and observing the breeze rocking the treetops. I get a taste of unexpected, unknown and unthought things everyday. Who thought I would skin a moose and drive a skidder. Driving the rusty, rough skidder to unload the hay from a huge truck was like watching a horror movie. I patiently observe the nut-collecting squirrels which are hobbling around everywhere. The hilarious squirrels play 'catch me if you can'. It took me a while to settle in but the caring, lovely staff made me feel welcome. The western, traditional ranch wouldn't exist without them, as they live it by heart. Saddling one of the patient horses is still a task, and I have to think it through carefully. I still miss some points.

Our wilderness ranch is perfect for inspiring Esl writing and creative thinking!

What a wild weekend with our horse guide before returning to School!

noreply@blogger.com (Chilcotin Holidays) — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 00:10:00 +0000

What a wild weekend before returning to School!

Cayle, Jade, and their mom Melissa Terlingen had a big surprise when they reached the top of Windy Pass on Saturday, 3 days before the start of school...
The family had joined their expert Horse Guide Renee and Vicky for two days overnight at Camp Eldorado, in the South Chilcotin Mountain Park.
It was a wet slog to the camp, and everyone needed a change of clothes when they got there. But by nightfall they were snug and warm, and full of marshmallows. Night-night. Then morning came, and...it was winter! Snow everywhere! Christmas in August. So what would a grade-school cowgirl and cowboy do? Make a snowman on the mountaintop.
Later the gang caught sight of an eagle flying high above the treeline.
The horse guide reported that originally, Cayle didn't even want to leave the warm hearth of the Ranch-house just before their trip--cookies were the cure for that.But they came back with a Trip of a Lifetime memory of Chilcotin Holiday Adventures--emphasis on Adventure!

Studying English as a foreign language - The Story of Andre and Luca

noreply@blogger.com (Chilcotin Holidays) — Sat, 08 Aug 2015 18:20:00 +0000

Andre first found out about the ESL program here at Chilcotin through the Internet. He did a lot of research looking for places to study English as a foreign language, and he chose Chilcotin Holidays as it had everything he was looking for: an amazing ESL program, being surrounded by nature, and of course, our horses. Andre has been here a month now and he's experienced everything he was looking for and more! One of his favorite memories here was going to the Rodeo nearby. It was a new experience for Andre, where he not only had English lessons on the go, but he was able to use his new vocabulary at the rodeo. He experienced a new culture, and as he described, it was an “amazing atmosphere.”

When asking Andre to describe a typical day he was lost for words. He said there is no such thing as a typical day here. Yes, he has English lessons 5 times a week but aside from that Andre is out learning even more than just English. He's learned how to shoe and pack horses, spent his weekends fishing and camping and was able to go on a pack trip with our guide school out into the mountains, where he saw an abundance of wildlife including a grizzly bear and a herd of mountain goats.

A fellow ESL student named Luca arrived at the ranch four weeks ago from Switzerland and he found out about the ESL course from his aunt Mirta. She had mentioned it and Luca thought that it would be an excellent opportunity to study English as a foreign language at such a unique place. When I asked whether he could describe a typical day here at the ranch, Luca told me that every day differs and that there is no such thing as a ‘typical’ day. Usually, he has 3 hours of English class in the morning and in the afternoon there are many activities to do such as: fishing, horse riding, bareback horse riding, target shooting, archery, and hiking. He has also helped to fix things around the ranch and many cars have been repaired with Luca’s great help!

Before Luca came to the ranch he had never ridden a horse, so it was a fantastic experience for him to learn how to ride, pack and shoe a horse. He could even join a 5 day pack trip on the Chilcotin Mountains where he had a great view of the mountains and saw grizzly bears for the first time! His best memory so far was the rodeo near Alkali Lake and the Pow-wow in Kamloops where he has seen native bands dancing, singing and playing drums. Luca has had a great time at the ranch and therefore has this special thank you message for his aunt:

"Thank you Aunt Mirta for telling me about this ranch, and a happy 70th birthday!" love Luca

Meet Andre, who recently joined our English as a second language community!

noreply@blogger.com (Chilcotin Holidays) — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 22:52:00 +0000

