LSI London Central’s student, Stacy Perea from Mexico, enjoyed a number of events at the Olympic Games, including the football final and the Closing Ceremony. Here she gives her account of the experience.

“For me the Olympic Games of 2012 were one of the most wonderful experience’s I’ve had in London, that’s why I’m so happy and glad to have been here during this time. To live in London is a big opportunity to enjoy events which are the best in the World and are made with very high quality as well.”
“During this period I was able to appreciate beautiful spectacles and watch on all different kinds of sports. I also learned about British sports such as fencing, netball, tennis and polo and this was so interesting and exciting for me. At the same time, I could support athletes who represented my country and this was amazing. In my opinion the Olympic Games was a fantastic event, which brings together people from all over the world and I met people with so many different cultures. It was a real privilege to get to know the Olympic Park, Wembley Stadium and the Excel Centre where I lived euphoria, failure and happiness at the same time.”

LSI London Central is a language school located in the very centre of the British Capital, minutes from everything London has to offer. We offer General English, Examination Preparation, Business and Executive Mini Group and one-to-one courses alongside a wide range of accommodation options. The Paralympic Games take place in London from August 29th – September 9th and a number of tickets are still available. For more information, contact us on lon@lsi.edu .

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.”

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!

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 spite of her diminutive size Ms. Kubota is a force to be reckoned with! Since her arrival here on March 1^st, 2011, Ms. Kubota has become an integral part of the staff and wears many caps in the office:  at times receptionist, bulletin board art director, master office clerk, LSI NY Facebook page administrator, new student orientation guide and slang-of-the-week curator, Ms. Kubota is not one to shy away from a new challenge.

Currently 22 years old, Ms. Kubota will be a senior when she returns to Tokyo University of Foreign Studies where she is majoring in Spanish and Gender Studies. Upon completion of her studies, Ms. Kubota hopes to work for a NGO in the field of education, specifically in the developing world. Ms. Kubota is fluent in English, having spent six years of her childhood in Los Angeles, USA, where her father was transferred for work. 

Ms. Kubota says she is grateful for the experience of interning here at LSI New York. “So far it’s been wonderful! One good thing about working in a language school is that I can meet students from many countries.”  Ms. Kubota says she is learning valuable skills on the job, such as learning how to answer the phone and respond to students’ questions in English. She also feels much more confident now when it comes to speaking in public: every Monday, Ms. Kubota is in charge of introducing the school’s activities calendar to the new students at orientation.

Ms. Kubota also shared her insights about some of the differences between the workplace here in the USA and in Japan. “At my last job in Japan–a “cram” school where high school students are prepared for high school exams—the staff did everything together. There weren’t specific tasks for each worker, whereas here in the US, everyone has a clearly defined position. Because of this, in Japan people may take less responsibly for their work since everyone shares in each other’s mistakes.”

Ms. Kubota says she enjoys living in New York City but misses Tokyo. She misses her family the most but also the clean and quiet underground service. Overall, Ms. Kubota is very satisfied with her experience here so far and will miss the camaraderie in the office of LSI NY. “I’m having so much fun here and I recommend this experience for any intern from abroad.”

We wish Ms. Kubota the best of luck and hope she will not forget her family here at LSI New York when she returns to Japan in early December!  Genkidene,Mai!

LSI Berkeley had a successful summer with four new groups attending the school, two of which came from China. These two Chinese groups had about 33 students per group. Each group had a great time while in Berkeley and gave the school great reviews for homestay, activities, and the academic program.

 One student said, “I think my class is very active and I enjoyed my class. My teacher helped me a lot.”

 Many students also felt that the homestay program was enriching, “This is really a dreamful experience. The host treated us well and I had a good time.”

Our activity coordinator, Aiden, also showed the students the wonderful sights of Berkeley. Students toured UC Berkeley campus, roamed the Botanical Gardens, played sports in the park, and ended their final day with a pizza party celebration! We are so happy that these Chinese students could come to our school and hope that many more will come in the future.

For the past three weeks LSI New York have had the pleasure of hosting Tammy Campos Di Calafiori as a student at the school.  The NY Director of studies, Kerry Linder, managed to catch up with this accomplished young actress from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil after one of the afternoon classes and took the opportunity to find out more about this famous actress …

In her native country, Tammy is best known as “Lorena,” one of the stars of the daytime “novela” Passione. In this popular soap opera, Tammy is part of a love triangle involving her mother and her mother’s boyfriend! Here she is in action.   Recently, Tammy also played the role in the feature film A Suprema Felicidade by acclaimed director/screenwriter Arnaldo Jabor; in this period film, Tammy takes on the part of an ingénue stripper, a role she told me she thoroughly enjoyed researching and playing.

