Discovering a new culture

When we spend time in a different country we can discover a different culture and attitude to the way we think about or see things. This helps us to take a different view on things and to broaden our horizons, which  couldn’t be easier to do in such a cosmopolitan city.

Creating memories

No matter where in the world you go there will always be a place or person that you will remember. Whether it’s a fond memory of the local place you end up going out to during your time at the school, the group of friends that you make,  or even a teacher that has really helped you with learning English, these are all things that you won’t  forget. You can be sure that during your time away you will build up plenty of memories to take away with you.

Friends

Feeling independent

One of the big benefits about spending time away is that it will give you a real sense of independence and the chance for you to see how you can manage by yourself.  Whether it’s little things like cooking for yourself or bigger things such as finding yourself somewhere to live in the city, you will be able to see just how you can manage for yourself.

Learning about yourself

Going away is the perfect opportunity for you to grow. Yes it sounds a bit cliché but going to a foreign country gives you the opportunity to discover yourself. It also gives you the opportunity to do things that you hadn’t considered before, while getting to meet new people and discover a different culture at the same time.

As a student, there will always come a time when your visa expires and you’re invited to leave the country. And many of us try to renew it wishing to stay a bit more. The whole process is not so simple. In fact, it’s as complicated as trying to get one for the first time. It takes a lot of your time and, of course, money. You must collect pay slips, if you work, and your bank statements from the previous months to prove you and your family can support your stay. Unnecessary to say you must have a good attendance and enroll for another year at school.

I know that some students have a clear plan in mind. They come to London to improve their language skills in a good school, immersed in a cosmopolitan city where English is (supposed to be) spoken all times. They want to go back to their home countries after that wishing that having spent this time in London will have increased their job opportunities and salary offers. Well, I’m the opposite. I’ve always put my personal life before the professional. When I arrived in London it was like a dream coming true. I met the kind of people I wanted to be. I mean, I met the kind of people I’ve always been but couldn’t show.

I love London and can’t deny. It’s not easy to live here. I’m a graduated psychologist. But I ended up working in a pub, one of those trendy places that people go to forget the insanity of week days. It’s the first time I leave mother’s house or pay my own living expenses. The first time I’m my only guide. Sometimes I compare my life in the English capital to that old dog your family’s had since your childhood. It takes an hour to go to the shop on the corner (just like the transport in London from anywhere to everywhere else), its fur is starting to fall everywhere. And people who see it from the outside will see nothing special in it. But it’s still my dog. And I kind of like to say that London is my city, even though I’m just here for a short time.

E. Dutra

I have been living in England over three years and I have met extraordinary people who have achieved all their goals and had the most amazing time ever. At the same time, I have met others who are like a snail, either inside the shell or dragging around to reach a single point.

I have a theory about the reasons one person should come to London, I call it SWEAT:

S = Study hard and get certificates, diplomas and as many qualifications as possible.

W=Work a lot and save as much as you can

E = Enjoy as many places as possible, such as night clubs, theatres, pubs, festivals and

A = Amuse others with your experiences

T= Travel everywhere and enrich your cultural level around Europe

Well, in my point of view one person should achieve at least one of these points to have a meaningful experience in England; otherwise it is a waste of time. The country offers you opportunities to do any of them, no doubt about it. Now, it is just down to you to get focused and achieve your goals. I know it is not easy and that is why I call it SWEAT because you will have to work hard to get it done.

Good luck!

David Vieira/Brazil

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

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

there are people who think travelling is a waste of time, but it’s time to wake up, open your eyes and realize that there are wonderful places beyond your borders. What I’m enjoying about this expirience is the fact that I’m learning the value of life, nowadays I realize how beautiful the world is and how many beautiful things it can show me. In my opinion to have a nice room in a luxury house is in second place because I have my dreams as the most important goal in my life.

