Languages International Blog: November 2009

30 November 2009

Learning Centre

The Languages International school has a special building in which you can find many multimedia items to improve your English after class.

First of all, you can find a huge number of computers which are useful for studying the Use of English Part of the Cambridge Exam. Furthermore, you are also allowed to use them for private purposes. To train the listening, there are several CD-Players and six TV’s provided on which the borrowed Audio books or DVD’s can be listened to or watched.

The Learning Centre gives us the opportunity to improve our Reading score by having a library with a wide range of material. The books are marked with different colours for each level.

Every day there are some teachers in the Learning Centre who are pleased to help us with any kind of problem. Also speaking, the last part of a Cambridge Exam, can be trained in discussion groups supported by a teacher. For sure, there is space in the Learning Centre for students to do their homework as well.

To sum up, the Learning Centre is a great place to work on your English skills.

By Selina and Nathalie

24 November 2009

What We Think about NZ

New Zealand is a very beautiful country to travel in with nice views and Kiwi people are very friendly. There are people from many nations here. There are a lot of beautiful parks. There are sheep and farms in the NZ countryside.

Auckland has strange weather like "4 seasons in 1 day". We need our umbrella, suncream, jacket and hat when we go out everyday. It's changeable weather sometimes makes us crazy.

There are many slopes in the city so we always exercise.

It's more expensive to buy something in NZ than we expected, but we can buy something at a reasonable price at the Sunday market. Please try to go to the market if you have some time.

Text by 3 students from Richard's Intermediate class at Languages International

Photo of chillis at the Avondale Sunday market by pareidoliac

23 November 2009

Cambridge Halloween Costumes

Many of the Cambridge students at Languages International Christchurch got dressed up for Halloween. Here are some of their costumes.

Photo: Bellorini André

About New Zealand Culture

New Zealand is a multi cultural country with Maori, British, NZ born European, Indian and some Asians while there is just one culture in Korea. It's completely different from Korea. Many cultures exist together beside each other in one country, and we can experience a variety of interesting cultures.

According to researchers like linguists, archeologists, anthropologists and so on, Maori are Polynesians who trace back their origins to South East Asia (Taiwan). They share with Maohis, Hawaiians and Pascuans the same ancient mythology, the same art of navigation and almost the same language which derives from the Austronesan one.

In spite of the fact that the first Europeans to arrive in New Zealand were Dutch lead by Abel Tasman, the two islands became a British colony before its independence.

Text by Sam & Gloria, students at Languages International

Photo of Maori waka by steveleggat

20 November 2009

The Learning Centre

Hi, my name is Tina. I am a Taiwanese girl.

I was very surprised because my school has a wonderful Learning Centre.

There are various materials such as DVDs, audio books, magazines, and PCs.

Also, students can join in the conversation exchange activities ,which provide a good choice to students to practice English.

My school is the best school in New Zealand.

By a Taiwanese girl at Languages International

19 November 2009

Auckland

I heard Auckland is beautiful and clean place. When I come to here I find that it is true. I like Auckland's beautiful nature. there is a lot of delicious food in Auckland. When the weather is warm I go to the Albert park. It's very nice park. Auckland has nice educational place. so many people come here to study English and the others. I'm really pleased to come here!!

By Elle, a student at Languages International

18 November 2009

My Homestay Family!!

I like living in a homestay because I feel at home. My mother is very nice person. She is a great cook!!! We talk very much. This is very important for me because I need to speak English. She is good company. She is experienced. I am learning very much with Sandie. I like Sandie!!! She lives in wonderful place. My bedroom has a wonderful view.

Kisses!!

Franciane Diniz

Image by http://www.wordle.net

17 November 2009

About Auckland

Auckland is a beautiful city. there is the Sky Tower, Devonport, One Tree Hill, the Auckland Zoo, Queen St., Mission Bay and onessmart.

Sky tower is the highest building in New Zealand. You can see all of Auckland from the top of Sky Tower. If you're a brave man, you can go bungy jumping there.

Devonport has a beautiful beach. In the summer, you can go swimming and have a relaxing time there. Also, there is chocolate village near there. We'd like recommend you whether you are couple.

If you are interested in animals, you should go to the Auckland Zoo because it's the biggest zoo in New Zealand. Especially you can see a "KIWI" there. It's a the most famous bird in New Zealand.

When you want to go shopping, you can go to Queen St. because you can buy everything you need there as there are a lot of stores.

We believe that you will have a gorgeous holiday in Auckland.