In spite of her star quality, intrinsic beauty and accomplishments at such a young age, Tammy is surprisingly down to earth and friendly, and comes to us after having completed an acting course combining the Suzuki Method and Viewpoints, at SITI Company in NYC. Like Tammy, a growing number of young creative professionals attending LSI New York are choosing to combine an intensive language program with specialized study in their field here in NYC, be it in acting, photography, dance, or some other artistic discipline.

Tammy, whose course is being sponsored by our partner in Brazil SIS Intercâmbio, says she enjoys taking the subway and walking in New York without being recognized. Regarding her courses here at LSI, Tammy says she is very satisfied and plans to extend her course and return to LSI New York at a later date. “I like studying here because I can make friends from all over the world and I get a lot of practice. I really like this school and I think the teachers and methodology are very good. My teacher Anna is great! This week for class, we had to research a famous person and give a presentation to the rest of class. I did a presentation on the artist Jackson Pollock; next time I am thinking of doing a presentation on my city, Rio de Janeiro!”

No doubt we will be hearing a lot more about this talented young actress in the years to come. We certainly look forward to hosting her when she is back in NYC. In the mean time, we wish Tammy boa sorte which means “good luck” in her native Portuguese!

LSI has been successfully running Young Learner courses at our schools in London Hampstead, Toronto, Brighton and San Diego for two years and for 2010 we have also introduced a campus programme at Chichester. These courses are proving to be increasingly popular with record numbers booking the courses this summer. Below you can read some recent feedback that we have received from the family of one of our students on our London Hampstead Young Learners Course.

Laura Navadijos Peral wrote the following to school director Greg Wickline, ” I would like to thank you and congratulate you for the quality of the study programme your school has offered my nephew Jorge Calvo Navadijos. Jorge finished a two weeks young learners course on Saturday 24^th of July and he has repeatedly told us how happy he has been with the classes. Jorge has greatly appreciated having more than one teacher every day with different styles and accents and he has found that the rhythm and the exercises were very fresh and different from the methodology he has always followed in his home country Spain.”

Laura continues, ” From my side, his uncle and his family in Spain we would like to thank you for making us feel he was in safe hands. We felt he was given the protection that was needed at his age and level of English and we sense he has not felt overprotected. Greg, from my first interaction with you a few months back I had the feeling we were choosing the right school and I am glad we were right. We will recommend your school wholeheartedly to our friends in England and Spain with children in similar ages and situations.”

We thank Laura for taking the time to give us feedback on our Young Learners Course and for the helpful suggestions she has made to improve the course even further. It’s great to know when we have happy students!

At LSI we have always promoted our Multi-Center courses as a unique way to combine travelling the world with study and the opportunity to be exposed to a variety of different cultures. Don’t think that just because English is spoken in Australia, Canada, the USA , the UK and New Zealand that our students will have the same experiences wherever they study. Even the language itself can change depending on where you study!

Back in March, the LSI blog featured Japanese student Kayo Yamaguchi as she was leaving the 2010 Winter Olympic host city of Vancouver for sunny San Diego. We caught up with her again in the beginning of May during her last week at LSI San Diego. We were curious how she enjoyed her multi-center experience:

“At first I wanted to go to Vancouver because of the Olympics, but actually I like to stay in hot weather and I wanted to live in California so that is why I decided to move to California after Vancouver. It was a nice decision because I could feel the atmosphere of two countries and compare the two countries. I liked that the student makeup of each school was different. It was very interesting for me to meet people from so many different countries.”

Kayo explained her reasons for learning English:
“I’d like to study at university using my English. I want to study sports management which is why I went to the Olympic city of Vancouver. I am going to study in the UK since London is hosting the next Olympics in 2012.”

From what Kayo was saying it seems we may be seeing her sometime soon at one of our London schools, LSI London Central or LSI London Hampstead.

“As a former student and now the summer activities coordinator at LSI Vancouver, I am in a great position to come up with  fun activities for after school,” states Dalibor Vartovnik, the newest member of the LSI Vancouver team. “Vancouver is known as an active city with plenty of opportunities to enjoy free time outside. For example, last week I took our students to explore the beauty of Stanley Park, the largest urban park in not just Canada but North America. It takes just about 20 minutes on foot to reach this amazing place, which should be the envy of every other city. We rented bikes and had an astonishing ride around the seawall. The many attractions such as Siwash Rock, Lost Lagoon, Lions Gate Bridge and the Totem Poles make Stanley Park the best place for relaxing and recharging yours batteries after a long day of studying.”

“If I haven’t convinced you yet what about kayaking in Deep Cove, hiking in Grouse Mountain, swimming in the ocean or playing volleyball on the beach. All these activities keep our students in good shape and eager to study English here at LSI Vancouver. Summer is the best season in Vancouver and all us here at LSI Vancouver welcome anyone who wants to share joy and broaden his/her English. At LSI Vancouver you will never be bored!”