Category: Nice to know

5 New Words in the Oxford English Dictionary

Category: elearning, English as an International Language, London trip, Nice to know / Tags: , , , ,

Do you like words? Of course you do! If you are reading this, you are probably an English language student looking to improve your English. Well, you have definitely come to the right place! No language can be communicated without words! ‘But what about grammar?’ we hear you ask. Yes, grammar is extremely important and without some grammar it is difficult to understand the language you may be reading, listening to or even trying to use yourself. But without words, there is no grammar! How can you even produce a grammatically correct sentence if you don’t have the words to form it? So, what is one of the better ways to learn or check new vocabulary than to head to the Oxford Dictionary! Did you know that the Oxford Dictionary has 273,000 headwords? 171,476 of those words are currently used regularly. That is a lot of words! Did you know that the best thing about the Oxford Dictionary is that each year it is updated to include new words? So, what are 2020’s latest additions to the dictionary? Well, as you can probably imagine after this year, many of the new terms relate to COVID 19. Let’s take a closer look at 5 of the most important ones that you may need to use or understand. C-19 Contract Tracing Front Liner Physical distancing Zoom Simple definitions C-19 (n.) – A shortened version of COVID 19 Contract Tracing (n.) – Finding people who have been near someone who has an infectious disease. Contract tracing aims to tell these people that they should stay at home (self-isolate) for a period of time and not pass the disease on to other people. Front Liner (n.) – A person working closest to a difficult or dangerous situation. During the C-19 pandemic, doctors and nurses … Read more

Hidden Places in London-Kingly Court

Category: Fashion, Food, free time activities, friends, fun, London places to visit, Nice to know, Secret London places, Student activities, Uncategorized / Tags: , , ,

Being a student at EC London gives you the chance to discover many interesting places. As I have already mentioned Neal’s Yard in a previous post, I would like to come up with another hidden place in London. Kingly Court is located in Soho, one of London’s most fashionable areas. You can find it right behind Liberty in Carnaby Street. Carnaby Street is famous for its fashion boutiques, its diversity and its restaurants. In Kingly Court you can truly feel all of this. The hidden courtyard is picturesque. Apart from colourful little houses, plants and lights, you can find many different kinds of restaurants. There are 21 of international concept restaurants, bars and cafes. If you love pizza, there is Pizza Pilgrims. If you fancy Indian food, go to Darjeeling express. You can even try Peruanian food at a restaurant called Senor Ceviche. Kingly Court also offers loads of healthy food options. The Detox Kitchen sells all healthy food free from wheat, dairy and refined sugars. At Acai Berry you can try fruity acai bowls and smoothies. So no matter if you are craving burgers, ramen or kebab, you can find anything here. Apart from all the amazing restaurants, Kingly Court’s architecture gives a really nice vibe. There is a colourful railing all around the courtyard, paired with little plants and lights around it. In the summer, it’s open air, so you can sit outside and enjoy with your friends. In the winter, it’s covered so you can still sit outside and be thrilled by the beautiful lights.   Kingly Court is definitely worth a visit. Even if you just want to walk around or try some of the amazing restaurants, you won’t regret going there.

Mercato Metropolitano 1

Food spots-Mercato Metropolitano

Category: Food, freetime activities, London trip, Nice to know, Secret London places, Student activities / Tags: , ,

London is like heaven for food lovers. There is a large number of nice places to eat and so many interesting foods to try. One of my favourite spots to eat out is Mercato Metropolitano, which is located close to Elephant&Castle station in South London. Mercato Metropolitano offers a widespread selection of international dishes. Their freshly-made food options include German Bratwurst and Kaesespaetzle, Venezuelan Arepas, Thai Food and classics like Italian pizza. Other than that, there are also loads of different drinks to try. Regarding the outstanding cocktails, beers and soft drinks, you should not be thirsty after. Interior & Exterior Apart from its amazing food, Mercato Metropolitano’s interior and also exterior is just impressive. Inside it looks like an old factory building with a high ceiling and a black scaffolding. This style of a building creates a nice atmosphere for street food places. You can simply pick up your food and sit down on one of the benches. Or you enjoy it while walking around in the hall and let the aura of the place have an influence on yourself. The food itself is sold in small colourful stalls or trucks which makes it an even more special experience to buy food Outside of Mercato Metropolitano there are loads of palm trees, lampions and hanging chairs, so it is a nice place to go to within the warmer months. There you can enjoy an unforgettable evening out with your friends by sitting in one of the hanging chairs and taste the delicious food and drinks. Mercato Metropolitano is definitely worth a visit, as it is different form other famous street food places in London like Borough Market or Camden Town and a bit of an inside tip. If you want to discover a more extraordinary food experience, this is … Read more

