Students at Embassy CES

My First Party in Auckland.

I enjoyed my first party in Auckland last Friday at our handsome and kind librarian SJ's place.

He had told me that he was going to throw a party and asked if I wanted to join and I said yes, of course.

That would be a very good opportunity to meet many friends who have many various nationalities - and it really was.

 

I had imagined some big and formal party with people in very formal suits and dresses.
Becuase in Korea we're not very familiar with the party customs.

And also I haven't had many chances to know about parties because I can't drink. It's not a matter of like religion or belief things. I have a bad headache after drinking some liquor.
I hate a headache. Everybody asks that - I don't know why but maybe I look like I like to drink. ^^

I think it's good for my health but sometimes fell a little sorry when my friends are going to a bar and I want to join them. But I can still have some soda, ade and water so it doesn't matter any more to me.

Anyway, before having the party I had been wondering how it would be and then SJ kindly explained to me about that.

First, you don't have to prepare food. If you want, bring some food to share.

Second, you should bring some drinks such as wine, beer, soju (famous Korean liquor), etc.

Third, you don't have to wear a suit.

And last, don't be shy. Come and enjoy meeting people, making friends, having great foods.
Everyone except me might know those above.

I promised to SJ that I would help him to make food. He had already made his decision of food: Chicken Barbeque, Sushi, Korean Pizza. There was one more thing but we had forgotten to make it, so we ate it the day after. Sorry guys who were at the party, it also was great.

Well, I've been living by myself for alomost 10 years so I can cook a little. I was in charge of Korean Pizza.

Actually, Russian friends were really interested in how to make it, and they tried some and made the kitchen a little messy, I mean very little.

At 6:30, the people were coming one by one and talking to one another while the foods were prepared. I thougnt it would be great if I interviewed these guys and asked them for their story and some advice. It might be very helpful to other students.

So I did it. ^^

There were 12 people, but Russian friends had to leave early so I couldn't talk with them much. Tragic...

Ok. I asked some questions to them and they answered really well.
I really appreciate this to you guys through this blog.

 
First friend is Jirika Vorba from the Czech Republic.
He majored in computer-science in the Univ. before coming here.
Q: Why did you choose New Zealand?
A: The great nature, English, softball (he plays twice a week with local people), travel, adventure.
Q: Do you have any special place which you travelled to before?
A: Kauri tree, it's really big and over 300 years old, the fresh air, views. I had a great time there. You must go there.

* Kauri tree. It's at the end of the north island.

Q: Why do you study English?
A: English is the best way to communicate with people all over the world. It's also helpful for my job.
Q: What do you think about Embassy?
A: I am satisfied with well-educated teachers. I had good time.
Q: Would you give any advice to other students who study English?
A: Watch movies, listen to the people, radio, take as many chances as you can.
Q: Do you want to say something?
A: Hi, Nadia!
Thank you Jirika.

Next, SKY from Cambodia.
He came to NZ because his relatives already had lived here.
And he is in foundation course now and will enter AUT to study the international business.
He told me that the time he spent in Taopo, Whakapapa Ski Area.

It was a great experience to him because it was August but not that cold so he could enjoy skiing with just shirt on. Wow. And it is located on the north-western slopes of Mt Ruapehu.
He likes to study by himself, sometimes do a study group.
He emphasized that the students have to concentrate during their class.

 
The third friend is Dean from the Republic of Turkey. He majored in Finance, but wants to study how to cook. We can maybe see him as a chef later.

He chose NZ because the NZ dollar is cheaper than others, and to travel. Bungee jumping and scuba diving were great experiences, he said. He is studying English to get a good score in the IELTS test and I'm sure he'll do very well. Studying hard as much as you can before coming here was his advice.

And my Korean friends Min, Yujin, Mijin.
They are also studying hard here and said to me this: many students could be depressed after three months staying here. But don't worry, it's natural and you would get it over soon. I wish them luck.

Last, James from Vietnam.
He goes Auckland Univ. now and majors both commerce and science.
He is interested in music, movie, philosophy, psychology.
And also he gave me some advice.
Be confident and don't be afraid of making mistakes when you speak English.

 

This is a little longer than I thought it would be - but it's not all that I wanted to tell.
It was a great time for me. I met many friends and could learn a lot from them.
Some of you already enjoy and some of you don't, but I think with good people and food it would be great. So if you have a good chance, just try and enjoy it.
 

That's all I want to tell you.
Next time I want to write about our library where I spend so much time.
And thank you again for your time. Cheers!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Hello! I'm Myungho from South Korea.

 
Hello everybody! Let me introduce myself to you. My name is Myungho and from South Korea. If it's difficult for you to pronounce my Korean name, you can call me Mier. I will be posting my every experiences in New Zealand in a week and I hope you to enjoy reading mine. I've lived in Seoul, the capital of Korea, for 9 years. I think many of you know about Seoul and later I will introduce more about Seoul to you. I am sure that it's interesting for you to compare Seoul to Auckland and the city you're from. Well, I like travelling, sports, talking with people.

