Category: Departing Students
Leticia Dos Santos, student at EC Cape Town.

Why should you learn English in Cape Town?

Category: Activities at EC Cape Town, Departing Students, EC Book Recommendation, EC Cape Town, EC Cape Town Students, English Courses, Social Activities, South African culture, Student Testimonial

“I’d say this city is for everyone…it can change your life and even your way of thinking.” By Leticia Dos Santos   Studying English abroad is a unique experience. Before coming here, I had very basic knowledge, so I decided to learn English in Cape Town. When I came to Cape Town it was very difficult at first, as I had to figure out how everything worked here – especially the language barrier. After a few weeks, it became natural, I could speak and express myself easily. EC English School Cape Town has provided me all the support and help I needed. I can say that I acquired knowledge of the English language. What has contributed to my learning was the encouragement I’d received from the teachers. The classes were always very interactive and no matter how shy I was, it helped me to develop my skills. The structure is simply amazing, very technological and the methodology used to teach was for sure the difference. The way subjects and lessons are introduced in the class, helps to develop, speech and improve vocabulary. Overall, learning another language is not an easy job. You must work hard and do your best. Literally immerse yourself in the language and culture to make it as natural as possible.   My advice would be, don’t take learning so seriously; make mistakes, talk shamelessly, make as many friendships as you can, whether local or foreign, read books, magazines, watch movies in English, but most important, practice English every single day. Cape Town lifestyle Cape Town is an amazing city where I learned about culture and history and had the opportunity to learn English. I think what makes this city so unique is the vibe it conveys. Everyone is always so happy and friendly, the views are … Read more

Tips to improve your English!

Category: Departing Students, EC Cape Town, EC Cape Town Students, English Courses, Student Testimonial

“Nobody wants to play with mediocrity” A few weeks ago, one of EC Cape Town’s students was awarded with a Certificate of Excellence! She had made such amazing progress in all aspects of the English language. We were extremely proud to have her around and asked her to share some of her tips to improve her English: My 6 month journey learning English. By Tamires Macabeu I spent almost two years planning my exchange but I never thought about the techniques I would use to learn a new language. I used to think that it would be a natural process, since I was supposed to spend six months in a country with native English speakers. However, I can assure you that this thought was completely wrong. Learning a new language is not an easy process and it requires a lot of effort and dedication. Below I will list some tips that helped me to improve my English from a Pre-intermediate level to an Advanced level in 24 weeks.   DO MORE THAN JUST GO TO CLASS I was surprised at the quality of EC school. Literally, I didn’t expect so much support from a school. The teachers are very well prepared and the material they offer is very useful and informative. But, one thing I realized was that some students expected to learn English just by attending class. Unfortunately it doesn’t work like that. The teachers are going to lead you and give you good knowledge, but if you don’t practice every day outside the classroom, you will always have an average understanding of English, and nobody wants to play with mediocrity.   WORK ON YOUR VOCABULARY One of the first things I learned while I was studying English was that improving your vocabulary helps you to improve all of … Read more

Raquel and some the EC Cape Town students who become her friends

An intense learning experience @ EC Cape Town

Category: Activities at EC Cape Town, Departing Students, EC Cape Town, EC Cape Town Students, South African culture, Student Testimonial

Doing an exchange seems like an easy decision at first. You choose the country, choose how you’ll pay for the school, the accommodation, and you’re ready to go! Everything seems sorted.However, experiencing a travel exchange is less mechanic. It is something colourful and complex. We get so involved with this journey, that needless to say, will impact your life forever – even for a short period of time. The days became so intense that learning is constant. Personally, this one month I stayed in Cape Town taught me much more than a full year of routine in Brazil. It was my first international travel experience and it will not be the last.Indeed, among all the experiences, learning a new language in direct contact with another culture was enriching! I have a debt of gratitude to the teachers of EC who, with much dedication and enthusiasm, opened the doors to a whole universe of new possibilities, because learning is one of my greatest pleasures. In fact, sharing points of view with people who come from other countries and cultures made me respect and learn about the differences and about knowing a world bigger than I thought. Talking about my days in Cape Town in a few lines is unfair, because every detail was important to contribute to the person that I am today. Every person that I met here is a vibrant soul with whom I left a little bit of myself, and from whom I take a little bit with me. I made more than friends here, I discovered a family! Finally, not every day was perfect, but the journey was marvellous, precisely because of these imperfections. What does not kill us, makes us stronger, and I came out stronger from this exchange. Thank you Cape Town! I made this magical … Read more

Silly hanging out at one of the many beaches which are close to EC Cape Town

Everything was wonderful at EC Cape Town English School

Category: Departing Students, EC Cape Town, EC Cape Town Students, English Courses, IELTS, Internship/Volunteering, South African culture, Student Testimonial

