Month: September 2017

Widen Your World

Category: Activities, Student Life, Testimonial

A Life of Travel It’s no question that our students love to travel. Going to another country, to study another language, is a great challenge but the rewards are many. Here, Student Ambassador Elif (Turkey) shares why she pursues travel. Why Travel? What is traveling? According to the definition in the Cambridge dictionary it means ‘moving from one place to another’. The gondola tour that you can take in the Venice Canals, or feeling so small under the tallest building in the world (Burj Khalifa)… catching the life in the streets of New York, the taste of Apfelstrudel that you can enjoy in Berlin… there are endless things you can do in the world. So, why do people travel? How can traveling make a difference in your life? How can traveling change us? ‘I am not the same, having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.’ – Anne Radmacher, Author Places I’ve Been Traveling is one of the most enjoyable things in my life. A journey that started in my country shortly spread all over the world. I have been to Boston, New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Berlin, Cologne, Krakow, Prague, Paris, Rome, Stockholm, Budapest, Vienna, London, Moscow, Dubai, Barcelona, Madrid and many other beautiful cities. I’m amazed by all of the cultures, everyday life, foods, drinks, fashion, art, music, architecture. While I have traveled to so many places, I often ask myself, “how has this changed me?” Change The question should really be, in what ways has it not changed you? Traveling changes everyone. After the end of the journey you cannot be the same person as before. ‘Traveling is the only thing that you buy but makes you richer.’ – Anonymous It gives you confidence, creativity, social skills, and more friends. It makes you an open minded explorer. Once … Read more

Los Angeles: Art, Culture, Happiness

Category: Activities, Student Life

Love for Los Angeles There are many things to love about Los Angeles. The art, the people, the culture. People come here for a variety of reasons, but the passion for the arts is especially vibrant. Here, Student Ambassador Mariana (Brazil), shares her favorite part about LA: Street Art I am excited to share one of my favorites things about LA with you guys. There are so many highlights to this city, but personally I really love all of the artistic expression on display. Whether it’s street art or a beautifully tiled entryway, there are so many talented people in LA that use walls and sidewalks as their canvas. You can create cool and beautiful pictures in LA with these displays. You can find some of them on Abbot Kinney Blvd., Melrose Avenue, Venice Beach, etc., etc. My favorite one is the “Three Flowers Wings” located on Melrose Avenue. The project, named Global Angel Wings, was launched by the artist Colette Miller and it is spreading around Los Angeles. Artistic Culture Furthermore, many artists in LA express their art through the streets of the city. So, you can find a rock singer on one corner and a reggae band on the same street. The environment is amazing. Wherever you go you will hear someone playing music with a really good vibe. Also, you will see somebody painting a picture, people relaxing on the grass, and children playing with dogs. Los Angeles is a mix of art, culture and happiness. If you wake-up in a bad mood, just go away, walk down the street, go to the beach and start to feel the energy from this place and the people from here. Breathe the breeze from the Pacific Ocean and start your day. I swear, this day will be a really great day! Find out … Read more

The Los Angeles Experience

Category: Student Life, Testimonial

Studying Abroad Students come from all over the world to study English in Los Angeles. There are many shared experiences among students, but everyone still has their own unique perspective on living in this city. Here, former Student Ambassador, Marco (Switzerland), shares his personal experience with us. Marco’s Experience in LA Before I decided to come to the United States to improve my English, I was really scared about it. But something told me to book this experience, so I went to the Travel Agency and made the reservation. After that I felt a little bit strange. But I thought it was okay because I booked my trip in October for the next year in June… Time went on, and when I had my last week in Switzerland, I felt a lot of different feelings and I was thinking all the time about how it would be when I arrived in Los Angeles, alone, for the first time in my life. Arriving in the City of Angels The day I arrived in Los Angeles, I felt a little bit strange, but good. I was looking forward to starting school and meeting new people. I have experienced a lot of amazing things and I still feel excited about it. Also, when I had my first school day I felt very welcomed by everyone. Never Alone After just a few days I had met many people from different countries, and made a lot of new friends. Now I have three more weeks to stay in LA and I feel like this was the best decision I made in my life so far. I learned so many things about people, about culture and about myself. This has also been a great experience to develop my personality. And the most important thing is: You are never alone! There … Read more

Staying Amused at the Amusement Park

Category: Activities, Student Life

While You Wait The Los Angeles area has many great theme parks – Universal Studios, Six Flags, and Disneyland to name a few! With such fun rides and attractions at these parks, it is best to expect a wait time. Student Ambassador, Jenny (South Korea), has some great advice for those long lines and staying amused at the amusement park 🙂 Imagine that you are in an amusement park. Unfortunately, there is a long line for the attraction so you will have to wait for a long time. I’m pretty sure it’s very boring and you want to do something besides just sending texts. Well, I have a great deal for you! If you have time for reading this and have a smartphone, you won’t be bored anymore. So here are “3 games that we can play with friends!” (1) Kahoot Have you heard about “Kahoot”? If you are an EC student, you might know this game. THE RULES: “Once you’ve created your Kahoot or have chosen a public one to play, press the purple play button. Choose your advanced settings and launch the Kahoot on the screen at the front of the room. On their personal devices, players can then join by going to kahoot.it in their web browser, and entering the pin displayed on the screen at the front of the room. They then enter their nickname, seeing it displayed at the front. They then use their device to answer each question, with the aim to get as many points as possible and get to the top of the leaderboard. The quiz master can then download the results of the quiz, seeing what each person in the room answered for each question, and how quickly.” (2) Taboo Basically this is a “word guessing game“. But also it’s a team competition game. So … Read more

Freedom

Category: Student Life

Lessons Learned Living abroad is challenging, but the lessons learned can change your perspective forever. This is a beautiful piece written by one of our very own Student Ambassadors, Aurora (Italy), about the life lessons she learned while studying English in Los Angeles. Thank you, Aurora, for your wisdom and care for others. US Culture What I love the most about living in the USA, especially in Los Angeles, is the sensation of freedom that the environment and the culture offers me. I can be myself and I don’t feel like anybody is judging me because everybody is doing the same. At the beginning, almost three months ago, I was afraid and I felt scared when people approached me on the street, in the supermarket, at restaurants, etc. And in general how openly and freely everyone expressed themselves. Suddenly, I started to understand that freedom is in the American air and that energy absolutely resounds with my soul. However, it is also a country where it’s easy to feel alone because everybody is too busy and disconnected, concentrated on their own world and almost forgetting about the human condition. Balancing Freedom In my opinion, you might be careful experiencing “freedom” in only one direction, because too much “freedom” could be dangerous as well; you can fall into the trap and become an individualistic and selfish person. You must remember “we are one whole”. I’m inviting you all to help each other and not just be available to talk, go to the parties and hang out sometimes. Supporting someone when he/she is in real need is the true challenge. “Life always gives you what you give”. Gratitude I want to take this opportunity and say thank you to EC and all the staff for this international experience that I’m sure I’ll … Read more