Especially, if you are interested in playing basketball, you can join us, me and SJ who is a librarian, every Saturday at the YouthTown. By the way, I'd like to start with telling you how I start this. When I was asked to write a blog, I thought this would be a great chance to tell the students from all over the world my life in Auckland, NZ and Korea. I really appreciate Nadia for letting me know all about this.

Of course there are so many reasons why people study English. Among a number of the reasons, I study English to become a good teacher. I've been teaching the students the grammar of English at a language institute. The private educational institutes are very popular in Korea. Maybe over the 60% of the students go to. Actually I couldn't find jobs which I was interested in. But I realized that I enjoyed teaching while I was working. So I decided to study English more to give my students the better lessons.

And why I chose New Zealand and Auckland? There are three main reasons.

First, most of the people I've met here agreed with this, the New Zealand dollar is cheaper than other major cities around the world. I had considered USA, England, Australia, etc. But their living costs are too high to manage on. The prices of New Zealand is a little higher than Korea. It depends on which is but much better than other countries.

Second, as I said above I like travelling and this was my first trip overseas so I wanted a best place to travel. There are many beautiful beaches, mountains and other attractions which would make you forget about everything from your daily life such as homework, bills to pay and anything bothering you. I promise that I'll tell you my trip of New Zealand on the following post.

The last, I've learned that New Zealanders are very kindly to visitors and I could meet people from various nationalities in my school. I was sure this would be a great experience in my life and it has been so far. The teachers, friends, others would want to help me to study, to find a job and many things. And I'd like to help others if they want to.

Although I planned to study for 6 months, I would stay more and want to enter the Massey University after my language course. I will be able to learn more about the education and that makes me more qualified to be a teacher.

Finally, I want to tell the students who are learning English this. Do not afraid of making mistakes and just try and thank you for your time reading my blog. I wish that every students could enjoy living in New Zealand and achieve your goals.

Good luck!

It is Time to Say 'Goodbye!'

Yes, this is it! Before you even notice, you only have eight days left in the place where you had one of the best times of your entire life.

Five months ago, when I thought about the final days in New Zealand, it always seemed to me such a long time to come. I had this kind of feeling that it would last -, well I can't say forever (it would be childish of me to think like that), but at least it would last more than this. As If I had the power to cheat on time, and make it longer. But, time is the most powerful ever. There is nothing we can do to prevent it. The only thing we can do is enjoy it.

 

And enjoying is something that I can honestly say I did. New Zealand for me was not only a place where I could practice and improve my English. It turned out to be more, way more. 

It was the place where I met the most amazing people (teachers at Embassy included); where I could share and learn more than in any other course in my life, making me more open-minded than before; where I could try all types of food; where I saw the most amazing landscapes ever; and the best and most important of all, where I could mature and learn about myself.

I am even feeling like a different person than five months ago and that was more than I could have hoped for, from this trip.

Study English in New Zealand and have the time of your life

Traveling Around New Zealand - Part Two

Even though the biggest city in New Zealand by far, Auckland is commonly mistaken as the capital of the country. Not everyone is aware of the fact that Wellington is actually the capital of the land of the kiwis.It is a nice and pleasant place and worth a visit if you are around the country.

The city is really different from what I have seen in Auckland. It is not as cosmopolitan and big. Rather than that, Wellington is quite smaller and there aren't many foreigners. However, downtown is bigger than Auckland and you can find more options of things to do and see. As a matter of fact, night-life is better and everything seems livelier.

Go to Cuba Road, and see all the street artists performing live on the street (even whole bands do it). Or if you just want to have something to eat, Wellington is the right place to be if you are in New Zealand. There are more cafés than anywhere in the country, and all of them have something special to offer as a meal (they have that sort of special touch that you can not find in places that are franchised or really big).

Sightseeing is also a good option. Take the old fashioned Cable Car to have a nice view from downtown. Or if you want to have an even better view, you can drive to Mount Victoria. If you only want to enjoy the sea breeze, just walk around the bays (Wellington has many of them).

Finally, if you are a Lord of the Rings fan, there is no better city in the world than Wellington. You can visit Weta Cave and have more insight on how the special effects and make-ups for the movies were made. And you can visit some of the real locations from the trilogy. A unique opportunity if you like Frodo, Gandalf and everything related to the movies that made New Zealand so famous around the world.

by Embassy Auckland student, Andre Campos

Find out how you can learn English in New Zealand

Travelling Around New Zealand

After spending a short period of time in the South Island of New Zealand, I can't find another way to put this. So, I will be completely honest and straight forward: this country is truly beautiful. I mean, you see all these pictures on the internet, brochures and things like that, but not until you are actually in this place do you finally realize how amazing it is.

