Students at Embassy

Smart Express | O inglês do futuro na Embassy

Bruna Calheiros reports on the Embassy Smart Express course at our New York school. Don't speak Portuguese? Take a look at the Google translation.

Passei as últimas semanas assistindo a aulas na classe Smart Express da Embassy NY.

O curso, que está disponível na Embassy dos EUA, Australia e Inglaterra, é diferente dos outros por alguns fatores que fazem o aprender inglês uma nova experiência.

Assim como os outros cursos, as aulas são ministradas com a ajuda de um white board (lousa) interativa. Mas no Smart Express não apenas o professor que tem a tecnologia a sua disposição, como também os alunos.

Os livros são substituídos por um e-book e a caneta por um teclado. Ao chegar na sala, cada aluno recebe um netbook para acompanhar a aula e fazer os exercícios. O bacana é que os exercícios e diálogos são acompanhados de vídeos e áudios, além de uma ferramenta para checar se suas respostas estão certas e um menu inteligente.

Outra facilidade é não ter que carregar o livro didático para tudo quanto é lugar e mesmo assim você tem acesso à ele em tudo quanto é lugar! Isso porque só é necessário entrar no site com seu login e senha que todo o conteúdo está lá e todas as suas lições ficam salvas na sua conta no servidor.

É realmente diferente e muito mais prático! O método de ensino também é diferente e passa por tudo o que você precisa saber para falar inglês em 11 semanas. Gostei bastante dessa experiência com o Smart Express, mas infelizmente na Embassy apenas essa classe já aderiu ao método do e-book (esperamos com ansiedade para que todas as outras salas utilizem esse sistema!).

Assista ao vídeo abaixo para ver uma demonstração prática de como são as aulas!

Embassy Smart Express (Flash 8 Medium)

Part 1.2 Rotorua in the morning

I got up early in the morning, had breakfast and packed a lunchbox. The good thing was that I could leave my bags until I took the next bus even though I had checked out.

I stepped out of the Spa Lodge after having got ready! In fact, I prefer the sea or lakes to mountains, so I did expect to see the Rotorua Lake. Ah, I saw a Chrysler Taxi... What a fancy taxi it was...^^

Anyway I don't have to say anything. I think that the impression would be less than real if I said how I felt.
Great photos - just for appreciation.

 
Lake Rotorua has many good places to take a photo and this is one of them. 

 
The weather is clearing up now.

The surface of the lake is like a mirror.

 
A very harmonious black swan family.

I spent almost two hours taking pictures: birds flying freely, people strolling along the lakeside, beautiful hills at the opposite end of the lake and reflecting images of the sky on the lake's surface like a copy machine. It was just marvelous.

This is the real New Zealand, like Siva always says.
Isn't it, Siva? ^^ Now I know what you mean.
I just didn't want to move my steps.

The lake is this big....

On the way back to the lodge, I dropped by the Government Garden. There were people running a marathon and people cheering them. The stop watch on the wall said 3:47:30. I stood for a while giving a clap for the runners.

And there were people who were playing bowls as well. I think bowls is the most popular sport for seniors in New Zealand because wherever I go I can see people playing.

People are playing bowls. I think it's a good sport for seniors.

The impressions that I had due to Rotorua Lake, I couldn't get the images out of my head until I fell asleep on the bus to the Taupo.

I will be walking the road that I walked today again in the near future .
This is the very place that I want to come to again.
One more thing, I was so lucky because I saw a rainbow while waiting for the bus.
I've never seen a rainbow. I was just satisfied with everything during this trip!
And tomorrow is Taupo.
Taupo has its reputation for the lake too.
I can't wait to see the lake tomorrow morning!

 
Bonus shot. That short and small bridge is very dangerous because of the birds' xxxxxx. ^^ 

My journey to get to know New Zealand

This will be my honest feelings about New Zealand not just about a trip. I haven't been out of Auckland so far, so I haven't experienced many real New Zealanders. I'm sure that I will see, learn, feel and think lots of things during the trip.

And this is my story.

Part1.1 - Rotorua

I have planned to travel all around New Zealand for more than 2 weeks. I've never been throbbing this much in my heart with expectation in my life. And I have to admit that I have turned away from studying because I was so excited and had lots of things to prepare.

 
I received the YHA membership card five days before going - and I got a 'one free night' voucher~!

Time flies and D-day finally has come. Five of my friends and I got together at Britomart Transport Station and had a light lunch box.  As a matter of fact I lost my key to open my big bag before I got to the Britomart so I had to break the lock... One of my friends told me to bear it as the price for the escape from misfortune ahead and I really hope so! ^^

12:15 pm - Time to hop on the bus. The bus we took is the Nakedbus. Everybody who was first told the name of the bus was surprised but I even don't know why it's called that. Nobody is naked, don't worry.

We hopped on the bus and gave our reservation numbers.The bus driver loaded our bags himself. I may well expect a driver to do so in Korea but I didn't in New Zealand so it felt very kind of the driver to do that. That must be the principle of relativity. ^^

No sooner than I had a seat, I got carsick... It's just because it's been too long since I've been on a bus trip.The road conditions of New Zealand are much better than in Korea so I can't get carsick... Anyway I luckily fell asleep at once and then when I woke up I felt much better.

Our bus was in the middle of its way to Hamilton. I looked outside through the window to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

 
I took this photo because the clouds looked like a grand panorama. The thing I like most in NZ is that mountains are not very high around the road. Of course it's very charming to drive the road which is  surrounded by the mountains with beautiful trees in Korea. However, to have a good peculiar experience is always delightful.

When I was on the road between the pastures both sides, I could see the cows, horses and sheep graze on the greenary grassland. The blue sky and green land mixed so well and they became just a fantastic picture. I'm not a prefessional photographer but this beauiful nature allowed me to be a pro at the moment. The best part was that when a wide prospect bursted upon my view as I came out of the little forest. I felt refreshed at the moment when a road was opened up.

The bus arrived at I-sites (Travelers' Centre - very useful and good!), Rotorua via Hamilton (I gave my word to myself that I will travel this city some day too).

Actually, we didn't made an accommodation reservation because I had heard that it was not a high-demand season so we could find a good bacpackers or other kind of accommodation.You can find lots of information about accommodation and activities if you go into the I-sites. The bus lets you get off right in front of the Centre. We found a place, SPA LODGE, that suited our taste and headed there.

Check in, unpack and have quick dinner. The very reason that we chose the SPA LODGE among the many other places was we were able to use the Natural Thermal Spa for free!!!  We intended to go the Polynesian spa at night but we decided not to. Thanks to the help of the kind staff, we got a free map of the Rotorua city and made a quick stroll at night.

I have to go to sleep early because I've got many things to do tomorrow.

Good night!