Tag: EC San Diego 2014

EC San Diego’s CAE Class takes a Hike!

Category: Activities, Around San Diego, Uncategorized / Tags: , ,

Our teacher, Jen G, had the amazing idea to set out on a hiking trip. Like the military, Jen set down several rules to follow, otherwise nobody was allowed to attend the special trip. A t 0800 everyone met at the Ramona Fire Station with the required items: sunscreen, 2 Liters of water, and food to hike up to the Potato Chip. The Swiss people felt at home going up to the summit, while the Americans had problems keeping up with the fast hikers. Just kidding, they did really well, even though they were carrying more weight in their backpacks. After reaching the Potato Chip Rock, the class realized that 1000 other people were waiting to take a picture on the Potato Chip and decided not to take a photo here. Fortunately, we found another place for a photo op. Here, Dominic decided to climb a huge boulder. Getting up a massive boulder is one thing, getting down another. He almost kissed the ground with his nose getting back down. After this thrilling experience, we prepared ourselves to return to our cars. It took us 30 mins to reach our parking spot. It was an amazing morning. The class reunion will be on Mount Everest 😉     Written by CAE student Simon Renevy.

Actress Sara Corrales Shares Her EC San Diego Experience

Category: EC San Diego Profiles, Student Services, Student Testimonial / Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

For the past nine weeks, EC San Diego had the pleasure of getting to know Colombian actress and model, Sara Corrales. From Day 1, we were greeted with Sara’s beautiful smile and boisterous personality. Her love for life and learning brought a positive energy to our center, for both students and the staff! Sara’s career consists of countless roles in television series, soap operas, and film. She is currently living in Mexico City working on her next dramatic soap opera series called “El Senor de los Cielos”. However, Sara claims that her favorite acting roles lie within comedy. Although difficult to master, she says that playing a comedic role feels less like work and more like fun! Aside from her acting career, Sara has many other personal goals she would like to accomplish within her lifetime, one of them being to learn English. At first, Sarah was nervous to start learning English in the US, but soon after her arrival to EC San Diego, she knew she had made the right decision. Looking back on the past two months, Sarah has greatly improved her speaking abilities. “Each day I feel more comfortable with English. When you notice the difference from the first day [up until] now, you want to improve more.” Sara has also gained more confidence in practicing her English with native speakers. “Now I don’t feel afraid when people speak with me!” Sara left EC today with just as much enthusiasm as when she arrived: “I love EC! I love the activities! All the teachers and staff are nice. It was the best decision!”~ Thank you for sharing your story with us, Sara! We hope to see you back at EC San Diego next year!

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer

Category: Activities, Around San Diego / Tags: , , , , ,

On Sunday, October 19th, EC San Diego participated in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk. The event took place in Balboa Park, as over 611 teams and 6,056 participants walked four miles around the neighborhoods surrounding downtown San Diego. This event allowed San Diegans to unite as a community and raise awareness and money to help the American Cancer Society fight the disease with breast cancer research. There were 24 members (including Teacher Barbara’s two dogs) who represented team ECSD. Overall, a total of $746, 648.39 was raised in San Diego alone! We can only imagine how much money was raised across the entire U.S.! Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women. and sadly, 1 in 8 will be diagnosed within their lifetime. EC is happy to support such an important cause. We will continue fighting against this life threatening disease. Thank you to all the staff members, teachers, and friends who came out to support.

Student Testimonial: Mustafa Felimban!

Category: EC San Diego Profiles, Student Services / Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Mustafa with his California State Flag Mustafa has been a student at EC San Diego for 2 years! Friday October 10th was his last day at school, and we were very sad to see him go. Read below to see what he has to say about his experience as a student with EC English Language Centers in San Diego: “Hi, my name is Mustafa. I am 19 years old, from Saudi Arabia, and have been at EC San Diego for almost 2 years! I came to EC as a Beginner student, and I am leaving as a High Intermediate level student! “I chose EC San Diego first because [of] the weather, the beaches, and stayed in my EC San Diego English course because the people here. They are so friendly! My favorite part of EC were the classes and teachers – they are great! I also made a lot of friends from different countries, who I will keep in touch with for a long time. “Obviously, I will miss my second family here at EC. I grew up here, I came here when I was 18 years old. I will miss everything. “To all you thinking of coming to EC…EC San Diego is the best. You will make a lot of friends and you will improve your English.  And you will enjoy it!” Mustafa returned to Saudi Arabia, and hopes to come back to attend an American university in California. Thank you, Mustafa! We hope to see you soon!!

