Patrick Meier is a FCE student who is just about to return to his life in Switzerland. In a private interview, he discussed his overall experience in San Diego, and was even willing to share a joke! Read on to learn more about him.

Tell me a little bit about yourself!
I am here because it is the last year of break from work for me. I chose to come to the USA because I am interested in the country. My first priority was to learn more about the country and at the same time I decided to learn English at EC San Diego. This was done just for me.

What do you like most about EC San Diego?
That all people here are all very friendly.

Describe your most memorable experience while in San Diego.
One time some Swiss friends that I met here, they lived in the Hyatt Hotel, and we ate dinner and after that we went to the bar at the Hyatt at the top of the hotel and you could see over everything at night and the lights. I really liked the atmosphere. When I think about San Diego, I picture my experience there.

Do you know any funny jokes?
A horse came into a bar and ordered a drink. Then the bartender asked the horse “Why the long face?” 

Tell me about your homestay experience.
I lived with just one woman, Donna, and she was really friendly and funny, and if you wanted something, you could tell her and she tried to do it better or give you an idea and try to help you. The great thing about homestays is you speak English for sure. You have minimum 2 times in a day a good meal without having to look for a meal. Also, you know a little bit more about American people. I felt like I was a member of the family. Also, there were two students from other countries so I have experience from other countries too, not just from American people.

What advice would you give new EC students?
Be always happy. The important thing is to realize that in this moment you have a good life. Many times people are somewhere and remember that “this was nice”. Think “now this moment is nice”.

Would you recommend EC San Diego to people you know? What would you tell them about the school?
Actually I did. Everything was well-organized. Everything was how I organized it in Switzerland. Everything was how I planned. Everything was how I expected. Everybody was so friendly here. Also, I think the teachers teach very well. You learn a lot if you pay attention here.

Any last words before you return to your country?
I thank everybody here that I had such a nice time!

Do you have trouble saying words like “perfect”, “pray”, “feel”, and “fan”? If so, here are a few tips for improvement.

To make the [p] sound, have your two lips touching and blow out some air.

Practice the [p] sound with the following words:
Put, Play, Pie, Peel, Pray

To make the [f] sound, put your top teeth onto your bottom lip and blow out some air.

Practice the [f] sound with these words:
Fan, Fail, Foot, Feel, Pheasant

Try out these tantalizing tongue twisters!!

1.
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
Did Peter Piper pick a peck of pickled peppers?
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?
-Courtesy of http://www.esl4kids.net/tongue.html.-

2.
Fresh fried fish,
Fish fresh fried,
Fried fish fresh,
Fish fried fresh.
-Courtesy of http://www.esl4kids.net/tongue.html.-

3.
I’m not a pheasant plucker, I’m the pheasant plucker’s son,
And I’m only plucking pheasants until the pheasant pluckers come.
-Courtesy of http://www.esl4kids.net/tongue.html.-

“Right now, I am reading The Devil Wears Prada in English.  It is about a girl’s success story.  The main character works at a fashion magazine.  She has a boss who is like the devil; she is strict and selfish.  Her boss uses her like a servant, but she bears it and is struggling.  At first, she is independent.  I am not finished yet, but I know the ending because I saw the movie.  I like this book and recommend it to other people.”

-Makiko Fukuda, EC San Diego Student

EC San Diego knows how to celebrate the day of love, Valentine’s Day.  Look at the pictures below!

Heart-themed snacks and refreshments for all to enjoy

The stage for EC San Diego’s version of “The Dating Game”

The lucky winners of The Dating Game, Christian and Helene, show off their special prizes.

Yummy!!!!

Cupid, aka Paolo, shows off his wings of love as he delivered Valentine’s Day treats!

Bruno is a 16 year old student at EC San Diego from Brazil. Bruno is so full of life and was eager to learn while he was here at EC San Diego. In this interview, he shared with you some interesting information about his stay here and some helpful advice to other EC students.

What did you like most about EC?
I loved the joyful environment and how happy everyone always was.

What was your favorite thing about San Diego?
I loved the people, and how they are all so friendly.