Yesterday, our ESL student Andre arrived here all the way from Switzerland! He arrived in the early afternoon and after lunch he continued to have a productive day. After the rain in the last week he was lucky to have arrived with the sun shining and clear skies above. Andre began with a horse riding orientation where he learned how to saddle and bridle a horse as well as how to ride and trot on them. Later on he learned how to shoe a horse and was the only one who managed to put shoes on both of the hind legs. (Impressive!) Throughout his stay here he will take English lessons and enjoy the horses as well as the wilderness around. Through our all-speaking English as a second language community here on the ranch, Andre is able to immerse himself in the language 24/7!

Not just esl teaching

noreply@blogger.com (Chilcotin Holidays) — Sat, 09 May 2015 04:07:00 +0000

Here's an excerpt from Day 5 of Sandra's experience as an ESL student

Today I slept in. I woke up just 10 minutes before breakfast. Because of this delay, I decided to take a shower right after breakfast. There are a few people and horses up in the mountains doing the Guide School and they will be back on Saturday. So right after that, we had our esl teaching and covered some grammar stuff and read about rodeos. It was interesting to learn how many different types of events a rodeo can have. Our esl teaching also talked about culture and what it means in different countries. Makiko told us that people in the town she lives in eat dolphins. It tastes like rubber, but they eat it, because it's their culture. I think it's quite similar to our tradition of “Schützenfest”: where we drink a lot of beer and we know we will feel very bad afterwards but we still do it every four years!

After lunch we went for a hike. We walked about one and a half hours up the hill and got a fantastic view. On the way back to the ranch we saw a tree-frog jumping near the trail. These frogs are really small. The hiking trail was particularly steep, so I realized that I was out of shape. No surprise if you didn't do any sports during the winter!
After digging a hole for the chicken's fence, I took a shower. I expected to take it in the morning and then I relaxed a little. I sat on the sofa talking with Makiko about travelling through Japan and Germany, with the globe between us, we realized our esl teaching had encouraged us to talk about it. That was really funny and a good practice for both of us. After dinner we fed the horses again and I had the chance to drive the tractor for the first time.
~ Sandra

A clean trail for the next guiding in wilderness!

noreply@blogger.com (Chilcotin Holidays) — Wed, 06 May 2015 21:23:00 +0000

April 28th 2015, it was 4:30 am, when Lea, Dale - Staff members - and Phillipa - our guest - left for their horse based pack trip guiding in wilderness. As this was the first trip of the season, it allowed them to prepare the trail for the future guests and students. During this ride, they determined if the trail is passable or not for future guiding in wilderness. Where it wasn't passable, they cleared the trail, cutting trees and removing branches that were in the way. They also burned all the Burdock, an invasive plant, so the horses don't travel with it and spread it more . The plants gets stuck in the horses mane and also in peoples clothes. While on the trail they analyzed the snow conditions and thought it was going to be nice condition for the next ride into the wilderness. During this adventure they saw one goat and the beautiful Leckie falls.

They came back to the ranch at lunchtime 30th on the April

Esl learning on the ranch

noreply@blogger.com (Chilcotin Holidays) — Tue, 05 May 2015 13:46:00 +0000

I learned a lot today. Mainly our esl learning was about bears and pronunciation. What was really interesting is that I realized that I'm almost always asking questions. This is the thing I learned today about myself. Also, I've got some new words of the day, like "humming bird." It's a small bird, not to say, an extremely small bird. When it flies by, you may think it is a big bee or a bumble bee. "Enemy or foe," I guess I should not ask a bear, especially a grizzly bear. Neither is a "pickaxe" a good weapon in case of a bear attack. However, bear spray may help in the case an encounter with a bear, but only at a distance of 25 feet max. I got up quite early in the morning so I went to watch the horses in the paddock. They also seemed to be a little sleepy, like me. Only the two younger horses were playing around, training their skills for their later life. So always stand your ground! :)
~ Miriam