Cooking with EC San Diego: Mexican Food!!

Category: Activities, Around San Diego, Student Services / Tags: , , , , , ,

Above: a feast of Mexican food – and, of course, some margaritas to go with it!  In San Diego, Mexican food is king. The border to Mexico is only 45 minutes away, so needless to say San Diego is filled with Mexican culture and influence. You can always find amazing, fresh Mexican food in any area of San Diego at any time (day or night). So why not try making the local cuisine yourself? Cooking can help you to practice your English reading skills (with recipes) and can be a fun and delicious activity for you and your friends. Also, food is a large part of any culture, so why not take part in the full immersion English course EC San Diego offers & start cooking! Get to know our SD local culture by cooking up the following recipes, courtesy of EC staff: (Very) Simple Guacamole: Avocados? Absolutely! 4 large Avocados (Hass or Fuerte, from any local market) 1 small white onion, finely diced 1 teaspoon of salt 1 teaspoon garlic powder A dash of crushed black pepper Instructions: Halve each avocado and scoop out into large bowl – mash together. Add the onion, salt, garlic, & pepper. Mix furiously with a large fork until guacamole is smooth and creamy! (Hint: squeeze half a lime into the mix to stop the guacamole from browning – the avocado starts to oxidize after an hour). Optional Extras: finely chopped fresh cilantro, tomato, a dash of tumeric, ground chile powder, or diced jalapeno Cheesy Enchiladas: The more cheese, the better! 12 Corn tortillas (store-bought) 2+ cups of Mexican Cheese blend/ Queso Fresco 3 Tablespoons Canola oil 3-4 Fresh corn, steamed & cut from the cob Bottle of Enchilada sauce (our favorite is Trader Joe’s Enchilada Sauce) Sour Cream Black olives (for garnish) Instructions: Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees. Coat each … Read more

EC San Diego: October Activities!

Category: Activities, Around San Diego, Student Services / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

October is a great month to be enrolled in one of EC’s full immersion English courses at EC San Diego! Why? Because EC has amazing English programs for every student (of course) but also because there are many fun and exciting events happening in San Diego all month long! What’s Up This Month: 1. October 5th: (American) Football Game, San Diego Chargers vs. New York Jets! $95, transportation to Qualcomm stadium included! 2. October 9th: Drum Lesson & Circle at La Jolla Cove! Sign up at the front desk & get ready to get your rhythm on next Thursday at 6:15pm 3. October 13th: EC San Diego Closed for Veteran’s Day Holiday – school resumes as usual on Tuesday, October 14th 4. October 16th: Visit the Haunted Trail in Balboa Park. The trail is an SD Halloween tradition…that will scare your socks off. “The Haunted Trail will be the scariest stroll of your life. Walk carefully along the mile long Trail through twisted groves and gnarled oaks… Visitors watch your back, you’ll never know which way the terror will hit you.” 5. October 21-23: AY Lecture “Thinking in English” with Teacher JJ – it’s harder than you “think” to think in a second language!! This lecture is open to all students and is great way to get free, additional English practice on top of current English course lessons. 6. October 29th: Halloween Bash at FLUXX SD. Attend the Halloween party of a lifetime at one of the most exclusive clubs in Downtown San Diego! This is event is 18+, must be 21+ to drink ($20) 7. October 31st: Happy Halloween! Annual EC Halloween Party & Costume Contest!! Our annual Halloween party & costume contest will be held at school during the elective hours. Make sure to come dressed in your finest Halloween gear! We will be judging you… Food tickets … Read more

Student Testimonial: Mariana Angotti!

