When I’m not giving English classes at our centre in, ‘The Bush,’, I’m mostly at home in Acton. I live in a nice quiet street near a park where there are lots of trees, bushes and quiet places. Perfect if you have migrated in from the shires: not to work or improve your English grammar, but to live and raise a family. In a bush. Safe in the heart of the city.

I’m not talking about me, but about one of my neighbours, whom my wife and I rather unimaginatively call Mozilla. He/she (we’ve never got close enough to find out) is one of the 10,000 foxes who live in the capital and is our most enigmatic and fascinating fellow Actonite.

Isn’t it incredible that in this sprawling metropolis, there are 16 foxes for every square mile? And it’s not just in the leafy areas either. A red fox was once found asleep on a filing cabinet in the Houses of Parliament and recently, some foxes snuck into the grounds of Buckingham Palace, allegedly making a nice dinner of some of The Queen’s pink flamingoes.

So where did they come from? Well, apprently they started to drift towards the city after WWII because although there wasn’t a ready supply of live chickens and rabbits to feast on, there was no shortage of discarded food left to scavenge. Added to this was the fact that urbanites seemed far less inclined to hunt them down with dogs than their country cousins.

Now, while many Londoners object to the way they rip open binbags, dig up gardens, terrorise pets and leave a dreadful pong in their bushy-tailed wake, a recent survey revealed that 80% of Londoners were happy to have them around.

I’m certainly one of their fans. I’m often up very late at the weekends on my porch. But for the distant hum of traffic, there’s an eerie silence and a dense mist envelops everything. It is then I ususally see Mozilla.. He/she (let’s say he) is scampering gingerly along the footpath and when he sees me, he stops. He freezes. So do I. He looks at me and I look back. I know he doesn’t speak English, he knows I don’t speak fox, but I’m sure something passes between us. With my eyes I try to say to him, ‘I’m no threat and I’d never hunt you.’ With his eyes I like to think he’s saying,’Ok, fatman, but I’ve got to go and rip open a few bins to feed the cubs. Catch ya later.’

And then he’s off, vanished into the mist. I like to think we’re friends.

Mike

I had never been out of Brazil before coming to London. People used to classify me as crazy. A lot. But I didn’t care, all I thought was: I’ll be free. Free from myself. Weird, right? But, that was exactly what I thought. I would get rid of this person that people had always known as, me. Because, the truth is: you are known as what society thinks of you. And for society back where I come from, I am “the daughter”, “the sister” and “the granddaughter”. I wasn’t just a girl. The thing is, I didn’t know that the freedom would come at a prize. Not money or any material thing, but, tears, loneliness, emptiness.

I got here completely on my own, no friends, no family, no acquaintances, no one. At first, it was overwhelming. Living and sharing experiences with complete strangers. They didn’t know anything about me, most of them still don’t know. However, it was and it still is, everything I ever thought it would be: amazing. It’s like I’m a completely new person, a free one. Free from all the things that used to stop me from doing everything I thought wasn’t appropriate.

The thing the made all the difference was my school. At The English Studio I learned and I am still learning almost everything that I need to know about London, the English language, British culture, places to visit and experiences. It was here that I made my new friends, that I found my flat and, most important, it is because of my brilliant teacher Mike Mooney my English has improved considerably. It’s here that I learn new and exciting things everyday, especially with my adorable and so well educated teacher.

I still get shocked sometimes; I blame my “small town mentality”. But, after a minute or two, I get used to the idea, and sometimes even start applying it to my own life.

I used to cry everyday when I got here. I used to call my dad and say that I wanted to go home, that this was too much for me. That I would never love London, and that everything here was backwards. From the way they drive to the plug (I still have to use the adaptor to use my hair-dryer).

People used to say to give it some time, that London would eventually get me and in 3 months I would start loving it. And so it happened. Of course, with a lot of tears, phone calls, and family support, but here I am: loving every minute of it, free from all the pre-conceptions people would build in their minds the minute I’d introduce myself by saying my last name and free from all the assumptions.

Now I can really say that I’m truly living the “London experience”, and The English Studio and everybody that I met there is a really big part of this little part of my life.

Mariana Shayeb

I’ve always believed that the power of new perspectives and the ability of making the most out of them are what makes us who we are. They open our eyes and make us see a totally new world that was hidden before. Some people are not scared of this inner transformative power. And as their world get smaller, they find themselves gathering for new experiences.

London is the dream destination of many students world wide. And this is the kind of change that requires lots of preparation. You decide to leave the warmth of your home to celebrate a journey of exploration. And choosing your guides on this trip may be the most important topic to be concerned about. I chose the English Studio because first of all I needed to be confident about the language I was speaking on my conquer. It was not just a matter of communicate well but to do it like a native speaker, with all idiomatic expressions that just a person who’s always lived in an English speaker enviroment was able to.

It’s amazing how you start to appreciate school the very second you get your first compliment about your language skills coming from a native speaker. And thanks to the classes I’ve been having at The English Studio it didn’t take to long for this day to come. You feel like the time and money you spend to live and study here are totally worthy. No class is like the other. Partly because of the well-qualified teachers they trust on and partly because of the friends you make on the way. I couldn’t wish for a better “family” in London.

Being in such an amazing enviroment definitely helps me on my adventure. Because as much you explore everywhere, that’s where you discover yourself.