Today we started our first English lesson. After breakfast, we met in the classroom at 9am. We learned about pronunciation of similar words right before we talked about intonation for questions and answers. This would have been a big topic today: Ask questions and answer them in a confident way! I tried to practice my new esl learning skills the rest of the day, because I had to think about what I may ask. The second big topic of the day was about "bears." We have learned a lot about their behaviour and the best reaction we have to choose in case we meet a bear. We learned it by reading a text, watching a film, and talking a lot about possible situations. After, we helped build up an outside area for about 50 chickens. We tried to use bear spray. The whole day was a lot of fun, but also very exhausting. But the best thing was not sitting around and doing nothing. I don't like having nothing to do!
~ Sandra

E.S.L adventures with wildlife

noreply@blogger.com (Chilcotin Holidays) — Mon, 04 May 2015 01:11:00 +0000

Our e.s.l. teacher Kate, and fellow e.s.l student Diana and I left the ranch on the 27th of April to help Garry and Peggy, owners of Ecotours-BC, get ready for the start of their season. They offer a professionnal guide service providing a quality wilderness outdoor experience, their speciality is grizzly bear watching.
The lodge is located in the old gold rush village in Likely about 6 hours from the ranch, so the drive was going to take us most of the day. Around about 1 hour into the drive we heard a strange sound which came from the car and we noticed the vehicle started to drift so we stopped. The back wheel on the left had blowing up, there were two holes in the tyre and it was very warm and an unpleasant smell was being emitted. Fortunately we had Bruce, a friend of Kate, driving in front of us. He noticed that we were no longer behind him, he turned around and came to our rescue, helping us to change the wheel. We took a break in Hundred mile, we found a garage to change the spare wheel and I enjoyed a delicious french vanilla coffee at Tim Horton before hitting the road again.

It was pretty difficult to understand the last part of Kevan's challenging map and as a result we passed the house without paying attention but ten minutes later we got back on track and finally found Pyna-tee-ah Lodge.
The following day we woke up to have an amazing breakfast at 7:00: huge pancakes, sausages and fried eggs. Peggy is an excellent cook and likes to take care of people. During the day our e.s.l teacher Kate was working on their website, Diana and I cleaned bathrooms, fridges and washed all the windows of the lodge. While I was cleaning the windows a heavy rain fell and the sky became darker and darker. We heard many thunder claps, I was delighted to hear this sound and the atmosphere it created.
In the evening we went for a wildlife expedition with Garry and Peggy. They have over 30 years of knowledge and many unique wildlife and adventure stories to share. We had surprising encounters on the side of the road : black bears, grizzly bear and moose. I've never seen a bear or moose in its natural habitat. I was impressed by the large head of the grizzly and his magnificence, in his presence I felt calm and he inspired a deep sense of respect for him. In this moment, time stood still.

On Friday morning we left the lodge just after breakfast to return to the ranch where I shared the experiences I had with the new amazing people that I met.

Hiking with my fellow esl students

noreply@blogger.com (Chilcotin Holidays) — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 02:04:00 +0000

Sunday 26th 2015 was a interesting day. With the other esl students Maud, Kate and Hanna, we went for a hike. Before that, we helped Kristin with the horses. Unfortunately I strained my left thigh which made the hike a little difficult. We went for a three hour hike anyway and we took the dogs Boo and Malu. During the hike, we took a lot of up-hill, it was “ok” for my thigh, but for the down-hill, I twisted my ankles and I had force on my knees.

I was a broken guy. I’m an old man… I tell you. ;)

But besides that, I liked this hike, it was good for my physical condition, my heart and particularly my head (maybe my brain too). I was really relaxed when I saw this beautiful landscape, with the wind brushing my face.

When we came back to the ranch, we took a break. After lunch myself and the other esl students Maud, Hanna, Kristin, David, Diana, Charlotte and me, we planted new trees in the forest near the ranch. It was very interesting and easy. So, it took us four hours to planting the trees, it was 6:30 pm when we returned at the ranch . And when I arrived, I said: “Good Morning everybody!”
Mathieu, 29, from France

Our trip into the wilderness, great for esl practice!

noreply@blogger.com (Chilcotin Holidays) — Fri, 24 Apr 2015 19:56:00 +0000

With Matti, Marie, Maud, Pauline, Kate and Boo (a nice girl... A beautiful dog ), we went for a camping trip in the wilderness; it was the first time for Maud and I.

