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Maximize your time…like Marina!

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by Sheetal Makhan (AYC)

It’s very easy to find ourselves “stuck in a rut” (to be bored).
For some students, routine becomes school-home-school-home.

I have said this repeatedly to our students:

Cape Town is your classroom!
All you need to do is:
Open your eyes.
Open your ears.
Open your mind.

One student who did this was Marina Albertini, who is back home in Brazil. I spent some time chatting to Marina about her time here in Cape Town. I was interested to hear about her story, especially when I learned that she was took saxophone lessons. It caught my attention because I thought it was a wonderful way of really “getting out there” and immersing herself in activities during her stay in South Africa. I hope many other students will read Marina’s story and follow suit.

Marina with Sheetal
Marina with Sheetal

Marina has been playing Pop Rock for about seven years. She took music lessons when she was 18 years old, but not for a long time. When she arrived in Cape Town, she was already able to play the piano and guitar, but it was in Cape Town that she started learning saxophone.

Like her father, her interest in music started out as a hobby. She soon found it to be a form of expression without using words. She says that she became a bit of an introvert after losing her grandmother. “Music was the one thing I knew how to do,” says Marina, who actually writes her own music with her band back in Brazil.

She came to Cape Town to take a break before starting university. Although she always loved the saxophone, she never thought of pursuing it further. She wanted to maximize her time while studying in South Africa and event bought the instrument before taking lessons, which lasted for about three months!Her band, called “Duna” (meaning “Dune” in English) has been in existence for four years. The name was chosen as it gives the idea of constant movement. Something that cannot be stopped and makes one feel like new things are always being created.Marina and her band would play at schools and festivals and is likely to have more gigs lined up in the future.

The feeling when she plays…

Marina says:
Sometimes you play and forget to breathe. It becomes part of you. It’s natural“Not only did Marina improve her English while she was here, but she says that she went back to Brazil as a changed person.The experience of living alone in another country and meeting people from different cultures allowed her to gain confidence and converse with others.Towards the end of her course at EC Cape Town, she surprised herself and took the IELTS preparation class and went on to take the exam.We wish Marina all the very best as she embarks on her university journey in Brazil.
———————————————-
Marina was a General English (GE20) student
She also took IELTS Preparation

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