Neal's Yard

Hidden Places in London-Neal’s Yard

Category: London places to visit, London trip, Nice to know, Secret London places, Student activities / Tags: , ,

As London is such a large city, it has many places to discover. There are some incredibly cool ones that are a bit harder to find, so there are some kind of insider tips. One of these tips must be Neal’s Yard. It is a hidden courtyard in Covent Garden which consists of little shops and colourful houses. Therefore, Neal’s Yard is a really nice spot to take pictures because it adds a little splash of colour to your camera roll or even Instagram feed. Other than colourful houses, the courtyard offers little shops to spend your time in. There is a cute-looking hair salon called ‘Hair by Fairy’ and also the quite famous cosmetic brand ‘Neal’s Yard Remedies’. This brand is based in Neal’s Yard and sells organic beauty products. They are well-known for aromatherapy and essential oils, as well as good-smelling skincare, hair care and bath salts. So if you want to treat yourself with some relaxing new beauty essentials, Neal’s Yard Remedies is the place to go. If you are hungry, head over to Homeslice. The small restaurant is really nice place to eat pizza, as they have many interesting toppings to choose from. These might be mushroom, ricotta, pumpkin seed and chili or even cauliflower shawarma, tahini, pomegranate and chickpea. Other than that, they also offer vegan options. If you are looking out for a healthier food option, try Neal’s Yard’s Wild Food Cafe. Wild Food Cafe is all about wellbeing which is why they focus on plant-based food. You can choose from salads, vegan burgers and tasty vegan desserts. As for the cheese lovers, you are going to admire Neal’s Yard Dairy. Founded in 1979, they sell high quality British and Irish Farmhouse cheese. Regarding the above, Neal’s Yard is a fascinating little spot in … Read more

Nice Japanese Places to visit in London!

Category: country, fun, Intern, London places to visit, Nice to know, Secret London places, Uncategorized

Are you a Japanese student at EC London who feels nostalgic of his home country? Or are you just a Japanese culture addicted person? You’re reading a post that might interest you! As i said previously, I love asian culture so much. I’ve been living here for almost three months and I often go in some Asian places that you might like. Here you can find a list of some of my favourite. Japan Centre Japan Centre is the best place to get…everything! I love it because it’s the only one place where I can get pieces of sashimi to make sushi at home. Since I love cooking japanese food, I’ve been there for the first time because I was looking for ingredients to make takoyaki (octopus balls), and I found everything there! I was so happy! Moreover you can buy also items such as anime and manga magazines, JLPT books, calligraphy stationary and so on.     Necco Japanese Bar Located in Exmouth Market (Angel), it is a place that all the Japanese people might call kawaii (cute). The walls are pink, the waiters are very nice and friendly. Even the toilet is kawaii, with flowers everywhere. You can also buy items there and the price is medium high. I used to go there many times before moving in Archway because that was the only one place where i could eat takoyaki. Taiyakiya In the middle of Chinatown there are many touristic places where you can buy cheap Asian food but no one sells good Japanese taiyaki like this one. The place is very small but once you come inside you feel like being in Japan. You can listen anime soundtrack while you are waiting for your taiyaki. But what is it? When you watch Japanese anime, you always … Read more

Welcome Walk.

Category: Events, friends, fun, Intern, Learning English outside class, Nice to know, Student activities, Uncategorized

Hi, this is Federica, student services intern at EC London! This week I would like to talk about what students use to do during their first day at EC London. Students come early in the morning as well as teachers and employee. We give to the students welcome packs and tell them where they have to go to do the entrance test. People who work in the reception register their Visa, Passaport and make ID cards for the new students. They will have the Welcome Talk in which my colleague tells them the rules of our school. After lessons, student have to do the Welcome Walk. They have a sheet with some questions about the places inside the school and outside, so that they learn them well. For example we ask about the code to open the door of the stairs, or something about the statue outside st. Pancras station, and other things regarding King’s Cross Station, the British Library and so on.So they follow an itinerary up to the Somers Town Coffee House, the melting pot where I have to wait all the students there, sit and chat with them. It is a pub located near the school with some seats even outside. That’s why it’s a good place to enjoy the nice summer weather in London. That is a good chance to speak about the Social Programme of the week and know each other better. In addition, It’s a good way to make friends. I met so many nice people who enjoyed me and my colleague Alberto to the Karaoke Night. From that day we became close to each other. That’s why it’s an experience I will never forget!