It was in the afternoon of April 17th of this year on 2015. We took a big car for this "adventure", destination - Pearson Pond. When we arrived at Pearson Pond, we found a place for the night. Once we did that, we went in search of firewood for so we could warm up and cook. We also learned how to make a fire with ONLY one match, at the same time getting in some esl practice! Later, around the fire, we about learned more about each other and we talked our plan for the future (travels and jobs). And, of course, we also cooked and ate the delicious sausages.

After, we went to sleep. During the night I woke up, because the temperature was very cold! We even had some frost on our sleeping bags. Although that, and my frozen nose, I could contemplate a amazing sky full of stars.
The following morning, after a good breakfast, we went for a walk.

During our hike we saw a nice landscapes with mountains, rivers, canyons, etc... Further along the train, we saw a beautiful bald eagles nest in an old tree. It was time that any of us had seen this in the wilderness.
After the walk we took the long way back to to the ranch. Before we returned, we rested at Tyax Camp where we took a break, a nap and played a game of cards, more esl practice!
It was a good week end!

Equine first aid with our esl teacher!

noreply@blogger.com (Chilcotin Holidays) — Sun, 19 Apr 2015 20:18:00 +0000

It was a long trip to Vancouver but it was a good one. After a six hour drive, a happy reunion with our intern Marie, who went on a family vacation for a few weeks, and a restful sleep, we were ready for an exciting day of learning new things about equine first aid.
Theresa, our esl teacher, welcomed us with a delicious breakfast at her small farm in the countryside of Vancouver. Besides the six of us, three more people took part in the course. The first part started with an interesting presentation about general behaviour and signs of horses. We talked about past experiences we made with sick or injured horses and Theresa gave us a lot of valuable input by summing up some of her past challenging situations. One thing that became evident from this was that: if your horse gets injured or sick, most of the times the best solution is the most creative and resourceful one!
After two hours of theoretical learning we went outside and started to practice on Theresa’s extremely patient horse Dixie the things that we had discussed earlier. We tried out everything beginning with checking the horse from its ears to its tail by taking all the vital signs like the heartbeat, measuring the body temperature and looking for any signs of dehydration. Everyone got the chance to give it a try and everybody would agree that finding and hearing the horse’s heart beat was the biggest challenge!

Afterwards we learned how to stretch a horse to make it feel comfortable every day. Our esl teacher Theresa showed us a number of different exercises and before we went back inside for a lunch break we practised our horse stretching skills. Even if it feels a bit strange at the beginning to pull on the horse’s tail or checking the spine with a hoof pick for any tension, everyone got comfortable with it extremely fast.
The second part of the course in the afternoon gave us a lot of new knowledge about how to handle horse injuries if no vet is around and how to analyze symptoms and react in critical situations. All this information gave us a lot of certainty and confidence in preparation for any upcoming situations. But as we know: theoretically knowing how to do something is one thing but actually doing it is usually a lot more challenging! And so we went outside again and practised in small groups on different horses. Each group got nine different simulated situations of injures or difficulties and had to find fitting solutions for them. So everyone got the chance to bandage different parts of the horse and to check its vital signs. It was a lot of fun and we should be grateful to the horses who worked as patient models.

"If your horse gets injured or sick, most of the times the best solution is the most creative and resourceful one!"

In the final part of the course we got a demonstration of a perfectly equipped first aid kit and some unusual but extremely helpful tools. The course finished in the late afternoon and we left the farm with numerous bags of new useful knowledge and interesting information about equine first aid.Lina, previous ESL student

Easter esl listening recap!

noreply@blogger.com (Chilcotin Holidays) — Thu, 16 Apr 2015 20:28:00 +0000

During my stay, I learned a lot of things like: cutting wood, making kindling, making a fire, western horse riding, and taking care of the horses. It's a perfect place to improve myself and get more independent. It's such a beautiful place to have my English lessons and improve my esl listening.

