On Wednesday 28th August,  two speakers came from Bristol Zoo to talk about the animals and show us some of them. Liz and Diane began by talking about the conservation work that Bristol Zoo does all over the world. They then showed the students a stick insect, a giant snail, a hissing cockroach and a tarantula!  The EC Bristol students had the opportunity to hold, touch and have their photos taken with the animals.  It was a really fun and informative afternoon. Please have a look at the pictures below:  

We would like to thank very much Ludmilla for her fab & touching memories. Ludmilla was studying an ESL course abroad at EC Bristol. She was such a lovely & cheerful student that we will always keep in mind! Please read her message below: Dear EC staff and friends, I’m very pleased about everything  that you have done for me. I’m sure that I won’t forget the amazing time that I had there. I’ve experienced and learnt so many things that I would never do if I was in Brazil. I’m in love with Bristol, its parks, the Harbourside, where after a hard day working/studying it would welcome us to have a great time with our friends at a pub or simply by watching the sunset. The festivals! Oh, I’ve never seen a city that likes festivals so much as Bristol. And I agree, because they are amazing, each one with its own special meaning, but all giving its citizens a great time to eat, dance , listen to good music or just lie down on the grass. And my friends? I want to thank them so much for being next to me during all these moments. We all came from different places and cultures, but it just made our friendship stronger, though the respect and curiosity to learn about each other’s stories. Now I know what Ramadan is and how important it is, also I know how polite Asian people are, and the Italians, they are so friendly and sociable, just like the Swiss and Colombian people.  And the Turkish students? I’ve learnt that the beauty of the women is in their eyes, and how beautiful they are.  And the men? I can probably say that they are the best dancers!  Thai?  Ah, I won’t ever forget how spicy the food is!! To sum … Read more

Did you know that EC Bristol offers Short and Long-term English course? Zeliha joined a trip organised by UK STUDY TOURS. And on her article below, she reports on the city of Liverpool (but of course Bristol is much better) so please have a read through: “The world used us as an excuse to go mad.” – George Harrison This time we turn our attention from Bristol to Liverpool, The Beatles History. But before this, we should talk about The Beatles. I know maybe everybody knows The Beatles but yet a little information is good 😉 The Beatles were a Liverpool based English music group which consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. Their music was routed in rock and roll, during their musical journey, The Beatles played and sang other genres of music like pop music. After playing the clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg, the group became famous with the sing ‘Love Me Do” in 1962. And in 1963 ‘Beatlemania’ started with Please, Please Me. At the beginning The Beatles just made ‘music’, but in time their music influenced the social conditions of their era. Approaching 1970, The Beatles experienced a number of problems and they broke up in 1970. After breaking up the group members each enjoyed successful music careers. In 1980 John Lennon was shot and killed and in 2001 George Harrison died from cancer. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are still alive. When we talk about the museum, it is located on the Liverpool Waterfront, in the Albert Dock. Reaching the Albert Dock is very easy. You can go by bus, rail or on foot -the easiest way of getting there from the city centre. Even though there is an entrance fee, it’s worth it. Also, if you go as a group or family, or you are a student, there … Read more

We would like to thank very much Pinar for her amazing testimonial. Pinar was studying an ESL course abroad at EC Bristol. Why did you choose this destination? My cousin had been studying in EC Bristol and she told me it is a really good place so I came here. What did you learn? I learnt a lot of things; especially that if you want to learn English don’t be shy, feel self-confident and talk with people as much as you can. How much did you improve? The lessons are really useful and they improved for sure my language. What was your favourite EC activity? Why? I enjoyed a lot of activities such as going to the bridge, pub nights, dinner; for me all of them were really good. What did you like the most about the school and the lessons? I really enjoyed the presentation skills class. But almost all the lessons were good. What did you like the most about your accommodation? My homestay are really good people, whenever I want I can talk to them. They are kind and funny people. Would you recommend EC to a friend? Yes, I had a different experience with another school but I definetely recommend this school. Where did your new friends come from? Almost all countries but especially Spain (Juanki!!) What did you like most about the social leaders? They are funny and good leaders, I would like a job like this 🙂 What will you remember from your stay? I think I’ll remember almost everything but I will miss my Spanish friends (Juanki)!!

Two weeks ago, before heading off to the Balloon Fiesta 2013, we organised an EID party at the school. It was amazing! A huge success! Cakes, baklavas, soft drinks and candies were overflowing. Arabic music was in the air and everyone started to dance in the lounge room of EC Bristol. Long and short term students were all there to celebrate the end of ramadan. Have a look at our pictures below. You can also watch some videos on our EC Bristol Facebook page.

