Swedish student Johanna Hallin spent two months studying English at LSI London Central and wished to have her thoughts about her stay published here on the LSI Blog. The 22 year old student had travelled to the UK in March with the intention of improving her English for her job.

“”Going to London and to LSI was absolutely the best choice I’ve ever made. Not only did I learn a lot of English, met a lot of people and saw the city but I learned about other countries because of the multicultural environment in the city and school.

I got to meet a lot of wonderful people I’m sure I would never have met in Sweden and because I travelled by myself I got to know myself so much better. LSI as a school is really great, the staff is great and they really do everything to meet all your expectations, everything from the fun Social Programme to helping you if you have any troubles.

The School has the best location in the middle of the city off Tottenham Court Road so after school you can walk to Oxford Circus or Piccadilly Circus. The premises are really clean and bright and soon they’ll have a new study room with computers and books etc. WiFi is free in the whole building and you can borrow a computer as well.

The atmosphere in the school is really great and everybody, including the students, is really welcoming and nice.
I made a lot of friends in the two months I was there and it wasn’t hard at all to get to know them. A lot of people are afraid in the beginning because they leave their safe zone in their countries but to be honest the first week is the worst, it’s very confusing. But as I said the staff is always there to support you and encourage you . As a personal input, the first week I cried because I was scared the second I cried because I knew I had to leave sooner or later.

I promise you that coming to LSI is something you’ll never forget or regret. So if you want to try to live abroad, studying at LSI is the best choice.”

According to the well-regarded English newspaper, The Telegraph, 2011 saw a rise of almost 50%  of private sector schools, including language schools, forced to close as a direct result of changes to the student visa system. The changes have made it increasingly difficult for students outside the European community to come and study in the UK by increasing the level of English student must have obtained before enrolling on courses and by restricting students right to paid work once in the country and studying. The UK Goverment’s intention is to try and cut down on bogus schools who in the past have offered an easy way for immigrants to enter the country. Unfortunately these new regulations are hitting genuine, accredited schools as well due to the drop in students numbers from outside the EU. For further information read the full Telegraph article.

Lev (Leo) Chesnov is from Moscow, Russia. He has a degree in cinematography and spent many years working in the Russian film industry. When his teacher, Cindy, gave his class an assignment to create a presentation about how to make their favorite food, Leo decided to draw on his cinematography background to create a video presentation about borscht, a traditional Russian beet soup. The video is informative and entertaining, and the soup looks really enticing. Good job, Leo!

After 20 years working at various LSI schools, David Hughes is now reaching the end of his last week as the school director for LSI New York. Whilst it will be hard for LSI to see him go, we wish him all the best for his exciting new plans for the future. Here David tells us a little more about the wonderful years he has spent at LSI.

“How long do you think you will stay at your next job? A year, three years? More? Well, when I started teaching at LSI Vancouver twenty years ago, I thought I would stay for a little while and then move on. After all, I had never lived in the same house for more than three years, and I’d just come back to Canada after five years of teaching English in Tokyo, Tunis and Barcelona. Vancouver was nice, but I didn’t expect to be there for very long. And I was right. Less than two years later, I agreed to move out to Toronto to open LSI’s second Canadian school. The plan was to supervise that project, hire teachers and staff, then hire a permanent Director and come back to Vancouver after about six months… HA!!”

“A year went by. I assembled every kind of school furniture you can imagine, hired a group of teachers and staff that are still among my good friends, typed invoices, responded to faxes and sent confirmations by Canada post. We leased more space in the building. Three years went by. I assembled more desks. I bought a Compaq computer for $1200 and Microsoft Office (for $200 or something). I still typed invoices every Friday, but there were rumors of a computer system that would make my Smith-Corona redundant. Once, I rented walls to make additional classrooms in the empty suite next door. We had picnics on Toronto Island in the summer and rented a church refectory for Christmas dinner. We took dozens of students to Niagara Falls, up the CN Tower, and to Canada’s Wonderland. We even went skiing in winter until a Brazilian student stepped into his bindings, went backwards through the shop, zipped across the parking lot, over a snow bank and into a tree. Not bad, considering he was registered blind!”

“And so it went on for five or six years. Toronto was growing, the school was doing well. And when the chance came to buy a small building in Rosedale, LSI took it. Busy summer! Two locations, lots of students. More picnics on the island, but fewer nights playing pool at the Pilot. Every day I jumped on the streetcar, rolled past Kensington Market and the University of Toronto. Our teachers were great, the folks in the office really knew what they were doing, and the students were determined to keep things interesting. They studied hard, sure, but they also started a fire in the student lounge, bought old cars and drove to Vancouver, played guitars downstairs, walked to Downsview Park to see the Pope and almost won the first ever Toronto ESL idol contest!”

