We are practicing participle clauses in
HD’s advanced class, and we have written this article about our first
experience in New Zealand.
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When I arrived in Auckland, my aunt picked
me up at the airport. The season in New Zealand was completely different to
where I come from, so the weather was the opposite way around. I hadn’t been here
before, so I didn’t know anything about the culture and the climate.
Feeling a bit homesick but still excited, I
went exploring the city. Feeling like a child going to school on her first day,
I was stressed and nervous about meeting my new teachers and classmates. I met
lots of different nationalities which I had never done before. If I hadn’t come
to New Zealand I wouldn’t have made friends from different cultures.
On a bright sunny day I went with my new
friends to Rangitoto Island and it was the first time I have ever walked on lava.
Even though I felt a little bit sea sick when I was on the ferry I enjoyed
watching Auckland from the sea.
On the other hand, my previous language
school was shut down by NZQA, because they had sold some fake certificates to
international students. Having been told by my travel agency that this was an
exceptional language school in New Zealand, I chose Languages International,
which is the first language school here and has thirty years of experience
teaching students.
I’m enjoying my time at this school, and
when I’ve finished this English course I’m going to travel around New Zealand.
Si
Yuan Zhong & Anna Bergman
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My first
experience in Languages International school
When
I arrived in New Zealand by plane, the weather was extremely awful. It was
raining heavily and I wasn’t used to winter temperatures, because it had been
an awesome summer in my country. Having been picked up by the special school
service, I was driven to the host family. I was relieved to finally arrive at
my new home, because I hadn’t slept for a long time due to an extraordinarily
exhausting flight.
Having
had a refreshing sleep, I had a delicious breakfast with my host family. The
first several days I was shocked because of the cold room temperature, which is
not a problem for me now anymore. Apart from the cold, the atmosphere in the
family was immensely welcoming.
The
first day at school was overwhelming because we were given so much information
on the school system, but as soon as I made friends with other students, I
relaxed and settled in.
Having
now spent two weeks in school, I appreciate how well-prepared, diversified and
incredibly useful the lessons are.
Denis and Michaela
When I arrived at Auckland airport, there
was someone waiting for me at the gate with a piece of paper with my name on
it. Having arrived safely on the other side of the world, I was very thankful
there was someone to pick me up in this new foreign country. I was driven to my
host-family, where I got a wonderfully warm welcome.
Feeling very excited but also a little bit
nervous, I was shown around the school the next day. To my surprise, I found
there were students from all over the world. I was so pleased to see all those
different cultures and nationalities in one school. The next morning I had to
catch the bus to school on my own. That turned out to be a difficult task; the
public transport system in NZ isn’t easy to understand. Fortunately I have
mastered the system now and won’t get in the wrong bus anymore!
The first couple of days I felt excited
because of all the new impressions. However, I quickly made a lot of friends
who I explored the city with. Sometimes we go on trips on the weekends or go
out in the city centre. The school also provides a social programme, which
gives you a chance to see Auckland and its surroundings with your peers.
All together, it’s an amazing experience. I
wouldn’t miss it for the world!
Nine and Fatema
My first Week in
Auckland
I
arrived in New Zealand on a bright sunny day. Having been given a map and
address of my homestay, I took the bus heading to Britomart from the airport.
By the time I arrived there, I had figured out which bus serves the area where
I have been living ever since. My room
had been cleaned and repainted, which made me feel warmly welcomed in the well
organised household. Before I could even unpack my suitcase, I had been shown
around Auckland by my homestay mother. The sky tower is visible from anywhere
in the city, which made me wonder how amazing the view up there must be, and it
is indeed breathtaking as I experienced some weeks later.
Having
completed an entry test on the following day, I was put into HD’s advanced
class. There is great variety of different nationalities in this class. Not
only does this give us lots of interesting topics to speak about, but it also
forces us to speak English out of school.
The
school has always provided various weekly social programme events, which aim to
increase conversation exchange opportunities. Having always been interested in
exploring new places to go out, I joined a pub crawl the other week, organised
by James, the teacher responsible for social activities. That’s an easy way to
get in contact with many other students. If I hadn’t done this, I wouldn’t have
made so many friends, with whom I’m going to travel to the South Island after
finishing at the language school.
Being
in HD’s class, we were given the opportunity to practice using participle
clauses in a piece of writing, and that’s what we have done here.
Grace & Roland
this week's Social Programme activities for Christchurch.