EC Summer party on 19th July

My New Life at EC London!

Category: friends, fun, Intern, Nice to know, University / Tags: , , , , ,

Hello guys, This is Federica, new intern from EC London! I work in the main reception of the school from the beginning of July. I’m a 24 years old Italian who loves travel and foreign languages and cultures. Since I was a child I use to watch anime and to read comics and manga. When I was a teenager I realized I like everything related to Japanese culture. Moreover, my sisters studied and lived abroad and I traveled many times throughout Europe to visit them. During their University years I realized how travelling makes you a richer person inside. It lets you to discover things that you can’t find in your home country and makes you more ambitious. Moreover, during my bachelor I was a tutor of a Japanese exchange student so I improved my knowledge about Japanese people. They are so different to Western people. But I didn’t give up. Indeed, the more I discover they are different the more I wanted to know them more. That’s because I’m curios about everything is different than my home country culture. I wish one day I could travel throughout all the countries located in the other side of the world. I think these are the main reasons why I started to study foreign languages and Asian studies in University L’Orientale in Naples and the reason why I’m doing my first internship in London. This isn’t my first time in London, actually. I’ve been here several times because my sister used to study in this city and she’s currently working here. Thanks to her I travelled many times in England and I realized how London is a cultural melting pot. For a Japanese culture addicted like me is marvelous. There are a wide range of places where you can find Japanese merchandise, … Read more

Presentation on Morocco and Algeria!

Category: country, elearning, Events, fun, Intern, Nice to know, Student activities / Tags: , , , , , , , ,

As salamu alaykum everybody! We are Maryam and Myriam, two french interns at EC London. On Thursday 30th May we made a presentation about our countries of origin, which are Morocco and Algeria. It was held twice; one in the morning and one in the afternoon so you could attend it. During our presentation we spoke about the currency of our countries, the localisation on the map, the landscapes, waterfalls, deserts and food… And you need to make sure to eat at least one moroccan dish before you die… At the end we also asked the students to ask us some questions about things they didn’t know, and we had a little chat that was very cool. The students also taught some arabic words such as ‘As salamu alaykum’ which means ‘may peace be upon you’, which is a way to say hello. We also taught them how to say thank you ; ‘shukran’. I hope that presentation was good enough for you to discover our countries but of course the best way to discover a country is to visit it! If, unfortunately you missed it, you can always come and ask us about Algeria and Morocco at EC London ! It will be a pleasure for us to speak to you.                 Shukran,   Maryam

Chelsea In Bloom

Category: Events, fun, Learning English outside class, London places to visit, Nice to know, Secret London places, Special days / Tags: , , , , , ,

Every year, Chelsea is transforming from the 20th to the 25th May with a floral art show, making its streets a marvellous place to visit. Restaurants, shops, hotels… Everyone beautifies their shop with unique designs. There is a theme each year and also a winner that will be chosen by open voting via their website ! This Year’s Theme is ‘UNDER THE SEA’. It is linked to the necessity to protect our oceans. To make it, each participant will create their own decoration. If you are a fan of flowers you should visit the streets of Chelsea during that time and then send us your pictures. Moreover, come to Study English in the UK and enjoy the amazing city that is London in our English language School in London Thank you for reading, Maryam

London : World’s Best Destination

Category: country, English as an International Language, English Courses, Events, fun, Learning English outside class, London places to visit, London trip, Nice to know, Secret London places, Student activities / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Dubai, Marrakech, Tokyo, Paris, Bali, Phuket, Barcelona, Istanbul… On a list of the 25 best-rated destinations in the world, London now holds the first place ! The Capital of the United Kingdom is now named as ‘world’s best destination for 2019’ in TripAdvisor’s annual Travellers’ Choice awards. Apart from the fact that this city is just amazing, how can we explain this position? There are several reasons explaining that top place. One of them is that London is full of activities. Indeed, you can find beautiful parks, museums (free for some of them). In London you can also find some of the best restaurants and an amazing nightlife for young and old people. As you can see, everybody can be quickly addicted to that London life! Moreover, during the past 12 months a lot of exceptional events happened in London, such as the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Football World Cup, which attracted lots of visitors, creating a buzzing atmosphere in the capital. It has been 2 months since I started my London life and I just can’t get enough of every place that I am discovering each day when I leave EC School, and even more on weekends. What I really like here in London is the number of activities but also, ( and especially) the diversity of restaurants, because food is my number one passion. Here are some pictures of London that I have taken since my arrival. Enjoy!                                                            If you would like to take part of ‘the London life experience’ and Learn English Abroad , then join us at EC School London and discover … Read more