Text by Shane & Eddie, students at Languages International

Photo by miss_rogue

Advice for Students Coming to Languages International

If you want to improve your listening skills, go to the Learning Centre.

If you come to New Zealand, be careful about transport.

If you feel uncomfortable, tell your teacher.

If you live in a homestay, you are not allowed to smoke inside.

If you come in winter, you should bring warm clothes.

If you have a lot of money, you should keep it in a bank account.

If you live in a homestay, you should tell them when you are late.

If you love travelling, you should go to a travel agency.

If you don’t like instant coffee, bring it from home because the coffee in the machines is terrible!

If you travel in the weekends, make sure you don’t have a test on Monday because if you are tired you can’t get good marks.

If you travel in the weekends, it is easy to rent a car, but you need to take some pictures of the car. That way if you have an accident, you can prove that you didn’t do all of the damage.

Text by students from Clare's Intermediate class at Languages International

Photo by Thomas Hawk

16 November 2009

Travel in New Zealand

New Zealand is a very beautiful country to travel around.

We went to Rotorua with our frends last month. In Rotorua there are a lot of activities you can do to relax. There are many hotels and motels. We went rafting and also went on the luge. Before going on the luge we enjoyed a ride on the gondola and saw the beautiful views.

We also went Zorbing. A Zorb is a big, transparent, plastic ball. You roll inside the ball from the top of the hill very fast.

It was great fun.

Text by Svetlana and Maleek, students at Languages International

Photo by Planetgordon.com

13 November 2009

Learning Something New is an Adventure

I had been timid before I came to Auckland from an island country, Japan. Living girdled by the sea and in a racially homogeneous nation, I had been content with the status quo for ages. On the other hand, I had been longing to go overseas since I went crazy for the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Bob Dylan when I was a teen. They brought me something vibrant the unknown culture of foreign countries has, and English simultaneously. Although I hadn't given up the idea of going overseas and studying English, I had been involved in business for almost 30 years, before I became aware of it. Meanwhile, I had said good-bye to a companion, and the business had gone wrong, so I decided to close the shop. Wasn't it a simple twist of fate that suddenly I started feeling carefree somehow? I thought, "It's time to realise my dream."

There are a couple of hundred students studying English in Languages International, and a couple of thousand in Auckland. Some of us are from European countries, and some of us are from Asian ones. A few of us are from Russia and South America. Most of us are in our twenties, and only a few of us are teens and middle-aged. With the aim of becoming a good speaker of English, we've come a long way from home, but our motivations are diverse. He needs a certificate to go to university, and she wants to get a skill for her job. You've got a stopover in the beautiful country on the way of your travels, haven't you? - and I'm coming here to fulfill my long cherished dream, though I'm 55 years old.

For myself, being a stranger is quite comfortable, though in fact it's only natural since Auckland is a cosmopolitan city, so everyone seems to be a stranger. Here, it's more significant to talk about the future than ask about the past. We become more enthusiastic about our own desires than envious toward others. In school, there are three generations studying English, but I haven't felt a gap among them. "Hey Ireen! How was your weekend?" "Hi, Hiroshi! It was nice! And you?" I'm one year older than her grandfather, actually. I hope she did't call me grandpa behind my back. In fact, my best friend here is 28 years old, though he has already gone back home to Korea. We promised to meet again sometime, but we don't know when. Who knows?, but I'll keep bubbling with anticipation to meet him again.

Auckland is not only a cosmopolitan city, but it seems like a wonderland, even looks exotic. There are many majestic old buildings and houses, which conjure up Great Britain's huge power in the 19th century, as if they wanted to build a utopia in the beautiful Antipodes. In the utopia, there mustn't be a heavy industry. You can only import its product, setting aside environmental issues. The blue sea dotted with white sails, brilliant towns spread on an uneaven landform, beautiful parks with evergreen grasses, lovely white-painted houses which lie in a vally, and laid-back Kiwi people, all of them are surreal for me, and have made me more carefree.

Now my nine-month holiday will have finished in a week's time. It's time to go back to where I once belonged. What I've got through this time aren't so many but solid. A great explorer has hardly achieved his adventure when he resolves to do the next one. I'll keep on studying, and keep on pushing. This is all I've got through this holiday, and thanks Auckland and dear friends. You've made me feel brand new.

