Students at Embassy

Memories of Florida

Our former blogger Marriane Giger, from Florida wrote us a letter to tell us about her adventures in Florida after she graduated from Embassy Fort Lauderdale.

16th of September 2009:

Today it is about nine months since I wrote you my thoughts about Florida. As you may remember, I came to Embassy Fort Lauderdale on January 2nd of this year and I mentioned then how many things in Florida amazed me.  The thing that comes to mind is, for example, shopping in Publix, where for many years (even before the swine flu epidemic) disinfectant towels are used on the shopping carts. There are also cute little shopping carts for children and special carts for handicapped people or people who are too tired to walk.

After arriving in Fort Lauderdale, I went to the Embassy School to learn English. This kept me quite busy, but I also explored the surrounding areas with the local bus. One long weekend I visited my sister-in-law in Fort Myers. On another occasion I went to Sarasota. The sands on the beaches of the west coast are marvellous.

After completing three month of English language study in Fort Lauderdale, I took a train northbound to Orlando and stayed there a few days before heading west again on a train to Tampa where I arrived on April 1st. There I stayed in a very nice room in John Knoxville Village for the whole month of April. There was a huge pool, which I had mostly to myself for water exercises.

I think this time in John Knoxville village is one of the nicest experiences in my whole life. It was so wonderful to see my girlfriend Joanne and her family. I am especially grateful to her for letting me share in her graduation as a teacher from the University of South Florida on May 2nd in Tampa.

For recreation, I went to the movies, I especially liked the price of $6.50 per ticket for seniors and I saw many senior citizens go to the cinema.

A good example of USA ingenuity is that outside many movie theaters there is a bus parked, where you can give blood and then get a free ticket to go and see the movie. That helps the people that need blood and helps also the people that might not have the money to go to the movies.

In Europe you do not see so many seniors going out to see a movie. Here we pay $15.00 per show and so elderly people don’t go outside for cultural events but stay home and watch the television. The idea of giving blood for tickets could help in Europe where they never have enough blood donors.

In an earlier writing I mentioned that the bus system in Fort Lauderdale was not very good, however I found it to be very good in Orlando and Tampa.

Since May 7th, I am back in Switzerland and Florida is a nice memory of an exciting time and I fondly remember all the new friends I made. The lessons at the Embassy School have helped me to communicate much better and have given me more security to read and write in the English language.

I wish there was some classes created for older peoples that want to still keep on studying; I would return and join one of these classes.

By Marianne Giger

Visit the Embassy Fort Lauderdale homepage to find out more about studying English in Florida.

Photos from Marianne

You may have already enjoyed Marianne's posts describing life in Fort Lauderdale. Now she shares some photos which show you a little bit more: after all, a picture speaks a thousand words, as we know.

 

Top to bottom:

1. Marianne walks to school barefoot along the beach. What a life!

2. Our student with the school's 'wonderful and lovely' Director, Leslie.

3. Marianne with her class, and teacher Stephen Shasha. "I've learnd a lot of English", says Marianne.

Marianne's thoughts

Marianne, our Fort Lauderdale blogger, continues to share her diary entries with us:

Dear Diary January 21st
If you don’t like windy weather don’t go to Fort Lauderdale. The wind comes from the Atlantic Ocean but I really like it.

When I arrived at the airport here in Ft.Lauderdale, I saw many wheelchairs. Disabled people are treated very well here. There are toilets for handicapped people everywhere, and every bus has space for wheelchairs. Perhaps it is because a big percentage of handicapped people come to Florida when they retire. All these people come from the north of the USA and even Canada where it is cold and there is snow in the winter.

I observed people walking along the beach. Young people are jogging. There are sidewalks everywhere, except on the highways. In Europe cyclists use the sidewalk, here in the US this occurs very seldom, they respect the law and the pedestrians much more
 
I would say that 90 percent of the people are smiling. They say hi, hello or how do you do. Even young people greet you like this and they are very nice to the older people. The others, that are not smiling, are tourists from other countries or they have a life full of burdens and worries.
 
Every day I see the sun and very seldom it is raining, and if it rains it is only for a very short time.
 
