It wasn't until X-mas 2003 that the idea of leaving Germany for a while crossed my mind. I remember well sitting in a cosy pub with some former colleagues from college sharing some beers and discussing future plans and dreams.
Somehow one mentioned he´d been several times abroad for the purpose of learning business English. I was suddenly interested and started shooting questions at him for more information and details … Well, half a year later I found myself thousand miles away from home sitting in a classroom in a Language school, namely Languages International.
I booked the trip already well in advance in Germany to make sure I got a place and made only a rough plan what to do after the time at school. I was prepared to spend a whole year in New Zealand.
Finally I enrolled in a 4-week business English course to get started and to get an idea of the school, the country and its people and to get more familiar with the language. After a further 5-week break what I used to knock about the South Island I took part on a preparation course for the Dec 2004 FCE exam. Everything went more than well.
The place I called home for the time studying was at a friendly host family in Mt Eden which is a lovely part of Auckland.
So, looking back I can say for sure that this adventure was worth doing it every second and dime! Not only I successfully laid the foundations for my personal future, business-wise but also had one of the best time in my life.
Studying English at LI enabled me to get to know wonderful students from all around the globe and to get taught by highly motivated and experienced teachers. I still have contact to some of them.
I can definitely recommend everyone coming to New Zealand and studying at this school. It is combining living for a certain time in a stunning country and learning real English. All people there are certainly capable to get the best out of you and have a warm way to motivate everyone. There is always someone round to help, who has an ear for your wishes or problems. You feel really cared of.
I think the question is not if I come back one day – it´s rather when will I come back for another term. …
Uh, yeah, and I still remember very well Sally´s way of telling me that I was wrong occasionally. …. British humour at its best! …”Tooooom, I have to shoot you!” ☺ ThAnX ,Sally! Please, just stay as you are! – Next time I´ll have a bulletproof vest with me…kidding!
Country & People
New Zealand really makes for a brilliant activity-holiday for there are countless possibilities to choose from. It is almost too difficult to decide what attractions to do or see or what to leave out. And it is certainly not easier to make the decision which 3 main island of NZ should be visited and explored the most. North Island as well as South Island and Stewart Island are a once of a lifetime experience. One cannot compare each other as they are too different. I didn´t want to believe it until I saw it with my very own eyes! New Zealand is for pure nature enthusiasts, thrill-seekers, outdoor freaks, fans of all kinds of watersports, those who are longing for silence, mountaineers, sky-divers, scuba-divers, wildlife-lovers and what more… Whether you want to explore NZ by bus, by bike, on horseback, as a hitch hiker or whatever comes to your mind – you´ll enjoy it! The scenery will simply blow you away. There is little wonder that Peter Jackson made LORD OF THE RINGS in NZ.
Visitors can expect a warm welcome regardless where they come from, what language they speak, colour they are or whatsoever. On several occasions I've made the wonderful experience that Kiwis are outgoing open-minded people. New Zealanders seem to have an in-built warmth and are very helpful towards people from abroad. I never had any problems to find someone when I needed advice, useful information or just a lift to another place. I deeply hope that remains forever.
Written by Torsten Müller, an alumnus of Languages International
30 April 2009
"New Zealanders seem to have an in-built warmth and are very helpful towards people from abroad."
In New Zealand for the 3rd Time - Why Benjamin Keeps Coming Back
I’m back in
The reason why? Hopefully, my following notes will explain and show why.
Let me first start with the school. The school was recommended by a language agency called Prolinguis in
- the school program with the supervised self-study section
- the possibility to connect General English and Cambridge Course (CAE)
- the country New Zealand and its landscape, its culture and the offered adventure
- having four seasons even if they are in opposite to the northern hemisphere as a connection to my home country (Switzerland)
The morning class helped me to learn vocabulary and to settle down the English grammar as well as using the language in common situation with lots of speaking exercises in classroom.
The skill class was important for me to get to know how to write a letter properly. And if you believe it or not but I was once in a situation where I had to handle with New Zealand authorities and I could use the learned skill for writing an official letter.