Text by Hiroshi, a student at Languages International

Photo by Br3nda

12 November 2009

Tips 4 Visitors in NZ

- using the pedestrian crossings is safer than just crossing the street anywhere

- people do a lot of sports in New Zealand, mostly sailing and playing rugby

- talking to New Zealand people is very easy, because they are open minded

- people drinking beer in bars and pubs are often loud and funny

- waiting for the bus could take more time than you thought

- finding a meal without meat is not too easy

- people working in Auckland wear casual clothes

Text by Pascal, a student at Languages International

Photo of silver fern on a rugby ball by The Roaming Radiographer (andrew_mrt1976)

11 November 2009

Some Advice for You

-Queuing is etiquette in NZ when you are waiting for a bus, an underground, a train etc.

-Broadly speaking, Kiwis prefer wearing practical clothes.

-Using mobile phones while driving has been banned since 1.November.

-If you want to drive in NZ, preparing an international driver's license is essential.

-Drinking on the street is banned in the CBD district.

-If you want to travel around NZ such as Queenstown, I would recommend making reservations in advance.

-Asking for personal information like how much people earn is rude.

-Strolling at night could be dangerous for a foreigner.

-Kiwis like spending time doing activities such as surfing, hiking, or bunji jumping etc.

Text by Rooney, a student at Languages International

Photo by gak

10 November 2009

New Zealand Named in Lonely Planet's Top 10 Countries for 2010

Lonely Planet has named New Zealand as one of its top 10 countries for 2010. New Zealand was chosen for its amazing variety of spectacular landscapes, Maori culture, fine food and drink, and the easy-going nature of its people.

The other countries to make it into the top 10 were El Salvador, Germany, Greece, Malaysia, Morocco, Nepal, Portugal, Suriname and the USA.

Our students certainly seem to agree that New Zealand is a great place to be:

"I like New Zealand very much!!"

"New Zealanders seem to have an in-built warmth and are very helpful towards people from abroad."

"The South Island is the most beautiful place I have ever seen!"

"We are a bit sad to leave New Zealand (and even the skies are crying today!) but really hope we can come back one day"

Some of our students love this place so much they just keep coming back. Swiss student, Benjamin has already been here 3 times.

If you are in New Zealand or planning a visit, get some travel ideas from our CAE students in their article, Languages International Students Recommend Best Travel Destinations in New Zealand's South Island.

Why wait until 2010?

Photo: Northland New Zealand Coastline by augustusoz

Open Your Mind

Have you ever experienced culture-shock? Do you think other countries' culture that is different from our own culture is incorrect culture that we should correct? Now, we are living in a global village. We can get in touch with people who have other nationalities or cultures easily. However, communicating with foreigners means confronting cultural barriers.

I've been learning English since 28th September in this school. As you know, in our school, there are so many people from various countries that have their own cultures and traditions. I usually talk about my own nation's culture to my friends from other countries. Among them, there are some cultures that I can't understand easily. Even so, can I make fun of their culture? Do i have the right to consider their culture as an incorrect culture that we should correct ?

In conversation class, students from various countries talked about marriage and food. I was surprised that I heard that men from Saudi Arabia can marry 4 wives. It is uncommon in not only my country, but also other countries, so I thought that it is impossible to understand their culture though I couldn't say it. However, when we talked about food, I was aware that I had had a preconception and ethnocentrism because they also didn't understand my country's food. It was a very good experience which made me to change my biased opinion.

We all have ethnocentrism even if don't perceive and admit it. We think other cultures are barbaric too easily only because they are very different from our own culture. Ethnocentrism derives from ancient Greek. The English word 'barbarian' is originally a Greek word that meant other tribes who lived around Greece. The Greeks called these people barbars because Greece couldn't understand the word bar-bar that is the sound a dog makes. In other words, the Greeks considered them as dogs.

Do you want to be considered as barbarian from other people ? It is definite that you don't want to. Other people also must be not want to be treated as barbarian by you! Then, how can we overcome ethnocentrism? We should have cultural relativity instead of ethnocentrism. If we keep cultural relativity in mind, you can distinguish 'something that is different' from 'something that is incorrect'. Cultural relativity is the action of opening the mind to realize cultures!

Text by Wonsik

Photo by Cayusa

09 November 2009

The Impatient Girl Goes Patient

Sometimes we can't control our emotions, especially us Koreans. Most Korean people are hot-headed and we often wear our hearts on our sleeves. Last year I came to New Zealand to find what I really wanted to do. No wonder this country was like a heaven for me at first but I gradually found out how different Koreans and New Zealanders are.

I've been staying in New Zealand (NZ) more than 10 months. "Hurry up" is the typical Korean slogan and "Slow down" I think it must be NZ one. In NZ, when people take a bus, bus drivers usually give change and bus tickets. At first, I felt a little bit annoyed to wait in a queue. To be perfectly honest I hated the NZ bus system. However, I got used to it. Now I feel they are very friendly and relaxed.