Category: Academic, EC San Diego Profiles, Student Services / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mariana Angotti came to EC San Diego for one month of vacation time, and spent her entire stay participating in an EC full immersion English course. Read her review of our school below, and to find out why she loved her time here & never wants to leave! “I love this school, and the people here. “I am in the Intermediate class, Core A. My teachers are Sylvia and Chelsea – both are so great, I am so happy with them as my teachers! The English classes are better than I ever expected. “And I am completely in love with this city [San Diego] and the EC language school. I never want to leave! “I am going to go back to Brazil this weekend [where] I am a food engineer with Dannon company. I work in research and development to find new and better packaging [for food]. I came here for one month of vacation, and have improved my English and met many new friends. “I recommend EC San Diego to everyone back home and everywhere else, too!” Thank you for this amazing review, Mariana. We hope to see you again soon!

Student Testimonial: Myungchul Choi

Category: Academic, EC San Diego Profiles, Student Services / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Myungchul came to EC USA from Korea. His goal? To greatly improve his English in just 6 months! Myungchul Choi has been a student at EC San Diego since August of this year. He is currently enrolled in our Academic Year program for 24 weeks, and is excited to have the chance to really improve his English skills over the next few months! Read below to find out what Myungchul has to say about his full immersion English course experience with EC San Diego!! “When I arrived at EC San Diego my first day, I didn’t know anything. But my teachers and my friends taught me to speak more English, and they taught me about San Diego. I like my teachers a lot – they are very nice. “I really like La Jolla, where school is everyday. I am here every day, and I m always speak[ing] English! “Best part of my experience here? I think the best part is the EC education. When I studied English in Korea I just studied grammar. No speaking. “But now I can practice speaking all the time, and learn grammar and pronunciation!” Myungchul is planning to go to our EC Los Angeles English Language Center next month to continue his Academic Year English studies – and maybe check out Hollywood, too! Thank you, Myunchul, for being such an amazing student – we can’t wait to see where you’ll go next!  

Student Nurlan Sermagambetov wins Silver Medal @ National Jiu-Jitsu Championship!

Category: EC San Diego Profiles / Tags: , , , , ,

Nurlan showing off his silver medal! EC San Diego student, Nurlan Sermagambetov, participated in last week’s 2014 American National Jiu-Jitsu No-GI Championship in Los Angeles. As an athlete under the Brazilian training academy, ATOS JIU-JITSU, Nurlan participated in the blue belt, super heavy category. His training and hard work paid off, as Nurlan came in 2nd place for his competition category! Nurlan coming in 2nd place! Nurlan leaves EC today, as he graduates from his Semi-Intensive English course at the Pre-Intermediate level. Although Nurlan was only a student with us for one month, we are so proud of all he has accomplished within his short time in America! Not only has he improved his English, he will also be returning home as a Jiu-Jitsu champion! Keep up the hard work, Nurlan!

Student Testimonial: Kochin Yen!

Category: Academic, EC San Diego Profiles, Student Services / Tags: , , , , , , ,

  Twenty-year-old Kochin Yen, who also goes by “Olivia”, will be returning to Taiwan after finishing her English course at EC San Diego today. Olivia has taken our General English course for the past two months. She is a student who stands out because of her positive and helpful attitude! Here are a few words Olivia would like to share about her EC experience: “This is the first time I met many people from other countries.” This was Olivia’s first time visiting the United States. Her experience studying at EC was especially rewarding because of all the new things she learned about students from different cultures.   Olivia took advantage of her time in San Diego by visiting the beach, the Zoo, Sea World, and Old Town. Most importantly, she spent her time making memories with the friends she made here at EC! Olivia hopes that she and her new friends keep in touch. “I don’t want to stop our friendship. I want to practice our English, so we will [talk over] Skype!” Olivia loved taking classes with Teacher Sarah. “She’s really interesting and she really takes care of us. Sarah makes me feel like she’s my mother.” Lastly, Olivia recommends EC because of its global recognition. With eighteen English language centers located in five different countries, EC is a great place to study for anyone around the world!