Did you know that EC Bristol offers Long-term English course? If you wish to get more info, please click on the following link: http://www.ecenglish.com/school-locations/learn-english-in-bristol/english-courses/academic-year-programme On her article below, she reports on the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2013 so please have a read through: Guys, can you guess what we’re going to talk about? Yes! Bristol Balloon Fiesta. Although I haven’t written for a while I know I shouldn’t miss writing about Bristol Balloon Fiesta. So let's carry on 😀 This year the Fiesta, which has been taken place for 35 years, was held from 8-11 August in Ashton Court Estate. During the Fiesta more than 150 hot air balloons of different shapes took off from Ashton Court Estate and they filled the skies of Bristol for four days. They could be seen all over the city. But of course it wasn’t enough because the main point of the Fiesta was in Ashton Court Estate so we went there with a lot of friends. On Thursday after meeting in front of the school we went to the bus stop and we took a bus to Ashton Court. The Ashton Court Estate was amazing! There was a huge amount of people of all ages. We could find in Ashton Court everything we could want: funfair, food, games, concerts and of course hot air balloons. All of them were quite enjoyable so we had a lot of fun! During the Fiesta, balloons took off twice a day. That meant we could enjoy them twice a day! It was so nice to see the balloons in the sky. Even though on Friday 9th there was an impressive show of Red Arrows (Royal Air Force), Thursday 8th August and Saturday 10th August were the most enjoyable days of the Fiesta. Why? Because there were the Nightglows and fireworks! … Read more

As you might know already, EC Bristol has an amazing blogger-reporter called Zeliha. She is kurdish and a current student at EC Bristol studying a long-term English course. Since a few months now, we published her awesome blog posts on our EC Bristol blog page. EC Bristol just got a new blogger, his name is Leonardo and he is italian. His posts are coming soon on our EC Bristol Page so don't miss them! Please read the introduction of both Zeliha & Leonardo below: Hi guys! My name is Zeliha (but you can call me Zeli or Zelly, because I know that Zeliha is really difficult for most of you). I’m from Turkey and I am studying English at our lovely EC Bristol.  In a nutshell I am a social media and coffee geek, night owl and lazybones.  I love shopping, reading, cooking, blogging and collecting (memories, post cards, snow globes etc.).  Music, smiley people and the smell of coffee make me so happy. You can see me anywhere around the school probably talking to somebody. Between you and me, I’m so chatty! Hello everybody, My name is Leonardo, I’m 24 years old and I’m from Italy. I really want to be a member of EC staff because I think it’s a very good opportunity to improve my communication skills and to meet new people as well. What about me? I’m very approachable, outgoing and completely crazy too. I’m very interested in having fun and I often have parties. These parties are free and allow you to meet new people and also improve your English level. So if you are looking for a party or if you simply want to meet new people, catch me on Facebook (Leonardo Bristol) and maybe we can have fun together!  

We would also like to thank Stefano for his great testimonial. Stefano is currently studying an ESL course abroad at EC Bristol.  He is an amazing student! Why did you choose this destination? EC is very famous, there are a lot of EC schools in the world and Bristol is a wonderful city. How much did you improve? I think I've improved in my speaking and listening. What do you like most about the school? Here there are a lot of different people from different countries, I love this! Would you recommend EC to a friend? I'd recommend this school to my friends if they want to improve their English and want to make new friends from other countries. I'll not forget my new friends and teachers, because they are lovely. What will you remember from your stay? There are a lot of activities to socialize, and to improve your speaking and listening.  

We would like to thank very much Pongpat for his testimonial. Pongpat is currently studying an ESL course abroad at EC Bristol. And he is an awesome student! Please read his testimonial below: First, when I came here I could only speak 2-3 words but now I can speak and understand a lot of things when people spoke to me. There were sometimes when I couldn't explain things to my friends but I think now it is better than the first week. Now I have a lot of friends from many countries such as Spain, Italy, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, China, Japan and Korea. I really like this school. I want to grow up together with EC. I can improve my English a lot.

On Wednesday the Over 30s’ Group went to Brown’s at the top of Park Street.  Some students had a traditional afternoon tea consisting of tea, scones and sandwiches. The rest of the students had various drinks and snacks including cider and cookies!  One of our fasting students came just to enjoy the company. We even had an imposter- see if you can spot her in the photo! If you are 30 years old or above and if you are currently studying an IELTS Course Preparation or another type of course at EC Bristol, look out for posters advertising the next event in three weeks’ time.