Evaldo

we are a TOEIC preparation centre, and have been proudly entering our best and finest students for two years now. TOEIC is an American Business English exam, and can really help students from such countries as France, Korea and Japan to get a better job. If you’d like to know more about TOEIC, come and see me, or you can email me at rob@the-englishstudio.com

Rob

Like everybody else, I will never forget 9/11. I was working in The English Studio in Uxbridge Road  when Phil told me that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Centre. At first I thought it was just a bizarre accident and carried on teaching my First certificate class. But as the day wore on, it became clear that something far more awful was happening….

In room U1B the small portable tv was turned on and classes stopped for the day as the room filled with students from other levels, staring in horrified disbelief  at the tumbling towers on the  14 inch screen. That, for me, was the day the Bush presidency began.

In the years that followed I often stared at bigger tvs in even more acutely horrified disbelief as America’s reputation crumbled before our eyes. The war in Afghanistan, the carnage in Iraq, the rejection of the Kyoto protocol and the abandonment of the people of New Orleans to their fate. The list went on and all most right-thinking friends of America felt was anger and, eventually, despair.

Then in November 2008, something beautiful, something amazing happened. Hope returned in the shape of a lean, cool and hugely capable senator from Illinois..

It is of course unreasonable and naive to expect President Obama to wave a magic wand and sort out the mess left by Mr. Bush. But it was inspiring to sit, once again, in  room  U1B in the English Studio, once again surrounded by people from all over the world, once again watching a landmark in world history happen live before our eyes. This time there was no horror, this time there was no disbelief. This time there was hope. And for the moment that’s enough.

Mike

Since my last blog about London’s Winter Wonderland, I’ve been thinking about how romantic the great city of London can be: whether it is on the back seat of a routemaster bus or in an English Studio classroom in the heart of Holborn. However, many people may feel that romance is impossible in these cash-strapped times…..Wrong! Apart from the glorious parks there are many free ways to warm the cockles of your hearts in this great metropolis and I’d like to begin this week by talking about Mike’s Great First date Stroll…….

So, you want to go a wooing , you’ve finally plucked up the courage to ask her/him to meet outside the classroom, but you don’t know where to go and you can’t afford anything fancy.Propose meeting at St. Paul’s Cathedral. Don’t go inside, you have to pay for that – but it is fascinating to walk around the cathedral staring up at the varied and hideous gargoyles which are supposed to scare away demons.

Then, walk across the Millenium Bridge. (This is especially advisable on windy days when it feels like the bridge is wobbling and your partner may feel the need to hang on to you for support!) After crossing the Thames you will find yourselves outside the Tate Modern Gallery, surely one of the finest collections of modern art in the world. It should be great to get the conversation going…( And, if you are poor, but romantic, you can pretend you need to go to the toilet and quickly buy a postcard of the painting he/she likes the most in the giftshop – but don’t give it to him/her just yet.)

Turning right along the South Bank you will pass the National Theatre and The Film Institute, outside of which is a brilliant second-hand book stall where you can browse a bit and talk about the sort of books you like. There is often a French market on the South Bank selling everything from saucissons to great crepes to help you  inexpensively keep the icy chill of the riverbank at bay.

At the Royal Festival Hall take the Hungerford pedestrian bridge across the water again and this will take you to Embankment. A brisk stroll up Villier’s Street means you’re only a minute’s walk from Trafalgar Square and from there it’s only a few hundred metres to Gerrard Street; the heart of London’s Chinatown. Find a restaurant where old Chinese people are eating: you just know the reasonably-priced dimsum is going to be delicious!

From there, it’s a stone’s throw to O’Neill’s where a pint or two of Guinness may give you the Dutch courage to try for a kiss. But before you do that, reach into your pocket and say ‘I thought you might like this.’ If your postcard of your intended’s favourite painting doesn’t do the trick, I’ll be very surprised! Good luck……

Mike

Hello, my name is Vicky and I run the social programme here at the English Studio! I will be posting information on this blog and also on our student forum, so you can find out as quickly as possible what’s going on this month. Any suggestions you have about what kind of events we can offer the students of the school would be warmly welcomed too!

Vicky

So a new year, and a new term in the English Studio. We’re really happy with the group of teachers we’ve assembled, and with our new building complete and everything redecorated we feel we’re in a very strong position for 2009. We are always willing to improve what we offer, however, so if you have any suggestions about killer courses we could be offering in 2009, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!

rob

Traditionally, this is supposed to be the most depressing time of the year: the Christmas holidays are over, those of you who went home for the festive season have now returned and, unfortunately have to go back to work because you’ve spent all your money! Added to all of that is the weather, the terrible English weather, with it’s Arctic temperatures and icy winds. In my Black class this week we were doing the expression ‘to be sick and tired of something,’ which means to be fed up – and I lost count of the number of students who said they were sick and tired of the cold weather.

However, let’s not forget the old belief that in Chinese the word for ‘crisis’ is the same as the word for ‘opportunity’. Though you may find it hard to believe, now is one of the best times of the year to reaquaint yourselves with the beauty of London’s parks. All the leaves may have fallen off the deciduous trees, but there are still enough evergreens to provide a startling and beautiful contrast.. It’s easier to spot the animals and if you go to, for example, Hyde Park early in the morning mist, you can find yourself in an almost magical environment where there is nobody else around…In what other city with a population of ten million is this possible?

So, yes, it’s cold, it’s miserable and who knows what economic disasters lie in wait in 2009, but in the meantime, my advice is to put on your scarf and gloves, grab your digital camera and go for a wander in London’s Winter Wonderland.