Would you recommend EC San Diego? What would you tell them about the school? YES, of course! I would tell them how they have to come here and it’s an unforgettable experience. If you want to learn English and have a good time, then EC San Diego is the best place. The school is integrated, and the school got me really ready for the real world of English. This school really helped me improve my speaking and listening skills.

What are your plans for using English?
I intend to travel the world and try to go to college at UCSD or Yale.

What advice would you give new EC students?
I would tell them that San Diego is a huge place, so don’t depend on other people to see everything. Go where your heart leads you.

THANK YOU ECSD!!!

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

FROM EC SAN DIEGO

Lykai Nash, EC San Diego’s Student Services Coordinator, celebrated her birthday with many different versions of the “Happy Birthday” song, thanks to EC students who love her so much. Not only that, she was surprised with a great big chocolate birthday cake that she was kind enough to share with students and staff.

Do you have problems pronouncing words like “the”, “thing”, “although”, and “thorough”?  Well, not to worry!  Here are a couple of tips for you to follow so that you can improve your pronunciation. 

The TH sound can be made by sticking out your tongue, placing the tip of your tongue between your upper and lower teeth, and blowing out.  Please see the picture below.

There are two kinds of TH sounds: voiced and voiceless. 

To make voiced TH sounds as in “the” and “although”, make sure that when you blow out, that sound is also made.  You know you are making a voiced TH sound because when you touch your throat, you can feel a vibration. 

To make a voiceless TH sounds as in “something” and “thorough”, make sure that when you blow out, no sound is made.  You know you are making a voiceless TH sound because when you touch your throat, you cannot feel a vibration. 

Practice these fun tongue twisters to improve your TH sounds!

Th=voiceless                Th=voiced

1.

King Thistle stuck a thousand thistles in the thistle of his thumb.
A thousand thistles King Thistle stuck in the thistle of his thumb.
If King Thistle stuck a thousand thistles in the thistle of his thumb,
How many thistles did King Thistle stick in the thistle of his thumb?

-Courtesy of http://www.esl4kids.net/tongue.html.-

2.

One way to outthink others is to make them think you think you’re not really thinking what you’re trying to get them to think you think.

-Courtesy of http://www.esl4kids.net/tongue.html.-

Giusanto Rainone is a very interesting student from Italy. He arrived in San Diego in October 2009 and is studying English because he wants to improve his English skills, explore California, and meet new people. Read the interview below to learn more about Giusanto.

What do you like about EC San Diego?
The people who work at EC are very kind and give me a familiar sensation. I am very lucky. The teachers explain in a good way to let me understand words, and if I have some problems, I can ask. They make the classes interesting.

Are you learning English effectively?
Everybody tells me “yes!”, but I really don’t know. I see that I speak more fluently. I can explain my point of view better than before. Sometimes I think that I am not really sure if my English is improving the way I would like.

Do you have any advice for students who are interested in studying at EC San Diego?
Once you begin, you have to understand in which classes you really belong because sometimes the student can be too shy to ask if he or she can change to a more challenging class. This is important because, if not, you will return to your country with little improvement. You should make your own way. If you have to ask something, you must ask for more material and anything that stimulates you more. Don’t worry because the people at the school understand the feeling of the students. You have to understand, choose, and ask!

What is the best thing about San Diego and La Jolla?
It is beautiful, relaxing, and the people are very kind. From San Diego you can go to SF in one and a half hours by plane. Los Angeles by car in two hours. Hawaii in 5 hours by plane. Las Vegas by plane in 1 hour. Plane tickets are cheap.

How is your life in Italy different from your life now in San Diego?
Completely! Everything is different. From the system of the school to the restaurants, and meeting people in bars and nightclubs. It is a very different kind of life.

What are your goals in life?
My goal in life is to achieve a good work position in a bank. Through this experience at EC San Diego, I would like to get a better life; most importantly a wife and kids. Normal things and, of course, to be happy!!

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I never like this question, but if I should think about…I think I will be in a good way with a good work position and a family.