Month: September 2014

Minseon Kim and Deokhyeong Lee share their EC experience!

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Minseon Kim and Deokhyeong Lee from Korea shares their experience while attending the General English Course in Vancouver. Minseon Kim, High-intermediate (Jul 15, 2013 – Jan 3, 2014) I like organized ESL classes. First of all, ESL classes gave me the good motivation to go on and try to level up. Especially, I have taken a part in lots of activities as an ambassador student. Not only I learned English academically, but I also could have experience something about North American culture. English-only policy is useful to practice speaking English. I think EC is the best English School that I’ve ever known. Deokhyeong Lee, Low-intermediate (Jul 22, 2013 – Jan 3, 2014) I think EC has a good teaching style and AY tutors. AY tutor was good for students because they could check students learning style, and also give student advice. Moreover, my AY teacher Aaron was a very kind person, and I really wanted to say thank you. In my opinion, Desil and Laura were good teachers too, because they were always kind and fun. ===== EC offers various English Courses, including English private lessons in Vancouver.  

Jinhyung Park from Korea: A great Alumni story!

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Jinhyung Park from Korea shares his experience while attending the TOEFL preparation course. (Sep 9, 2013 – Feb 21, 2014) I like to study in EC. EC School has comfortable study environment and latest technology tools, so I studied more effectively than others. Teachers are brilliant, kind, and fun. They know that students study hard. Additionally, I had an AY tutor who helped me about my weak points in English and instructed me the way to study. School has variety events such as free classes, showing movie, and Donuts day and so on. I think it was good for improving my English skill by English-only policy. Also, I could make up for my weakness through afternoon classes.

Minji Cha from Korea: A great Alumni story!

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Minji Cha from Korea shares her experience while attending the CAE Cambridge course. (Sep 3, 2013 – Jan 17, 2014) My whole stay in Vancouver can’t be explained without EC Vancouver. CAE course for 12 weeks was challenging but absolutely helpful. Besides, I was also a student ambassador, and I had so many memorable experiences including organizing and enjoying the activities. Among many advantages, the best thing was that I’ve met many friends from all over the world and had a chance to meet a new friend every single day. I wish I could have more time to stay here. “English only” policy is getting better since SAs and staff are encouraging students to speak English and actually many students are motivated to use it to improve their English.  

Fabio Lucas Da Silva from Brazil: A great Alumni story!

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Fabio Lucas Da Silva from Brazil shares his experience while attending the General English Course (High-Intermediate) in Vancouver. I’m Fabio, 32 years old and I’m from Brazil. My profession is internal audit manager working in an audit firm. English is a pre-requisite in my job, so, I planned to stay in Vancouver for six months to improve my English skills. I chose Vancouver because other friends of mine studied English here and today they are great English speakers. Living in Vancouver is amazing. There are a lot of things to visit and tourist attractions such as Stanley Park, Capilano Bridge, Deep Cove Park, and Whistler (near Vancouver). The best here is the nature. Such a green city! During my time in Vancouver, I really enjoyed downtown and I also went to the gym, it’s my passion.  Vancouver people are friendly and help each other. My agent from Brazil is the one who recommended EC Vancouver. The technology and organization there is amazing. The teachers are very experienced and knowledgeable. The centre director and especially Ana Cervantes (student counsellor) made the difference by supporting me and helping me through the challenges here. ===== EC offers various English Courses, including English private lessons in Vancouver.

Fun things to do for EC Vancouver students in September #5: Richmond Night Market

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Hi EC Vancouver students! Do you miss your home country food or want to try something new? If you do, let’s go to the Richmond Night Market! You will find many foods from different countries. Also, you will have lots of fun at their carnival game section ! So what are you waiting for? Let’s go and Have Fun!! Date  : Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday until October 13th Venue : 8351 River Road, Richmond (5-min walk from the  Bridgeport Skytrain Station) Time  : Friday and Saturday is 7:00 pm – 12:00 am / Sunday and Statutory Holidays is 7:00 pm – to 11:00 pm Admission : $2.25 for regular admission. You can visit the website below for more detailed information: http://www.richmondnightmarket.com/index.html

Kako Furukawa from Japan: A great Alumni story!