In my opinion, the USA is the most blessed country in the world, they have a 24hours Christian channel, TBN, with very very powerful programmes.

The Americans are very generous. For example, if you buy a cake in a cafeteria, you often get two or three napkins. In Europe they think first about the environment and pollution and therefore, we only get one napkin there.

The day I arrived, I didn’t have any change to pay for the bus so I asked a lady in a little motel near the bus stop if she could change my five-dollar bill. She couldn’t, but she gave me a dollar and I was not allowed to give the money back the next day.

I am so excited to be here in Fort Lauderdale and I wish I could come back every year for a few months.
 
Yes, my dear Diary, I can tell you more and more positive things about my life here. However, I also see one or two bad things.

I feel that if employees are working more than 40 hours a week for a year, they should have 4 or 5 weeks vacation per year, also the minimum wage per hour is very low. There is something wrong with the system.
 
It seems to me that the bus system should be changed. If they don’t have timetables at every bus stop they don’t respect people that take the bus. Every bus stop should be named. I have a feeling that the government thinks of people who have to take the bus as second class citizens. The bus is used by workers, clever people (who left their car at home) and very old people, tourists and students like me. We come from many different countries outside USA and there are many of us. Sometimes I wish that citizens of Fort Lauderdale couldn’t get gas anymore and they all would have to take the bus. I think that the government could make it more comfortable for people to take the bus. I wish the image would change: loosers do not take the bus - smart ones do
GOD BLESS AMERICA!
 
PS:  Oops I forgot the food. In Europe we judge Americans for what they eat. We think they only eat hamburgers and drink Coca Cola. I see it like this: in Europe we have to choose too if the food is good for you or not. It is the same here in the USA . The grocery stores are full of vegetables and fruit and so on. In restaurants you can order vegetables and salad as much as you want.
 
One more thing. My hairdresser (his family comes from Russia) said and I agree: The people with prejudices and so on are only jealous!!!!

An introduction to our new Fort Lauderdale student blogger, Marianne

I am Swedish, but I have lived in Switzerland for 43 years. I moved to Switzerland because I met a Swiss man in Stockholm and then we got married and we had two children.

I have had different professions, mostly administration jobs but for the last six years, I've attended to a disabled boy in his home, and nowadays it is only about 20% of a job.
 
Although I am already 68 years old (Tina Turner is the same age) I have been wishing for the last few years to go abroad to improve my English. Last summer I happened to see in a magazine somebody was organizing English studies all over the world. I chose Florida because I have a friend living in Tampa Florida and I wanted to visit her.

So I came to Fort Lauderdale and started my English lessons at Embassy on January the 5th this year. One thing I've found out is that the school mainly caters to younger students and sometimes I feel a little uncomfortable to be an outsider. I would like to give this school the advice to attract older people as well, who are still interested in learning. As we all know learning is life and keeps the mind young.
 
When I came in the beginning of January 2009 I already had the wish to come here again every year at this time. In Europe it is winter and here it is summer and with the warm climate it is beneficial to the well-being of seniors.
 
My dear seniors I wish you were here!!!!
 
Soon I will give you some impressions I had after three weeks here in Fort Lauderdale: "Dear diary..."
 
 

See you soon my friend

 

Click to see the pictures bigger!

Today I felt sad because one of my best friends took the plane to go back to her country. This special friend is Kim, from South Korea. We have spent great moments together. We have become closer and closer...

I think that life is like a trip on a train. We go through a lot of gates and we share our journey with a lot of people...and some of them leave a huge footprint in our hearts.

For me, this part of my trip is one of the best ones. Learning English is one part of it, but there are so many other parts...

Last Saturday, some friends and I  had dinner together. These moments make me feel very very rich...because those moments are unique. Actually these days, there are a lot of barbecues in the student residence, it must be the season!! It's a great opportunity to meet new people, or to share time with your new friends, because, here, believe me, you are going to make a lot of good friends!!!

I want to finish this post, saying some words for you Kim: your card has really touched me. You too you are a friend that will remain forever in my heart!! I know that soon we'll share again a part of our journey!! I wish you the best, and thanks for all our moments. I love you my friend. See you soon!!

