Students at Embassy CES

Part 3. Sunrise at Napier

I first didn't intend to stop by Napier but I thought it'd be good to see a sea of New Zealand and wanted to see a sunrise and a sunset at the horizon. However, something was in my way: I got a cold. T.T
At Taupo, my last stop, the bus came late so I had to wait for over 1 hour outside shivering with cold.

* I lay on the bed as soon as arrived at the backpackers' hostel... Look terrible... *

I was lying in the bed thinking only of getting well as soon as possible. And then I looked back on my trip.
Lots of NZ people have helped us to find the way, and other things. Auckland is so busy and big that those who don't know NZ well can be confused that Auckland is the capital. City life is just like that so it's hard to feel the kindness of New Zealanders.

This period of NZ is not a busiest travel time so there were not many visitors from other countries. I think that has given us more of a chance to get in touch with Kiwis.

To be frank with you, I don't remember things in Napier because I was too sick to look around the town. Sorry. T.T

Anyway I blacked out that night.

* The moment just before the sun appears. *
 

* This is the scene of sunrise at the sea of Napier by my friend L.E.H. THANK YOU. *

I resurrected next day anyhow.

 
Not look good but not bad, don't I? ^.^

There's not much to see in Napier, I think. The town, however, is as beautiful and exotic as can be. The best part is that you can enjoy the view of buildings and nature while walking along the seashore. Anyway, I strongly suggest that you should go up to Bluff Hill. I think you're going to have to hitchhike to go up there. I walked up and regretted doing so.

You maybe recognize that my story in Napier is wandering... and incoherent...
Sorry but I really don't remember that day well because I was too sick. T.T

I'm asking for your forgiveness by these pictures.

Mr. Keith gave us a ride on our way back down to the town. I was just soooooo happy.
What in my mind at that moment was go to bed...
Wellington, the capital of NZ, is waiting for me.
What's my condition going to be like in Wellington???
I wished myself luck.

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!

Bruna Calheiros - our New York blogger

We are more delighted than we can say to have one of MTV Brazil's most engaging presenters as a student at Embassy New York. And as if that wasn't enough, she's permitting us to share her blog posts!

Bruna Calheiros has joined the Embassy Smart Express course, and will be blogging about her experiences all the way.

She writes in Portuguese, but for those who do not speak the language, we will be providing a link to Google Translate. Machine translation is not perfect, but it will give you a very good basic understanding.

On her personal blog Smelly Cat, Bruna paints an appealing picture of herself:

This Sao Paulo shorty will not pass a good chocolate by, even though sometimes the bars are twice her size.

Loves movies and will never miss a chance to take up residence on her neighbour's couch munching as much popcorn as possible.

Stubborn, tends to speak her mind and has already gained some bruises from it. Pretends not to read horoscopes, but does not leave home without knowing what the day holds for Scorpios.

Fanatical about cartoons, wants a SpongeBob tattoo on the sole of her foot, but is afraid of tickles. She loves to travel and wants to decorate her house like a hotel, but with free room service.

Now you know all about Bruna, go ahead and read her posts! Here's the first. And here is the Google translation.

Comecei meu curso de inglês na Embassy. Meu inglês não é dos piores, mas também não é dos melhores. É um meio termo, meia boca. Eu tenho consciência disso, e por isso que me inscrevi em um curso de inglês. O inglês “avançado” do currículo é o inglês “eu entendo algumas coisas”, e enquanto meu inglês não estiver quase natural, eu não vou estar 100% contente com ele.

Além disso, para entrar na maioria dos cursos e faculdades nos EUA, é necessário que você envie junto com sua inscrição, sua pontuação no TOEFL. Como eu tenho uma pós-graduação em vista, preciso tirar uma boa nota no teste. O TOEFL é um teste de inglês geral que mais parece um vestibular. Demora cerca de 4 horas onde você responde questões que testam seu Reading, Writing, Listening e Speaking. Não existe “passou” ou “não passou” no TOEFL, você recebe uma nota relacionada ao quanto você acertou. Depois disso, cada faculdade exige uma nota mínima e essa nota pode ser diferente de faculdade para faculdade, ou mesmo, de curso para curso.

Assim, preciso no inglês, além de aperfeiçoar minha fala e fluência, dar uma mega revisada na gramática e treinar bastante a escrita. Ter seus objetivos claros ajuda muito, pois você consegue focar os pontos principais, pedir ajuda ao professor no que você tem mais dificuldade e saber se está evoluindo no aprendizado ou não.

Já no primeiro dia, na Embassy, é o teste para saber qual o nível do seu inglês e, por consequência, que classe irão te colocar. Algo que eu achei muito interessante lá e mega prático é o sistema modular de aulas que eles tem. Toda segunda-feira uma nova turma de alunos chega e faz o teste. Dessa turma, alguns são inglês básico, intermediário, avançado, fluente. Assim, após o teste, os alunos são separados e colocados em salas que já estão com uma turma formada.

Como isso acontece? Isso é possível porque cada semana é um tema diferente, um capítulo diferente do livro. Essa semana de matéria começa na terça-feira com todos os alunos juntos e vai até sexta-feira, na segunda-feira da semana seguinte, os alunos fazem um teste sobre a matéria da semana passada. Ou seja, na segunda-feira os alunos novos fazem o placement test para saber a classe que vão cair e na terça-feira começa a aula já com matéria nova. Isso é bacana, pois é possível começar o curso de inglês toda segunda-feira. Não é necessário esperar até o início do semestre que vem para começar. Ou se você quiser estender o seu curso mais algumas semanas, a facilidade é a mesma.