I remember my first day in London, everything was absolutely bizarre, i felt completely lost. All the streets, the people, even the food was very strange, I wanted to cry and a kind of desperation made me feel shit, fortunately in less than one month I started to feel that all those stranges streets and strange people, became my own streets and my own family. Today I feel if i had lived in this city for ages, I’m absolutely in love with the thames river, with the beautiful landscapes, with the warm people, with the amazing parks and with the fascinating freedom that makes me feel one hundred per cent myself, I can do whatever I want and nobody is gonna say bad things about me, London is a city without prejudices and i really like that.

If somebody ask me why I’m here and what I like about London I’d answer what I really like about London is the fact that it’s a city that makes me feel happy because not only is a new language that I’m learning, I’m growing as a person at the same time. Being here I’ve chaged my mind and I’m sure that the Luis that is gonna go back to Colombia is not the same that arrived here.

I would be lying if i said that I’ve never wished to take a plane and go back home, I’ve missed my family, my friends, even my dog but inmediately I think about my future and about all my goals and it makes me stronger to move on. It’s not easy being here, is quite hard but is an experience that I wouldn’t change for anything in the world.

Luis F. Salazar

there are people who think travelling is a waste of time, but it’s time to wake up, open your eyes and realize that there are wonderful places beyond your borders. What I’m enjoying about this expirience is the fact that I’m learning the value of life, nowadays I realize how beautiful the world is and how many beautiful things it can show me. In my opinion to have a nice room in a luxury house is in second place because I have my dreams as the most important goal in my life.

I remember my first day in London, everything was absolutely bizarre, i felt completely lost. All the streets, the people, even the food was very strange, I wanted to cry and a kind of desperation made me feel shit, fortunately in less than one month I started to feel that all those stranges streets and strange people, became my own streets and my own family. Today I feel if i had lived in this city for ages, I’m absolutely in love with the thames river, with the beautiful landscapes, with the warm people, with the amazing parks and with the fascinating freedom that makes me feel one hundred per cent myself, I can do whatever I want and nobody is gonna say bad things about me, London is a city without prejudices and i really like that.

If somebody ask me why I’m here and what I like about London I’d answer what I really like about London is the fact that it’s a city that makes me feel happy because not only is a new language that I’m learning, I’m growing as a person at the same time. Being here I’ve chaged my mind and I’m sure that the Luis that is gonna go back to Colombia is not the same that arrived here.

I would be lying if i said that I’ve never wished to take a plane and go back home, I’ve missed my family, my friends, even my dog but inmediately I think about my future and about all my goals and it makes me stronger to move on. It’s not easy being here, is quite hard but is an experience that I wouldn’t change for anything in the world.

Luis F. Salazar

I came to this city for the first time 4 years ago and to tell the truth I was not so impressed by what I saw. Everything was out of place and the idea of first world had completely vanished before my eyes. How naive I was! Thinking about it and pondering everything that was going through my head at that time I can see that everything that I have lived so far was nothing compared to the grandiosity of what London delivers.

Before coming here you must prepare yourself to open your mind and eyes for one of the most cosmopolitan cities of the world. From the luxurious and ostentatious products displayed at the windows of Harrods to the stalls that offer everything from alternative clothing to international food at the famous weekend markets, this place is all about people, different cultures, and the impressive and detached way that everything fits together. Nobody is too exotic. Nobody is too edgy. London is the home of the free.

And there is the weather. Oh the weather! This is a very considerable topic over here. We have rainy days, which, luckily enough, involves mainly sporadic drizzles throughout the day and night, but nothing too heavy such as thunderstorms or endless pouring rains. And also grey kind of rainy-but-not-really looking days. And cold days, and… Well, it sounds like a bloody lousy city but it is not! Personally speaking, I quite enjoy days like this. You know, it is the feeling of tiny little raindrops trickling down my face while I walk home after a long day at school. It suits me and my general mood.

Anyway, London is THE city. Nothing else matters when you have the extraordinary opportunity to live and share your life with others in such a cool place like this. I wish you luck and talk to you soon. Cheers.

Yumi/Japan