“And then I heard that Rosemary, the Director in LSI New York, was retiring and that old rambling feeling was awakened. I talked about it with my girlfriend. We decided it was worth a try. She’s a visual artist, and a wanderer, too. I asked , and LSI said yes. In December of 2008, I said goodbye to the best group of friends I’d ever had and headed off to the Big Apple, to a house in Queens with a crazy roommate. A year later, Sherri and I got married – in Las Vegas, by Elvis – and she and the cats bundled down from Toronto. No more interrogations at the border for her! Finally, we moved to Bed-Stuy, in Brooklyn – Jay-Z, Chris Rock, Norah Jones and Mike Tyson all lived there when they were kids. Then it was a no-go neighborhood but things have changed here so much. And all for the better.”

“LSI New York is a great school. It’s got that LSI family feel and the students are extremely cool (of course). We have some good things going with the Metropolitan College of New York, including taking a group of their MBA students to LSI Zurich and London as part of a case study. Every year some of our students enroll there and there’s an international student association coming soon. New Yorkers are a nice bunch of people as long as you don’t waste their time. And everywhere you go, you feel like you’re in a movie.”

“But that spell of staying has been broken and I decide that changing cities isn’t enough. I have been studying for a Masters in Non-Profit Management offered by the New School University and I’m just about to finish my first semester but come the Fall I want to go full-time. Hence my decision to say a sad farewell to LSI.”

“So that’s where I’m at. This is my last week at LSI. After twenty years. Who knew? All the best to everyone I have worked with both students and staff.”

And all the best to you David from all of LSI. Thanks for everything!

On Wednesday 21st March Brazilian Picasso Fontenelle was invited by the mayor of  Auckland to make a speech  at the ‘International Student Welcome’ which was held at Auckland town hall. In his speech he outlined his own experiences and advice to all the new students at the event. Here is an excerpt from his speech.

“I have been living here in Auckland since July last year, that’s about 8 months. In my country I am in my third year at university studying nutrition. I was born in a small town, called Camocim, and when I was fourteen years old I was sent by my parents from my hometown to live with my aunty and my uncle in Fortaleza, the capital of my state, a place with more opportunities and better schools.

Like Auckland, Fortaleza is a coastal city with harbours and bathed by the ocean. The difference between the two places is the weather. In Fortaleza we have a real sunny summer, in Auckland we have to be ready for the four seasons in one day. It’s not a bad thing for me, though. I actually found it refreshing to be in a place with such unpredictable days. After getting used to it, I discovered that is what makes New Zealand an untypical, magical and special place.

The crazy weather, the new school environment, the new food and the new people are all things that may scare overseas students, but they have all, in my case been pleasant surprises. Compared with Brazil, our diet is very unlike the diet here. We don’t eat things such as lamb and potatoes every day. It takes some adjusting to. I know. Never before had I seen someone who can eat a bag of potatoes per week. But stay open and you will see that every day the potato or whatever you eat will have a different flavour.

Of course you will have to process a lot of different reactions while you’re adjusting to a new culture and environment.  But take it day by day. Forget the distance between you and your home country. Use your imagination and you will realise that the strange food you are eating is not only “normal”, but it’s a piece of a new culture that is going into your mouth, becoming part of you.

I recommend you to get to know about the history of New Zealand. Ask your teachers about it. Get to know the European “kiwis” and Maori. Get to know about how these two distinct cultures made this unique country.

When I arrived here, my first impression wasn’t the best. My flight was delayed and instead of arriving at 7 o’clock in the morning in Auckland I arrived at midnight. Transfer was ok, friendly and brought me where it was supposed to. However, finding the homestay house was a problem – and midnight is not the best time to arrive in a stranger’s home. I felt a bit rude, but it wasn’t my fault. My homestay mother gave me a drink, showed me the house and my room and went to sleep. This made me think that I wouldn’t like the place and the people… but, I was completely wrong. Considering that we, Brazilians, are known as friendly and fun-loving people, something made me think that I wouldn’t find these qualities elsewhere. But with the time, I realised that there wasn’t a better place I could be. I discovered new things, new food, new culture, new people, the kiwi lifestyle, having fun… And unexpectedly, I got a mum, a dad, a brother and a sister (I’ve never had a brother and sister before!), aunties, uncles, cousins who now are part of my mind and my heart. People who will be hard to say goodbye to and whom I will never forget. What I got from them was a lot more that I could hope for. They are unique, awesome. Love, this is the word I can define what I feel for them. If you are lucky, you can get the same. There are lots of nice families with big open hearts.

So it’s people that have been the highlight of my trip, the great people I’ve met here. This includes friends. You might think that the friends you make here aren’t forever, mainly when this friend comes from another country far away from where you come from. But that’s not true. You will meet people here that will make a mark in your heart, people who you will rely on and who will make you suffer when you have to part. Because, to tell the truth, it’s impossible to say when will be the next time you are going to see each other again. That’s the tough part of the trip. Great when you make a bond with someone and deeply sad when you see him or her go. But that’s the life, that’s how it works.