Your friend

Sonia

Independence day

Today is a national holiday, here in the United States. The country celebrates the Declaration of the Independence which took place the 4th of July, 1776, declaring independence from Great Britain. Independence day is commonly associated with fireworks, picnics, parades, baseball games...

In Fort Lauderdale, big fireworks were scheduled at 9 p.m at the Beach Boulevard. This afternoon it started raining, so I was a little bit worried because fireworks and rain don't go together. But, fortunately, the fireworks took place and it stopped raining!! There were fireworks in different places. It was great!! The sky was full of lights, colors......I went there with my neighbors and my family, who arrived last Saturday. We had a great night. We also prepared a barbecue.  The Green Island Inn, the student residence where live a lot of students from Embassy CES, organized a big barbecue, too.

On the other hand, this week I started my classes again, after 15 days of break. I was glad to see again my "old friends " and to have the opportunity to meet new people!!

Sonia

Unforgettable experiences

Definitely I really enjoy living here!! This week I don't have classes at the school, because as a Diploma student I'm on "summer break" which means that I have two weeks' holiday. I'm having such a great time!!

This weekend, I went to the Everglades and Key West. In the Everglades, my friends and I went to an Alligator farm!! But there were not only alligators but also snakes!! I even had my picture taken with a snake on my shoulders!! I believe it was a phyton. And of course, we could see a lot of alligators. It was simply awesome!!!

After that, we went to Key West. It's a very nice and cozy place. The sunset is very beautiful. If you come to Fort Lauderdale, you should go there!! I'm living such great experiences here!!

The other night I went to Miami with some two good friends. The great thing was that they rented a Mustang convertible to get there! That was amazing!! I feel I'm living a dream!! I feel so happy....Those kinds of experiences change the vision of your life too. Everybody who sorrounds me is so positive...that I can only be positive!! I have met very good friends, and only because of that, coming here is more than worth it!!

Our Graduation Ceremony, as Gaby said, was very special. Being there while sitting in my chair, I felt very grateful for having the opportunity to be there!! Before coming, I didn't imagine that it would be so great!! I love this school. I love its teachers, I love its students...I'd like to say THANKS to all the Embassy CES for their EXCELLENT job.

I feel I'm sorrounded by a huge family. I'm so happy....That is one of the reasons you should try to study abroad......You learn a lot and you make friends that will always be part of you, because they have shared unforgettable experiences with you. Thanks to all the students of my class, specially the students who graduated last 15th of June, Gaby, Anna, Lisa, Jeoffrey, Jeremy, Kim, Kevin, Brian. I have enjoy spending this time together. I wish you the best, and meeting you has been a gift in my life. I have learn a lot from each of you, and this class will remind FOREVER in my heart.

THANKS!

Challenges for a better life

Last Friday, we had our graduation ceremony at our school in Ft. Lauderdale. It was great, because all the staff and students were there. David, the director of Embassy CES gave us a special certificate, because some of us finished the Diploma Program.

When I was in front of all them, for a moment, I started remembering all the friends we have met in the past months, some of them are still here and others left to continue their life. Well let me tell you the story, I received my certificate and I was supposed to give a short speech, like everybody else; but instead of that, suddenly, tears started falling from my eyes, and I said almost nothing, can you believe it? It was a little embarrassing.

Anyway, when I sat down something happened: my husband was in front of us, saying  some beautiful words to me, and at the end, he asked me:  “What are you going to do now, study Japanese? It was hilarious! Maybe, some people wouldn't understand that question, but what it really means is WHAT IS YOUR NEXT CHALLENGE?

He knows me very well: doing something that keeps me challenged and, also, if it’s something that requires from me a strong effort, is vital to feel alive.

That’s what I recommend to you today,  always have a challenging activity in your life, otherwise you will be consumed by  routine. Every day, we must give the best we have inside of us, but sometimes, we need some help to squeeze our potential and abilities, and a good challenge will help for sure.

A chain of challenges will help you to reach your milestones, looking for a better life, and you know, when it finally happens, you will feel really good, like an explosion of endorphins when you run a 42K marathon!!!!.