I really like to meet new nice people that I can speak with, and learn new vocabulary from. Here you can learn new skills and be more adaptable with different environments and situations. For the next few weeks I would like to improve my bareback riding, archery, and horse training skills.

We had a really lovely Easter weekend and enjoyed the time together.

Traditionally, we painted hard-shelled Easter eggs on Saturday with natural colours ( different vegetable and spices). While Dona prepared the BBQ, the boys were building a huge bonfire.
In the evening we had delicious home-made burgers with salads and for dessert we savored soft marshmallows. The fire kept us warm and so we enjoyed a long evening with guitar music, a lot of laughing, long conversations full of esl listening possibilities, and a bright full moon,
Early on Sunday morning, Alin and Kristen hid chocolate eggs around the ranch. After having breakfast, with special Austrian Easter bread, we went on a treasure hunt. It was a lot of fun. After we found hopefully all of the chocolate eggs, we shared everything ESL student Maud

English esl - studying in the wilderness

noreply@blogger.com (Chilcotin Holidays) — Thu, 09 Apr 2015 21:50:00 +0000

Yesterday we joined together to go for a lovely early afternoon hike into the wilderness. Kate, Corina, Maud, Ana and I traveled into the wilderness. We didn't see any wild animals as of yet, apart from the birds, and Boo dashing on and off the path. Soon the bears will awaken from their slumber, so we need to have our bear orientation to be fully prepared for the possibility of meeting them in nature. It has been an incredible blessing to finish work and school and walk outside to interact with the horses as well as exploring the wilderness. I honestly couldn't dream of a better place in the wilderness for someone to study English esl, do an internship and work as an instructor. The connection with nature is so rewarding. The fresh mountain air sure beats the polluted city air by a long shot. We all work together out here creating a symbiotic community so we can all thrive. The laws of nature are all around us, and we are learning to adapt to the ever changing environment.
bakig
Imagine experiencing the authentic wilderness while you work, study English esl and play.

Nature Deficit Disorder - esl in the wilderness is the cure!

noreply@blogger.com (Chilcotin Holidays) — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 19:49:00 +0000

Nature Deficit Disorder: Detection and Treatment

We live our lives day by day
Inside our houses, cars and offices without play
In the nature we long for
Not just the kind we hear in old folk lore

We bring plants, pictures, and animals into our homes
To help soothe the cut off of Nature unshown
How do we keep this connection alive?
We need to revive the disconnection.

How do you ignite the passion for nature?
Re-invite the wilderness into your life?
Intuitively cut the ties to the box life with a knife
Experientially connect with natural living culture

Correlation does not equal causation
So lets look at the cause and effect
Is living divorced from nature correct?
Or does the connection create common relation?

Well, you will see, the treatment with glee
With a grand adventure for a small fee
To come and learn how to find the unity
With an amazing opportunity

To learn Esl in the wilderness
Let go of the city bitterness
Find the courage inside
To connect outside

The Chilcotin way
will surly keep the NDD at bay

Esl program at the Wilderness Ranch

noreply@blogger.com (Chilcotin Holidays) — Sat, 04 Apr 2015 15:29:00 +0000

Esl program

In the sub-alpine meadows
There lay a guest ranch
Nestled in the mountain shadows
With an ESL program branch
With clear blue skies
In nature outside
And warm fires inside
Where the ranch house resides
If you're too cool
for city school
And wish to be
At a horse ranch to see
Where the wilderness is key
Immersed in nature
With all the creatures
Cougars, bears, wolves, horses galore
Come explore even more!
With full English immersion
You can create your own version
Of a truly Canadian experience
We have the ingredients!

Esl exercises - not always just a worksheet!

noreply@blogger.com (Chilcotin Holidays) — Sat, 28 Mar 2015 16:58:00 +0000

Wonderful nature on our way to Cinnabar Ridge!