Teste feito, fui colocada na turma 6 de 7 do Certificate of English! Avançado! Fiquei mega feliz, sabia que meu inglês não era tudo, mas dá aquele medinho de depois de sei-lá-quanto tempo estudando inglês aqui e ali, lendo, assistindo filmes, etc, você ser colocado no básico dos básicos. Sabendo seu nível, você pode escolher se quer ter aulas no período da manhã (das 8h30 às 12h10) ou da tarde (das 14h10 às 17h50).

As aulas são mega interativas, com muita conversação e treino, e você percebe que aquele teste inicial para saber em que classe você iria ficar é certeiro, incrivelmente parece que todo mundo sabe quase o mesmo tanto. Uns melhores na gramática, outros na fala, mas no geral, níveis bem parecidos.

Pessoas do mundo inteiro, sobretudo coreanos (sério! muitos!) dividindo o mesmo espaço e com um objetivo em comum: aprender a falar inglês. Jovens, a maioria da minha idade (tenho 24 anos!), uns mais novos, outros mais velhos. Muitos estudantes optaram por ficar no dormitório da Embassy (ou dorm, como chamam aqui) que fica na 125th Street. Normalmente são os alunos que estão de férias do emprego e aproveitaram esse tempo para passar um ou dois meses em Nova York aprendendo inglês e fazendo novos amigos.

Aos pouquinhos conto mais curiosidades sobre o meu curso de inglês, o que estou achando e como é fácil para você também vir para cá aprender inglês na cidade que nunca dorme e onde tudo acontece!

How are you doing everybody?

This post will be a kind of diary.
The reason I wrote this is I've felt many things and been given a lot of advice from people around me.

I've spent busy days recently. I don't even remember what I did last week. I tried to figure out that what made me like that last weekend.

From after a month I arrived here, I got tired, became lazy and started to think too much. When I was in highschool, I used to often speculate on my future, and it helped me a lot to decide whatever it was when I grew up.

But I figured that I'd better become more simple. Because I have things which I have to do at the moment and my thinking keeps myself from doing my duty.

Actually I was thinking of two things which are time I've got and the ways of studying English. I'm pretty sure that many young students don't know about the feeling of burden of responsibility.

The kind of resposibility which I feel is that I have to support my family after going back to Korea. My father will retire this year and my brother is still a student - he's 2 years younger than me. So if I can't find and get a good job enough to support my family, it will be a very bad situation that I don't want to imagine.

When I realized that my study was not better as much as I had expected, I started to be obsessed by the idea - "I don't have enough time."

My friends, flatmates, teachers and family felt that and everybody told me that don't be such in a hurry.
Honestly, it wasn't helpful but it made me think in different way (more positive) and then realized that it'd be much better to enjoy this time.

And I came to believe what Nadia,my teacher, said I've got enough time and I've been doing well. ^^ - I always thank you Nadia. -

So when I started to feel much better and got back to normal life, I started again to study. As I confess, I'm really, really bad at listening...
So Nadia told me a good way to practice listening skills.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/

 

If you Google "BBC learning English", you'll find this site and can study English. It has everything.

I practice with the category of "the words in the news". Its length and the level of words are suitable to practice listening.

How do I practice? - At first, I study the words which are bold, listen to the article and write it down without looking the script.

After finishing that I correct the script I wrote down and listen again till I can understand the article completely.

It seems a short article but the sentences are very good so if you can understand the article completely and use the sentences, your English will be considered very advanced.

I've been doing this for 3 weeks. I still have difficulty understanding the news but I'm quite sure that I'm getting better. If there are students who have the same problem as me, I really hope this will help them improve their listening skills.

Thank you for reading my boring story again. ^^
I promise that I'll be a good student and blogger!
Cheers~!

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!!!

 

 

 

 

 

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.

Accommodation at Embassy Auckland

There are two main types of accommodation when you are taking an exchange course: you can either choose a Homestay family, to live with, or you can share a flat with other students (or even live by yourself in a single room). Choosing the best one depends entirely on the kind of person you are. Independent people might find better to live alone or to share an apartment, whereas dependent ones would feel more comfortable living with a Homestay family.

I personally had both types of experiences. In the beginning of my course, I used to live with a typical New Zealander family. My host-mother was a Kiwi and my host-father was originally from England, but has been living here for more than thirty years.

They were a welcoming and very sympathetic couple, and I was really well treated. They had four young adult children, and every once in a while they had dinner in the house. It was a great opportunity for not only practicing English with native speakers, but also for having insights about life in New Zealand and its culture in general. If you are lucky enough, you can actually even become friends with your host-brothers. This happens quite often in New Zealand, as I said before, New Zealanders are very friendly in general.

After a certain period of time, students prefer to live downtown, or in a place located near school. Auckland is a very spread out city, and distances can be long and quite time consuming. So, nowadays I am living in a single room in the city. It is more convenient because you have everything you need just meters away (you can easily walk everywhere downtown).

The disadvantage is that you have to do everything by yourself (all your cooking, dishes, laundry, etc.). However, you can have more privacy and more opportunity to meet people from all over the world other than just school. In my case, I can talk to Japanese, Russian, Colombian and Chinese students who are in the same building, and share information about our countries.

No matter what type of accommodation you choose, there will always be the chance to improve your English and, mostly important, to mature.

by Andre Campos

Read more about the accommodation options at Embassy Auckland school of English.