We ask our students regularly to tell us about their experience at EC Cape Town. Here Silly Camara (who had all had his English language classes in Cape Town, South Africa) tells us about his experience thus far. He completed an FCE, IELTS and is now doing an internship in the Student Services department. I want to talk about the Mother City, Cape Town, which is one of the most magnificent and beautiful cities I have ever been to. It has been a great experience for me as a student to stay 8 months in Cape Town and studying at one of its nicest language schools,  EC Cape Town Everything was wonderful at EC, the wide classrooms, the friendly teachers and staff. At EC I learned another way of studying and behaving with different people from different cultures and countries.   During my time in EC I learned many new things, made lots of news friend from all over the world and we visited many places such as Table Mountain, Lion’s Head and also of course the amazing beaches: Muizenberg, Camps Bay Beach and Clifton Beach.   There are many places in Cape Town that will stay memorable for me, the nice restaurants where it is possible to eat different kinds of food. Oh yes! I cannot finish this article without talking about my host family, who welcomed me with enthusiasm and happiness. They were such a wonderful family with whom I improved my speaking outside of class. After all Cape town remains the best place.

What can I say about Cape Town?

Category: Activities at EC Cape Town, Departing Students, EC Cape Town, EC Cape Town Students, Social Activities, South African culture, Student Testimonial

We asked Maycon to tell us about his experience at  our South African Language Centre, in Cape Town. This is what he had to say: Before my arrival in this country, I didn’t expect South Africa would be such a beautiful place. The country has a wide variety of tourist attractions. If you intend visiting south Africa there are several tours you can do like safari’s, shark diving, bungee jumping and much more. Also, there are often amazing places you can visit like the Garden Route, Robben Island, Kruger National Park and the Winelands. What can I say about Cape Town? So, off the top of my head I can say that the city is one of the most beautiful places I have been to in my life. The landscape and the contrast that surrounds Cape Town is breathtaking. You will find beaches and mountains like Table Mountain, Lion’s Head and Devil’s Peak when you have the opportunity to hike and see the sunrise or sunset. The city has several other tourist spots like the Waterfront, Muizenberg, Camp’s Bay. I’m so grateful for the chance I was given to be in Cape Town where I had the opportunity to learn not only English but also to learn about different cultures and religions. I really appreciate all the teachers and friends that who supported and helped me to the end of my journey in Cape Town.

Guilherme on safari, one of the popular activities at EC Cape Town

EC Cape Town – The Best Place to Be

Category: Departing Students, EC Cape Town, EC Cape Town Students, Student Testimonial

Guilherme was a student at EC’s South African Language Centre in Cape Town for one month but his presence made it seem as if he had been here for much longer. When he left we were all a bit sad we wouldn’t be seeing this kind, friendly student on Monday. We asked him to share his unique take on Cape Town and EC and he didn’t disappoint. How do I describe my experience in Cape Town? It’s possible to do it through different aspects (people, food, places, nightlife, landscapes, etc), but what may turn a simple experience into a remarkable one? I think that everyone would agree with my point of view, all those things are needed to turn a normal place into a special one, but Cape Town is different by one point that not everyone normally considers, EC English School. And now everybody will ask me, why? The answer is simple; the environment created there is pretty special.     I had the opportunity to meet special people in a short space of time (just one month), people who helped me in all issues to adapt to the city (where / when / how to go)  and even suggestions on how do to something in the best way. After a while I can see them as friends I made there.The incredible staff, teachers and director are able to provide you with the best of Cape Town, not just the infrastructure of the school, but also, taking care of everyone personally. In my specific case, they helped me to find myself, to improve my language skills A LOT, and helped me to see things better than usual. The knowledge shared inside the school is beyond the wall, you feel comfortable to share your world vision, having the surety that … Read more

These beautiful creatures are a must-see at EC Cape Town

Like a dream

Category: Activities at EC Cape Town, Departing Students, EC Cape Town, EC Cape Town Students, Social Activities, Student Testimonial

Xavier did English classes in Cape Town, South Africa. During these 6 weeks he saw many popular sights but this was by far his favourite moments in Cape Town. Thanks Xavier We got up early this morning. It was an important day for my wife and me. Three years, yes three years we have been waiting for this day. What for? To see the whales. I know it is not a beautiful animal, it is impossible to find a cuddly whale. However, it is the biggest animal on earth but unfortunately, it is one of the engendered species. Two years ago we wanted to see some whales in Iceland. Unfortunately, it was a failure. To see them in South Africa was our first mission! We booked a boat trip in Hermanus for nine o’clock in the morning. It was a small company and we were about 20 people on board and 5 crew members. The weather was lovely and the sea was quiet. It was going to be the perfect day! We navigated the sea looking for whales but… nothing. The crew became nervous and after 2 hours everybody was disappointed and sad. The captain decided to go back to the harbour. Suddenly, between the boat and the harbour, one person shouted “Look… look!” It was a whale. The captain came near the whale and stopped the engine. Incredible! It was not one but three whales playing in the sea. I took photo’s upon photo’s. After a few minutes, quietly, the whales swam next to the boat. It was amazing! They were about three or four metres from us. For me, it became impossible to take photo’s. I saw the show like a child while the whales were playing in front of us. Today I still don’t have words to … Read more

I had a great time!