To the Embassy CES Ft. Lauderdale staff: I’m very grateful for your kindness and hospitality with all of us. Thanks a lot.

To all the friends I met: a big hug for all of you, and don’t be lazy, keep in touch. We don’t know, maybe we can see each other in the future, why not?!!!!!!!!!

Photos: click to see bigger!

L-R : Our Graduation; Farewell to Brian; Our class, having dinner;part of our class with Lucy, our teacher; Gaby and Sonia, the blogging pair.

More Jokes...

Hi, I have found new jokes!! I hope you'll enjoy!! The words that are in red can help you to learn some new vocabulary.

Loan

1.  A businessman walked into a bank in San Francisco and asked for the loan officer. He told the officer that he is going to Europe on business for two weeks and needed to borrow $5,000. The bank officer explained that the bank needed some kind of security for such a loan. So the businessman handed over the keys to a Rolls Royce parked on the street in front of the bank. Everything checked out, and the bank agreed to accept the car as collateral for the loan. A bank employee drove the Rolls into the bank's underground garage and parked it there.

Two weeks later, the businessman returned, repaid the $5,000 with interest, which came to $15.41. The loan officer said, "We are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are a little puzzled. While you were away, we checked you out and found that you are a multimillionaire. What puzzles us is why would you bother to borrow $5,000?" The businessman replied, "Where else in San Francisco can I park my car for two weeks for only 15 bucks?"

Memory problems

2. Two elderly couples were enjoying friendly conversation when one of the men asked the other, "Fred, how was the memory clinic you went to last month?" "Outstanding," Fred replied. "They taught us all the latest psychological techniques - visualization, association - it has made a big difference for me." "That's great! What was the name of that clinic?" Fred went blank. He thought and thought but couldn't remember. Then a smile broke across his face and he asked, "What do you call that flower with the long stem and thorns?" "You mean a rose?" "Yes, that's it!" Then he turned to his wife and asked, "Rose, what was the name of that clinic?"

The Lawyer and The Butcher

3. A lawyer's dog, running about unleashed, beelines for a butcher shop and steals a roast. The butcher goes to the lawyer's office and asks, "If a dog running unleashed steals a piece of meat from my store, do I have a right to demand payment for the meat from the dog's owner?" The lawyer answers, "Absolutely." "Then you owe me $12.50. Your dog was loose and stole a roast from me today." The lawyer, without a word, writes the butcher a check for $12.50. A few days later the butcher receives a letter from the lawyer: "$45 due for consultation".

If you know some jokes in English, don't hesitate to write them in this post!!

I think it's a great way to know some new vocabulary!!

Have fun!!

English language....

I've found out some interesting things about the English language.

In which countries is English an official language?

Anguilla, Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, Belau, Bermuda, Botswana, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Antigua, Australia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Bhutan, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Cameroon, Cook Islands, Dominica, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guam, Guyana, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Jersey, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Micronesia, Midway Islands, Montserrat, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Niue, Norfolk Island, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Pitcairn, Puerto Rico, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sri Lanka, St Helena, St Kitts-Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Swaziland, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, US Virgin Islands, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States, Vanuatu, Wake Island, Western Samoa, Zambia, Zambia, Zimbabwe

What is the longest word in English?

ANTIDISESTABLISHMENTARIANISM  ( a movement  opposed to the separation of church and state ). There is a word longer than this one (45 letters!!!) but it's only used in the medical field.

What are the world's most spoken languages?

Althought it's very difficult to know exactly how many people speak a particular language, we can come up with those estimations: Mandarin Chinese (837,000,000), English (370,000,000), Spanish (300,000,000), Bengali (189,000,000), Hindi/Urdu (182,000,000), Arabic (174,950,000), Portuguese (170,000,000), Russian (170,000,000), Japanese (125,000,000), German (98,000,000), Javanese (79,000,000), French (75,000,000)

What percentage of the Internet is in English?

More than 80% of home pages on the Web are in English, while the next greatest, Germany has 4.5% and Japanese 3.1%.

Now it's time for a joke...

This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody.

There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it.

It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.