I don't know about the other English speaking countries where you can study, but I am pretty sure that its very unlikely that you will be able to see such amazing landscapes as the ones you can, here in New Zealand.

The nice views start when you are on the plane from Auckland to Queenstown. You can see all the mountains covered with snow on the top, and there are so many that you lose sight of them. This is because the west part of the South Island is esseantially made of mountains, and reason why the south is less populated than the north. But even as it is, some cities were founded.

One of them is Queenstown, a charming and highly pleasant small town. It is surrounded by mountains, and everywhere you look, you can have a nice view. There is a small downtown filled with many cafés, restaurants, pubs and night clubs. As a matter of fact, the night life is one of the best in New Zealand. You can see many young people walking around, and they are from all over the world.

If you have extra money, Queenstown can be the most exciting place you will ever be. Regarded as the world capital of extreme sports, you can find everything related to it: bungee jumping, skydiving, paragliding, water rafting, etc. If you are more into gentle activities, you can go horse riding, skiing (in the winter season) or you can take the gondola and have the most amazing view of the city from above. Or even if you don't have money, you can just walk around, visit the gardens or take a walk near the huge lake. There is always an option.

 
 However, the most incredible thing of all is the boat cruise in Milford Sound. There aren't enough words to describe the beauty of this place, so I will let the pictures speak for themselves. The view from this gigantic bay surrounded by huge mountains is mind-blowing. And I am not even mentioning the road to Milford Sound, that is the most beautiful one I have ever been, and the national park (Fiordland National Park) you go through before you get there.

Travelling is one the best things when you are an exchange student. Even better if you are a student in New Zealand.

Find out how you can study English in beautiful New Zealand.

Friday Trip to Rangitoto

Every Friday, Auckland Embassy School organizes a school trip. You can choose to go, or to attend a special class, that is usually mixed with another level. This past Friday we went to Rangitoto Island, a very nice place in Auckland.

 

We assembled in the morning in front of the old ferry building, and twenty minutes later we arrived at our destination by ferry. On the boat, you can already have a nice view from the Harbour Bridge and all the boats riding on the bay (Auckland is regarded as the city of sailing and it is true). But nothing compares to the view from the top of Rangitoto.

It was interesting. At least for me, when we arrived at the island, I could finally realize how unique a place Auckland is. Although an island, Rangitoto is actually a volcano. It has been inactive for more than 600 years, and because of that, a lot of plants and trees could grow on the place. Seen by far, it resembles a small forest on an island. It is completely safe to walk on and definitely a must see place if you are visiting Auckland. There are more volcanoes spread around the city (and where you can have a nice view), but Rangitoto is by far the best. The view is breathtaking (as you can see from the pictures).

Friday trips are fun and also important. It is always good to have an activity outside the classroom. It is like a lesson, but it doesn't seem like one. You can learn more about the place where you are currently living. You can meet different people from other classes. You can become closer to your classmates and your teacher. And, finally, you get to practice your English in a different situation.

by Andre Campos

To find out more about studying English in New Zealand, visit the Embassy website.

Top Tips For Practicing Your Listening Skills

If you are interested in improving your listening skills, there are other ways to practice when you are outside the classroom. The easiest, cheapest and fastest way is just to turn on the TV in your accommodation and watch it.

New Zealand has four channels that broadcast a good and interesting variety of programmes. I am always surprised when I switch the TV on and the newest American series hit is on air. It is not the same as in my country. If I want to watch American series, for example, I have to pay a cable TV company. In New Zealand, you can watch it for free.

There is also a nice selection of movies that are always aired in prime time (not too late, neither too early). If you are more into non-fiction, the national channels broadcast interesting documentaries as well. The TV news is an excellent way of not only being updated with current national and international events, but also of becoming more familiar with the New Zealand accent (or the accent of the country where you are studying).

If you love music, you can try to listen to the radio stations. It is more difficult than watching the TV, but if you can understand most of what is said, then you can be certain that your listening has reached a reasonable level. Also, it is a good opportunity to get to know the local music, bands and singers.

My favourite way to practice, however, is going to the movie theatre. It is always a challenge watching a movie with no subtitles at all. You have to be more focused than usual, but it is not an impossible task. There is always a feeling of satisfaction when the movie ends and you were able to understand the plot. And going to the cinema is always fun. Invite your classmates, watch a movie and, afterwards, go to a cafe or restaurant and have a good time.

That is the difference when you study English abroad. In an English speaking country, you are always surrounded by the language, and you practice it all the time. The best thing: you don't even notice!

by Andre Campos.

Andre is studying the Certificate of English course at Embassy Auckland.