For you who have just arrived, never allow yourself to feel bored. New Zealand is a country with a lot to see. Beautiful cities around with impressive scenery. Towns like Taupo, Coromandel and Paihia are must-see places to go. But even if you are only in Auckland, there is a lot to see as well. Entertainment, walking, places and good scenery you will find here. Enjoy your time. But if your purpose is merely to study, you will find it easy do so here. There is always someone who can help you with your difficulties in the language. Just look for someone and you will find help. Of course, nothing in life is easy. But difficulties are here to challenge and teach you, and you have to face them and win the “battle”, an everyday battle that in the end will make you a winner. There are no barriers between us. We are students from different countries who came to New Zealand to learn one language which can help us to communicate with each other. We are all humans, able to communicate independent of origin.

I would like to finish with one final piece of advice. No matter how basic your English is, if you want to say something, say it. Just try. Don’t be shy or afraid about saying something badly. You are here to learn and people will respect you for making the effort. Go ahead; there will be a time when you all will be able to understand each other in any situation. What makes us understand each other eventually is the human interaction that we can’t avoid. The language barrier is nothing compared to the things we can do. Be patient, take it easy and keep your mind clear. Everything comes in the right time. ”

In January Célia Regina Viganó studied at LSI London Central for 3 weeks. As an English teacher in Pato Branco, Brazil, her main purpose was to improve her English , her pronunciation and to learn about the culture from first hand. Staying with a host family gave her plenty of opportunity to experience British culture and food plus indulge her love of animals thanks to the friendly miniature schnauzer Jemmy, the host family pet dog. Célia loved the atmosphere at the school and was able to absorb new teaching techniques used by the LSI teachers which she intends to use in her own teaching back in Brazil. She especially enjoyed the opportunity to make friends with fellow students from all around the world.

When Celia arrived home after her studies she was asked to write down the impressions she had of her trip. If you know Portuguese , you can read a very full account of her trip in an article written for her local newspaper Diário do Sudoeste.

LSI Vancouver recently held a pajama party for its students. Pajamas, also called pyjamas and PJs, are a loose top and matching trousers that are  usually worn in bed so it was a bit of a surprise as well as great fun for the students to be invited to the party at school. One of the student’s , Tânia  Amorim from Brazil, decided to write about the experience.

“The ‘Pajamas Party’ was one of many creative ideas from my lovely teacher, Chloe. Initially it was only planned for our class but in the end the entire school participated! Our teachers, Chloe and Steve, had on some funny pajamas and there was a lot of laughter! It was amazing to see students saying “Good Morning” while wearing pajamas with cute teddy bears and slippers on. Can you see in the picture I took? Really, LSI Vancouver is the best English language school ever if a little crazy !!”

LSI Brisbane is unique in being the only centre in Brisbane to be able to offer both the TOEFL preparation course and the TOEFL test all under one roof. Unlike other language centres in Brisbane, students will be able to study and sit the exam all in the same familiar environment. Great for those of you who get a little nervous when taking tests!

LSI Brisbane is offering the following test dates for the first half of the year: February 11, March 10, April 14, May 12, June 30. More exam dates will be published by the school later in the year.

TOEFL is offered as an elective with General English. At LSI Brisbane the electives are in the second morning session from 11.10am to 12.50pm from Monday to Friday, so all students whether Intensive 30, Intensive 24 or Standard 20 are able to join the class. Students need to have a minimum of Intermediate level in order to take this elective.The timetable gives examples of how the TOEFL elective (as well as TOEIC and Business English) are worked into the General English courses (Intensive 30, Intensive 24 and Standard 20). This timetable affords great flexibility for our LSI students to specialise a subject of their interest independant of the hours they study – something trully appreciated by all of our students!

Version 2.0 of LSI’s language Test App was released in late October and since then has been downloaded well over 2’500 times. In addition to the original multiple-choice grammar test of version 1.0, the updated App also tests reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. It is downloadable to your iPhone, iPod and, for the first time, to your iPad. At the moment, version 2.0 tests English only. French and German tests will be added in 2012. Visit the App Store and type in “LSI” to try it for your-self or email zur@lsi.edu to find out more.

LSI Cambridge staff (male members only of course!) have been growing moustaches for a charity fund raising event. Throughout November they have participated in ‘Movember’, a charity campaign to raise money for Cancer Research.

School director Phil Scherb, and teachers Chris George and Paul Corey have all willingly sacrificed the clean shaven look for this worthy cause. And what a transformation. After an itchy month Phil and Chris are looking forward to the moment when they can shave. Paul however has not been so fortunate. It seems his family like the new look so much they have insisted he keeps his until after Christmas! Well done to all of you and for raising so much money for charity.