Category: Departing Students, EC Cape Town, EC Cape Town Students, English Courses, IELTS, South African culture, Student Testimonial

Gun-Ui (aka Jason) came to EC, the South African Language Centre  in Cape Town and when he left, he wrote about his experience as a student in and outside the class. he was a star member of the football team and also joined the Rainbow Volunteer Project. He is truly a great ambassador for EC Cape Town and we thought we had to share his experience with you! Thank you Jason and we wish you all the best for the future! 🙂 Hello everyone, especially Korean, my name is Song-Gun-Ui and Jason(English name for foreign friends). I am from South Korea and my hometown is Seoul. It was my first time to visit South Africa and I have been in Cape Town for six months (24 weeks). My level started from Pre-Intermediate and then Intermediate and the IELTS course. I had a great time with wonderful teachers and friends. If someone who has some interest about EC Cape Town, I hope that my writing will help your choice. Now, I would like to introduce South African’s life and I am going to break common stereotypes for Asian students who are afraid of Africa because of poor information. First of all, I could not find any lions and elephants in Cape Town. It sounds funny, however, some friends still believe it. In my point of view, it is the place which a lot of tourists visit for sightseeing and relaxing. Instead of animals, I could watch beautiful beaches, enormous Table Mountain and Lion’s Head. As a cosmopolitan city, various people from other countries are walking around the city and I could meet different friends.   For example, my class had ten nationalities. South Korea, Portugal, Turkey, Saudi, Finland, and Switzerland etc. We used to share our cultures in English and it … Read more

Come to EC Cape Town to study English!

Category: Activities at EC Cape Town, Departing Students, EC Cape Town, EC Cape Town Students, Internship/Volunteering, Student Testimonial

If you are confused choosing a place to study English, you should go to Cape Town. I had two reasons that I chose Cape Town to study English.     The first reason was that there are almost no Japanese people in Cape Town. This improved my English fast. Actually, there are almost no East Asian people in Cape Town. So I would like to recommend going to Cape Town especially for East Asian people. It’s not necessary to speak your language in Cape Town. The environment will help your English to improve very much.   The second reason was that I wanted to experience various different cultures. Cape Town has a lot of races and people who are from various countries with many kinds of food. These things would make you surprised and interested in other cultures.   Possibly, you might worry about safety. Actually, Cape Town could be more dangerous than your country. But, it’s not necessary to worry too much. If you pay attention a little bit and obey the rule that is like “Don’t walk alone at night”, you can avoid all dangerous things. Actually, I had no problem in Cape Town for 6 months.   And EC Cape Town must be the best place to improve your English. The teachers give you a lot of opportunities to improve your English and make you understand your strong and weak points. Also, you can make a lot of friends at EC Cape Town. I often played football and had a BBQ with my friends. My life in Cape Town was really great. The weather was perfect. The nature was beautiful. The people are exciting. I hope you will come to Cape Town and get a wonderful experience.   Thank you for this wonderful testimonial Yusuke(aka Suzuki). He started … Read more

Walking barefeet is very normal in South Africa :)

In my opinion…

Category: Departing Students, EC Cape Town Students, Social Activities, South African culture

Gabriella took various English language classes in South Africa such as IELTS and Academic Skills as well as the General English programme. We asked her to write her impression about this city. This is what she had to say… When I had the choice between different English cities to learn English, the charm of Cape Town convinced me firstly because for us international students, Cape Town is a city steeped in history because of the heavy past of the country. In fact, the first reason is that we would like to learn more about the South African story and have another sight. Secondly, the weather. Summer from November to April looks better than winter for some of us. And the last reason was the cost of living and schools.   I have been in Cape Town for almost 6 months now and I still find some interesting activities for my free time. As must do in Cape Town is  Table Mountain, Lion’s head and Signal hill  for the sunset and the panoramic view of the city .   Afterward, for the curious and thrill seekers you have the Garden route with her amazing Tsitsikamma National Park and incredible bungy jumping. Similarly you have the attraction park Ratanga in Century City. Then for the lovers of calm, you have some beautiful beaches such as Clifton 3 and 4, Camp’s Bay which might be crowded during the weekends and Llandudno beach which may be a bit off the beaten track but very peaceful and nice for meeting local people. As for the night birds, you have the legendary Long Street  and her several different clubs, some cool bars and restaurants from Loop and Bree streets, like Village Idiots, Arcade or Truly. On top of that, you have the choice between a typical … Read more