With the chance to choose what you like to have for option class I could take part in that course I needed the most; such as speaking and grammar.
The way teacher taught in class was great. Not only did they present an interesting program to keep class varied, but were also showing the use of English in unusual ways, like visiting the courtroom.
The Learning Centre is a perfect supplement to the school lessons and settles the learned skills if it’s well used. Of course a bit of self studying had to be done even at home, especially before the Cambridge Exams.
A very important part during school time was the social program. I used it to get familiar with
Summarised, to choose Languages International was the right thing for me. The school offers a high quality of the language program and gives you also a range of social activities to practise your English in your spare time with other LI-students.
Secondly, let me write about my homestay family.
I got a lovely homestay family living close to the city centre. With two sons in my age I got along very quickly with their lifestyle. Staying at an unknown place in a new country with unfamiliar people scared me, at first. But ‘finding’ and staying with people who cared about you and wanted to know how your day was and what’s going on beside school made that feeling go away. Soon, I felt like a part of the family.
Coming back means for me visiting really good friends, remembering the good time I had in
06 April 2009
Living and Studying in Auckland City
Hi we are students from one of the intermediate classes at Languages International. We are Mariko, Yutaka from Japan and Stefanie from Switzerland. We would like to introduce about Auckland city. Auckland city has a range of popular attractions.
First, our school is in Albert Park which has really beautiful flowers and trees. It is a good place to learn English, walk around or relax. A lot of people read books and have a rest there. If you want to be refreshed, we recommend you should go there.
If you want a little more action, there is Sky Tower near from the school. Actually, we did sky jump and it was really exciting. If you try it you may need courage because it is so scared! The view from the tower is fantastic because you can look around the city. Especially, it is more beautiful at night.
In downtown and Newmarket, we can enjoy shopping very much. Now, there are sales because of the end of summer. There are not only clothes shops, but also good restaurants which have different style foods.
One of the most beautiful place is Viaduct Harbour, and the view is really great. Auckland is called “City of sails”. So you can see many yachts and gorgeous cruisers. For example, the Queen Mary 2 stays there; the Biggest cruiser in the world.
Finally, we love the city and enjoy our life here very much. This weekend Mariko has to go back to Japan but she had a great time here and we all miss her. So we really recommend you stay in Auckland!
03 April 2009
Words of the Day
This quiz was written by Tomoe, Adel and Jacqueline, who are students at Languages International Christchurch.
Fill in the gaps in the following sentences. In each number, the gaps are filled in with exactly the same word. Have a look at the example and then enjoy completing numbers 1 to 3!
Example:
0. Katie is by ………… rather a shy person. (nature)
Generally, the ………… of a shop’s response should depend on the seriousness of a customer’s complaint. (nature)
Marc always had a keen love of …………, so I’m not surprised that he has chosen an outdoor job. (nature)
1. The victim suffered a dreadful injury and ………… a lot of blood.
I am sorry I am late. I completely ………… track of the time.
She ………… her balance and fell off the log into the river.
2. As a general ………… of thumb, a cup of coffee contains 60 milligrams of caffeine.
You should have used a slide …………, it would have been straighter then.
It is a ………… of English that prepositions are generally followed by a noun or verb + ing.
3. The shop’s opening coincided with the Christmas ………… .
A ………… of pure affection swept over him.
A ………… of air on my face woke me up.
You can find the answers under "Comments" below.
02 April 2009
Are you a real Kiwi?
Students from one of the Cambridge CAE classes at Languages International Christchurch prepared the following quiz so that you can test your kiwi slang.
Match the slang words to their meaning:
Slang Words-------------------------------- Meaning
1. to do your block -------------------------a) be pregnant
2. have a bun in the oven-----------------b) woman’s underwear
3. stuffed --------------------------------------c) hello
4. gidday -------------------------------------d) to get angry
5. a stubby -----------------------------------e) fish and chips
6. greasis -------------------------------------f) toilet
7. knickers -----------------------------------g) 330ml bottle of beer
8. the loo -------------------------------------h) very tired