Food: The World On Your Plate

One of the advantages of living in a cosmopolitan city like Auckland is the opportunity to try a variety of ethnic food. If you are aware that food is an important part of any culture, then having a meal is more than just eating something because you are hungry. It is also an opportunity to learn more about cultures of the world.

If you are really interested about that, invite one of your fellow foreign classmates to go to a ethnic restaurant that she or he enjoys. It is important to go with a native (of the food you are eating). Firstly, because you may not know what to order, and you will need some guidance.

Secondly, you will need somebody to explain what exactly the dishes contain (remember, this is not the food you are used to, and even though you are trying, there is always the chance that you won't like it).

Finally, while you are eating (or after) you can ask questions and learn more about your classmate's country and culture. Of course, you are practicing your English and making friends at the same time, so a routine activity like having lunch gets another meaning when you are taking an exchange course.

Auckland is one of the best places to do this. As I said in previous posts, the Embassy Auckland school is located near many different restaurants (as a matter of fact, there is even an international food court on the school's street, just five minutes walking).

You can choose Japanese, Korean, Turkish, Chinese, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Indian, Italian, Mexican, Brazilian and even Australian for your lunch (these are the ones that I remenber right now). If none of this pleases you, there is always the option of regular fast-food.

I personally got quite addicted to the Malaysian cuisine. My favourite is the chicken with cashew nuts with a bowl of rice. Superb! I had no idea that Korean barbecue could be so good (and I thought I was hopeless with chopsticks, but with the help of all my Asian classmates, I managed to learn).  

Many people ask me if I miss Brazilian food. And I always I say, "Not yet!"

As with everything related to an exchange course, this is a time to try new things and be more open minded and a little less proud of your own nationality. And that includes food.

You can find out more about the attractions local to the Embassy Auckland school at the main Embassy website.

Homesickness

So, you have come to an exciting foreign country like New Zealand. You have travelled around, seen breathtaking landscapes, taken millions of pictures. You have met amazing people and made everlasting friendships. You have practiced and improved your English to a satisfactory level. You are having a good time, and feel completely comfortable with the culture, food and weather.

Even so, sometimes you catch yourself thinking about your hometown, your house, family and friends you left behind. Too often, you picture what your friends might be doing, or where your family will spend that particular national holiday. Then you start calling your parents on a more frequent basis, and before you know it, you finally realize it: you are homesick.

This is something that every exchange student will have to face sooner or later in their courses. There is no way to prevent homesickness, and you have to know how to deal with it. It is, of course, something totally natural to feel. You have been living your entire life in one place, and suddenly, you move to another where nothing and nobody is familiar.

What you can not do, however, is let the feeling spoil your whole experience. Even though you miss your bed, your pet, parents, friends, favourite pub (and restaurant), it is always a good idea to remind yourself why you decided to take an exchange course in the first place: the opposite feeling. That warm feeling, where everything is new and seems to be possible. 

Time goes by so fast that, before you notice it, you will be back. You can let familiar feelings to when you are back to your home country.

Photo: Lynda W1

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27948818@N05/3521185529/

/ CC BY-NC 2.0

Andre is studying at the Embassy Auckland school of English, find out more about the English courses available at Embassy.

Making International Friends

One of the most amazing things about being an exchange student is the opportunity to meet people from all around the world, and actually become friends with them. I am talking about creating special types of bond with really nice people, the same way you have in your home country, but who otherwise you would never meet. It is the same friendship, but amongst different nationalities and using another language.

 

Most likely, this is your only chance to exchange opinions and share information about cultures and backgrounds that are completely different to your own. A conversation with a foreigner seems to never end. There is so much to talk about, to learn, to share. These are, at least for me, the most important moments. Only by actually knowing another culture and its country can you appreciate your own. 

Also, if you are not fully satisfied with life in your home town, and you feel uncomfortable with aspects of your culture, perhaps you will find a more suitable country to live, in the future. You finally realize that the world is a big place indeed, and there is a place for everyone.  In order to understand that, you have to give yourself the chance to know people from other places, talk to them, listen to them. If you have only had conversations with people from your own nationality, perhaps you will have to try to be a little more open-minded so that you will learn something.

The tool that makes this happen: the English language. There is something almost poetic about it. You are in a car, travelling somewhere with four people from four different nationalities; you are completely able to understand them and to be understood; you share information and feelings with them; and suddenly a friendship is born.

At the same time, you are aware that your mother language can be totally different. You realize, once again, why you study English. Yes, it is important for jobs, CV's and so on. But, the most important aspect is communication. With English, you are able to speak to the world.

Finally (and maybe mostly important), with friends from all over the world, you can (hopefully) have free accommodation when you visit their country. I hope I might when I go to Spain, Japan and Korea.

by Andre Campos

You too could make friends from all over the world whilst learning English in New Zealand, find out how by visiting the Embassy Auckland website