Tuesday, May 13, 2008

"One of the most valuable experiences in my life"

Jinsung Park from Korea – General English (GE) 15 weeks, Christchurch

Hi, my name is Jin and I have studied at Languages International for 15 weeks. It has already been a long time to stay here. Actually, I didn’t like to stay in school when I first came here because I didn’t know anyone and I couldn’t speak English very well, except some vocabulary.


But after I got used to staying in New Zealand and studying here, my English was much better than before, and I had made many friends. Now, I have many friends who come from various parts of the world so I’ve learnt interesting customs, culture and even their basic languages. I think it’ll be remembered in my memory, which could be one of the most valuable experiences in my whole life. And the school offers many different outdoor social activities like horse riding, bowling, surfing, canoeing and even skydiving. It’s fantastic joining the activities with your new school mates.


The other thing I want to tell you about is the Learning Centre where you can study by yourself with lots of useful learning systems. Furthermore, you can enjoy watching DVD’s, reading books and listening to the tapes in there if you want. If you are not sure about grammar,spelling or pronunciation while you study, you can always ask one of the teachers, they are always ready to help you.


Anyway, before I came to Languages International, I had never even thought about going to University in New Zealand, but now my thinking has been completely changed. Not only does Languages International have great facilities and friendly people to help you no matter what you need, the natural environment in Christchurch is gorgeous. So that is why I have decided to stay and go to University here and I would definitely recommend coming to Christchurch if you want to study English in a foreign country.

"Thank you, you taught me so well!"


Lucy from Russia - Languages International Auckland

Hello, I’m Lucy.

I decided to come to New Zealand to study English as a first step to a postgraduate degree. It took me a while to do some research on New Zealand schools to find the one that would suit my circumstances best. Finally, I made a decision to enrol at Languages International School of English. I did it for a number of reasons, such as high standard of teaching, nationality mix, range of courses and the most important one, a possiblity to gain acceptance onto the University. My questions were fully answered by the school’s Russian counsellor. This gave me a clearer picture of the student life at Languages International.

And so my new life in New Zealand began! My biggest challenge was the IELTS test as I was not confident about my level and could not even dream of getting 6.5. The IELTS course was intense, the atmosphere was stimulating and the teachers were extremely supportive. When I look back now I can only smile at myself being so anxious about the exam. Believe me, 7.0 is a totally achievable result for anyone who is prepared to study hard. It has given me great enthusiasm and confidence and has actually helped me to learn.

I am currently doing my Masters Degree at the University of Auckland and loving it! The timetable is very flexible which means I do not have to come to class every day or sit the exams in the end of each term. What I do is collecting material for my Master Thesis, which involves massive research, data processing and experimental analysis of various aspects of human behaviour. Psychology has always been my passion and I hope that one day you might find me lecturing at the University of Auckland!

Thank you Languages International staff, you taught me so well!