"Got used to" reminds me of losing my bank card. One day I drank too much and lost a piece of my memory during drinking. I was scared about losing my memory and I realised that I had lost my wallet. By this time my behaviour was different from my former self. I kept staying cool and didn't hurry too much. Even though I had to wait for 7days to get a new card, I didn't feel annoyed.

So you can see that I've changed. I've learnt to be relaxed and if I have some problems, I should take a step back. If you are just like my previous self and you want to change your hot-tempered personality, just think one think. If you get angry or hurried, it doesn't mean everything goes fast and solve your problems quickly. Instead you will get another wrinkle near your eyes. Choose either to relax or to get a wrinkle, it's absolutely up to you.

Text by Eunkyung Park, a student at Languages International

Photo by daveelmore

06 November 2009

My Homestay Family

I like my homestay because I learn English; I like the food, the home, the child and the dog.

I like New Zealand very much!!

Text by Fahad, a student at Languages International

Photo by Br3nda

The Trip of My life

We all know how difficult it can be to decide what you want to do after having graduated secondary school. You might not know what you want; maybe you are tired of school or you just don’t know what to study. If that is your situation I suggest you take a gap year. By doing so you will learn a lot about yourself, meet new people, learn about new cultures and have great fun, all at the same time!

I have now spent five weeks in Auckland, New Zealand and I have got five left. My decision to come here was based on my willingness to improve my English as well as get to know a new culture. Coming to all alone to the other side of the world hasn’t always been easy, some days the only thing you want to do is to take the next flight home again, but then as suddenly as the weather in Auckland changes you find some beautiful park or lovely people which will cheer you up.

There are a lot of activities you can sign up for; the school organizes trips in the week such as ice cream, shopping, sports and visiting museums. A lot of other companies organize weekend trips, both whole weekends and just one day trips. One must-see is The Bay of Island where you can go swimming with dolphins or just relax in Russell – the first capital of New Zealand. While staying in The Bay of Island the Cape Reinga 90 miles beach tour is a must and why not try sand-boarding, but watch out so you don’t fall off you sledge, then you will have sand absolutely everywhere.

By doing a gap year you will learn so many things that will help you grow as a person. You will learn to take greater responsibility, make sure you go to your classes and make the most of your stay here. Learning to be independent might be challenging but it is one of the greatest things you learn by being abroad. Not only do you learn all these things but you also improve your language skills and meet new friends. By meeting new people you will have a greater understanding of different cultures and get a great knowledge of the rest of the world.

Your gap year can turn out to be the trip of your life.

Text by Anna Herge, a student at Languages International

Photo by noticelj

05 November 2009

My New Adventure in NZ

Do you remember the first time leaving home far away to explore the new world? When was the last time you trying to do something new ? How did you feel at that moment ? Once in a while we all need new impact and inspiration to create more energy for what we’ll go on to do . I myself am in a kind of quarter-life crisis , so I decided to make my life simple and try to find out the next step and start a little adventure with my partner Leo.

Talking about leaving home for such a long time , how to pack became a very serious issue , and I found that could be a total disaster . I took everything out of my closet and tried to squeeze all my clothes into my tiny suitcase and it had to below 20 kgs . I almost repacked 10 times until the last moment before I got on the airplane . (Thanks to God)

As a new student here , I arrived exactly two weeks ago and settled down finally . Here came the biggest problem –how do we eat well and cheaply at the same time three meals a day ? We decided to cook by ourselves ! The first time we got to the shared kitchen , there was “an expert in spaghetti” and “an expert in Indian food” who were already cooking and the smell made our stomachs rumble .

After appreciating “the experts’ work” , it was our time to

show what we could do . Our first meal was the most safe choice-fried rice with onions and pork . The result was a plate of over-cooked rice and half-raw pork which we were not satisfied with , but we were too hungry to care about the taste .

But the situation gets better and better , after we learned how to control the fire and timing . We tried salmon fried rice , tomato egg fried rice and beef soup which were all very delicious . Cooking and looking for new dishes became one of my biggest interests in NZ .

Maybe you are still having some doubts about starting a new adventure , you should just try not to worry too much . A new adventure doesn’t mean you have to go somewhere far away or spend a lot of money . You just need to set up a goal which you have never done before , and than I can guarantee you will definitely find out your new capability . Good luck !

Text by TiffanyChen a student at Languages International

Photo by nhanusek

30 November 2009

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13 November 2009

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