When, Lina, Alina, Diana, Pauline, Kate and I, started our hiking trip on Friday morning, the weather looked ominous with the clouds were hiding the mountain tops and the sun barely shining through.
Nevertheless, we put on our rain gear, put the snowshoes in our backpacks and headed out on our mountain adventure.
In the beginning it was a little bit hard for me to find my rhythm as I hadn't done anything for my condition the last few months. But it got better every step I took and even it was lightly raining I enjoyed the feeling of being alive and having the connection with nature, carrying out esl exercises outside the classroom!
The dogs Malou and Boo were running around us and you could hear the sound of the forest around you and you could feel the peace of nature. I just felt like I was at the right place at the right time.

After a while we got into steeper terrain and the what was once dirt covered trails turned quickly into snow covered trails which got deeper and deeper the higher we ascended.
It was getting harder to walk in the snow, so we put on our snowshoes. With new power we walked further up and you could here the hard breathing of 5 girls (of course Kate was walking up the hill like it was nothing :)) and the constant “scht” “scht” sound of the snowshoes. When you took a short break you nearly could hear the silence of the snow and nature around you – just freedom and peace.
It didn't take long till one of us asked Kate the question we were all thinking about, “Is it still far to go?” Kate said something about 3 more corners and with new motivation we were nearly running up the hill, OK it was more an exhausting pushing yourself to do one step after the other, esl exercises indeed!.
The snow got deeper and the job for the front-woman even harder but we pushed each other up the hill.
Finally we decided that we reached our goal and we were sitting down to enjoy our well deserved lunch. It was one of the perfect and peaceful moments where you bite in your sandwich after an exhausting trip and you think how amazing your life is. Even though the weather was less than ideal, I enjoyed being in the present moment and not worrying about anything.
After a while sitting on the mountain top we started to get cold and decided to descend back to the ranch.

The last few steps up to the mountain top!
Now the funny part of the trip started. Kate had decided that it is unnecessary to walk all the way down the same track that we came up. Why not shorten the way and take a slide down!
We laughed a lot while sliding down the steep snow covered hill and suddenly the exhausting part was forgotten.
Still giggling we walked the whole way down while I was sometimes falling on the ground, my clumsiness keeping the others entertained and in a good mood.
Finally at half past 4 we arrived back at the Ranch tired, sweaty but satisfied and extremely happy. Proud or our achievement, we all headed of for a well deserved shower.
This trip taught me to always keep moving forwards, regardless if you feel exhausted and you think you can't take another step further, just do it – fight for it and you'll be fulfilled with life and satisfaction afterwords. And never turn down an opportunity because you think “the circumstances are bad” (like the weather) – it could prevent you from having an unforgettable adventure in your life!

Thanks for the nice day girls, can't wait for the next adventure and challenge! Hanna, 22, Student from Austria

Diverse esl courses

noreply@blogger.com (Chilcotin Holidays) — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 16:46:00 +0000

Sunny spring days and bags full of motivation and curiosity – we are ready for a endless number of activities in the upcoming months! Now that the days are getting longer and warmer we can get the most out of our days. Early sunrises give us the chance to go for a run before breakfast and a late sunset gets everyone outside after dinner to sit by the campfire roasting marshmallows or play Volleyball. All of our staff members have their own interest and skills that they want to develop and improve. Kate built a new target and got her own bow; now she wants to improve her archery skills.

Warm and sunny spring days: perfect circumstances to improve archery skills! Pauline wants to learn how to jump on a horse without a saddle and practices by climbing all the fences as if they were horses. Alina works with our wild horse Ranger and gets Cinnabar ready for horse logging by lunging him every day to train his muscles. While learning how to pack a horse and trim hooves Marie and Lina get ready for the Guide School. Our esl courses provide a variety of challenges, not just esl English!

The sunny days melt the last remains of winter each day. The snow line goes further up the mountains and we get the chance to go for longer hikes and see more wild animals. We have already seen deer grazing just behind the office and the bears will end their hibernation soon so we will hopefully get the opportunity to watch some of these wonderful animals strolling through the mountains in the coming weeks.

Everyone is happy and excited to have the opportunity to gain new experiences through our esl courses and as we all know: there will be even more incredible memories made than we can possibly imagine!