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Kako Furukawa from Japan shares her experience while attending the General English Course (Low-Intermediate) in Vancouver. Hello everyone, My name is Kako. I’m from Tokyo, Japan. Last summer, I learned English in EC Vancouver for a month. I’d like to talk about my great experience during my stay. At that time, I was a university student in Japan. Because I was a senior, I wanted to spend my last summer vacation on what I had always wanted to do. So, I decided to study abroad. My wish was to stay with a local family and meet a lot of foreign people. I had heard that there were people from different countries in Vancouver and there were beautiful landscapes too. I also thought that being surrounded by locals would be good for me to improve my English skills. That’s why I chose Vancouver. The first day I went to EC Vancouver, I was really nervous. I wasn’t confident about English. I couldn’t speak to anyone. But, the teachers were so kind to me and so were the other students. I felt comfortable and got used to my new life easily. Since my pronunciation was bad, I also decided to join the free afternoon classes: conversation club and pronunciation club. That’s how I’ve learnt how to speak properly. In class, I focused on listening and speaking English. Even though it was hard to express my opinions in English at first, I did my best and I enjoyed it! After studying, I hung out with my friends around downtown: Robson Street, Stanley Park, Granville Island, museums, libraries, movie theaters etc. I went to many places but I must say that the “Pub night at Malone’s” was my favorite. In addition, I enjoyed weekends. The first weekend, I went to Seattle with Club ESL. … Read more

Fun things to do for EC Vancouver students in September #4: IL Mercato Italian Night Market 2014

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Ciao EC Vancouver Students!! Let’s have one night in Italy by visiting “IL Mercato: Italian Night Market 2014”. You will taste many Italian foods that are prepared by Italian Chefs and also enjoy the Italian music, many children’s activities provided by Italian school teachers. Date:   September 19, 2014 Venue:  3075 Slocan Street, Vancouver (at Grandview Highway in East Vancouver) Time:  3:00 pm – 7:00 pm Admission: Free!!!! You can visit the website below for more detailed information: http://italianculturalcentre.ca/event-registration/?regevent_action=register&event_id=314  

Carmen Stocker from Switzerland: A great Alumni story!

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Carmen Stocker from Switzerland shares her experience while attending the CAE Cambridge course. Hello there,   My name is Carmen Stocker, I am 20 years old and from Switzerland. I was in Vancouver from September 2013 to March 2014. You may think that it’s quite a long time; it was, but yet, 6 months never seemed so short. I had such a great time! I started the Cambridge Advanced course at EC Vancouver in September 2013. Therefore, I had a 12-week course and 4 exams at the end with the goal to pass the Cambridge Certificate. My teacher was great and so were my classmates! I’ve learnt a lot, but the fun parts were never too short either. The time I spent here was unforgettable and I was really sad when it was over. Due to my decision to choose a work and study programme, I started to work as a barista at Kindercafé in December 2013. It was a great opportunity to improve my English, especially my speaking skills. My boss was really patient and the customers loved to ask where I’m from because of my accent. Sometimes we had great discussions about countries and different cultures. I had a blast working there. During my time in Vancouver I lived with a host family near Burnaby. It took me about 20 minutes to get to school and my neighborhood was really quiet. A perfect place to feel at home. In my leisure time after school or work I did a lot with my friends there. We visited all of the sightseeing spots and a bunch of other places. Vancouver has so many things to do, to see, to try or just to enjoy. Sometimes we set off on a trip to close cities or countryside villages. It was possible … Read more

Fun things to do for EC Vancouver students in September #3: Shipyards Night Market in North Vancouver

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What’s Up EC Vancouver Students!!!!! Have you ever been to the North Vancouver District? If you haven’t, why don’t you stop by Shipbuilders’ Square for “North Vancouver Night Market” and enjoy it?   There are over 80 vendors for local products and approximately 30 food trucks! Also, there is live music until 10pm. Date : Every Friday until September 26, 2014 Venue : Shipyards Plaza – 15 Wallace Mews Road, North Vancouver Time : 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm Admission : Free!!!! You can visit the website below for more detailed information: http://www.northshoregreenmarket.com/green_markets.htm ===== EC offers various English Courses, including TOEFL preparation courses in Vancouver.

Gyongjin Wi from Korea shares her EC Vancouver experience!

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Gyongjin Wi from Korea shares her experience while attending the TOEIC course at EC Vancouver. My name is Gyongjin Wi, I am a university student majoring in media. For that reason I thought it’d be better to study English and improve my skills, including speaking. That’s why I went to EC Vancouver. I have been studying at EC Vancouver for five months. During my first months here, everything was exciting; making new friends, living in a homestay and sightseeing. However, after three months, I felt a little off because I thought I didn’t improve my English at all and I started to miss my country, Korea. But I was trying to overcome that situation and I had to meet with my teacher, Marc. At that time he gave me a lot of pieces of advice and made me feel confident. After this period, I decided to enjoy as many things as I could in Vancouver. That’s why I have visited many places with my Canadian friends. Now I have five more months of class. However I’ll try to enjoy my life in Vancouver. I hope that these experiences will be good memories. In my life I had some bad experiences as well but I believe that I can learn from them. =====  Learn English in Canada! EC offers various English Courses, including General English Course(s) in Vancouver.