What new adventure do you have planed? Have you ever tried to use an arrow and a bow, do you want to learn how to drive a skidder or get the chance to watch bears playing with their cubs in the blooming meadows? You are interested in horse logging, angling, log cabin building, wildlife watching or want to become part of a Pack-Trip? Visit us in the sunny South Chilcotin Mountains and become a part of this wonderful wilderness by learning new skills and creating thousands of unforgettable memories!

Wildlife viewing provides unique memories!

Developing outside the esl curriculum

noreply@blogger.com (Chilcotin Holidays) — Sun, 22 Mar 2015 19:07:00 +0000

"Nothing is better than learning English while living on a real Wilderness Ranch."

Our ESL student Lina from Germany finished her 4 week classes at the ranch. All her unique experiences, valuable adventures and exciting plans for the next months are summed up in the following text! After successfully accomplishing my four week Esl curriculum Program last week, it's time to write about all my exciting, unique and challenging experiences. Presumably, the most difficult part for me seemed to be the first week at the ranch. Even though everyone gave me a friendly welcome and I felt like a part of the big family since the first moment, this environment was still foreign to me. I made it my goal to experience as much as possible and to be part of every aspect of ranch life whether it be driving the tractor, feeding the horses or preparing dinner. Fortunately, I integrated incredibly quickly. I am definite that my lessons in the mornings were a reason for this smooth integration too. My kind and motivating teacher Kate was a help for me whenever needed. She passed on a lot of knowledge about the ranch and its surroundings and certainly supported me to become a part of this wonderful environment. We worked together three hours a day to improve my English vocabulary, writing and speaking skills with the esl curriculum. The language seemed to become a bigger part of me every day and finally, I lost my fear of speaking English!
In the afternoons I got the chance to get involved in a endless number of ranch activities such as horse-riding, snowmobile driving, snowshoeing, archery or bareback-riding, just to name a few. Beside that, luckily, I got the opportunity to take my PAL. Retrospectively, I created so many memories within the last four weeks. It is almost impossible to sum them up because so much happens every day which makes it hard to remember the adventures that occurred three days ago...!

Time for adventure: our students learn about survival and bushcraft in the wilderness.

In addition, living at the ranch is a very valuable chance for me to develop myself. By taking a lot of responsibility and investing in myself I can already feel a change in my personal character and behaviour. Learning new things and finding solutions for arising difficulties makes me grow as a person every day.
In conclusion, I can say that the time I have spent here until now has already exceeded my expectations. I am happy that I have the chance to spend another four months at the ranch (Comprehensive Immersion Program) and I am certain that a lot more unique experiences will come up in the next stage of my adventure!

Spring Preparations after esl

noreply@blogger.com (Chilcotin Holidays) — Sun, 01 Mar 2015 03:44:00 +0000

Surprisingly early, spring seems to have arrived at the ranch. After a really short winter, the snow has almost vanished from around the ranch. Only the cold nights and snowy white mountain tops remind us that it is still February. However, everyone here is enthusiastic and ready to welcome spring as this is the time when we finally start riding the mountain tops again! With the pack trip season in mind, we are getting our horses - and staff - ready for the eventful summer.

Two weeks ago, our horses got a complete medical check up, including teeth floating and hoof trimming. During their "winter holidays" our horses have been quite lazy: They were out in the pastures around the ranch, eating lots of hay and were only taken out for a ride when the weather and snow conditions allowed for it. To get them and us back into shape, we have introduced a daily work out: a run in the morning for the staff and a long reining session for the horses in the afternoon.

It is also time for all our new staff including our esl student Lina, who has successfully completed her English classes and is now joining our esl Extended Immersion Program, to practice all the skills you need as a guide at our ranch.

After learning how to trim a horse, we were shown how to pack a horse. As a guide you will always have to take a pack horse with you which carries food and other supplies for you and your guests. It is extremely important to learn the correct way of packing and securing all goods on the horse. Otherwise it will get sore and it cannot be used for a long time.
Packing boxes on a horse might seem easy but it requires a lot of practice and the right technique: From balancing the weight, to learning all the knots (the bowline, the barrel knot, the granny knot, half hitches and the 3/4 diamond hitch!) and finally covering and tightening the pack.
If you are interested learning more about our esl Extended Immersion Program which is part of our esl package, have a look at our website!