Advice on living in London: A student's perspective

Recently we have been discussing the pros and cons of life in London. Of course there are more positives (pros) than there are negatives (cons) but for those of you who are thinking of coming to London in the near future, the students of Lower Intermediate A have put together a few pieces of advice that we hope

you might find useful:

Transport: The most common problem experienced

has been the 'tube' (underground train). This can get very busy at rush hour (between 8am - 6pm) and if you don't like confined spaces we suggest you take the bus or walk! The best way to use the

transport in London is to buy an oyster card. This is a plastic card (the size of a credit card) t

hat allows you to use buses, tubes and some overground trains in the city. You can either buy your travel for a month or more or, 'top-up' the money you spend as you go (e.g. £10, £20...etc). You can buy an oyster card at the ticket desk of any tube station or on the Internet at http://www.tfl.gov.uk/). Tube maps are free so we suggest that you pick up one at your local station and keep it in your wallet.

English for beginners: Some students choose to come to England when they are at elementary level. This is a great way to start but also has its difficulties...We suggest that you buy a dictionary before arriving in the UK, perhaps also an electronic dictionary (these might cost a little more) and learn some 'key phrases'. Here are some examples that our class suggest are helpful:

"I would like to go to this address please......"
"Where is the nearest tube station?"
"How do i get to..........?"
"Please"
"Thank you"
"Hello, my name is .........."

Accommodation: Living in London is fun but if you don't like your accommodation it can dampen your enjoyment. Here are a few suggestions that our class recommend looking at before you arrive:

1. Contact IH London and find out about their help with accommodation (http://www.ihlondon.com/) different options include: student apartments and host families.

2. You might want to live on your own or with a friend who is coming with you. If you choose not to live in

the accommodation that IH London provide you might want to look at flats that you can rent privately. There are thousands to choose from in the city but we suggest that you research the area first, before you make a decision. Some areas are more convenient for student living than others. Decide your budget, research an area (district of the city) and then look on the Internet for different rental sites.

Weather: Ah! The famous English weather! In the winter the temperatures can be anywhere below or around 0-10 degrees (cold!)....we suggest that if you are coming in the winter, you bring warm clothes: a coat, a scarf, a hat, gloves and warm shoes or boots! This especially applies to those of you travelling from the Middle East or South America who have very little snow or rain! In the summer, temperatures are usually warm but definitely not too hot!

These are just a few of the points we have discussed and agree would be useful to know before coming to London. City living is great but it can also be a very new experience for most students. Make sure you are well prepared before you arrive, everyone will be experiencing similar problems too remember!

Speak to you soon,

Signed,

Lucy & the class of Lower Intermediate A

Farewell!

Dear Bloggers,

This is going to be one of my last posts for the IH London blog as I will be leaving to start a new role at a school in Tanzania (the east coast of Africa) in March, for a charity called the Cicely Foundation. I might also be working on an English scholarship scheme in Palestine so watch this space...!

These are two very different countries and very different roles but I am sure that both projects will be just as rewarding as each other. I am going to miss International House London so much! It's been great working with so many lovely teachers, and of course let's not forget the students! My favourite memories of my time here have to include meeting students from all over the world, hearing their stories about life in their own country, watching them form long term friendships and of course being a part of their excellent progression in English...

This will not be the last of the blog however.... on the contrary! It is only the start of what I hope will be an interesting and useful site.

For those of you staying at IH London, continue the good work, but if like me you are going on to something new, then keep in touch and follow this blog wherever you might be...

Goodbye!

Lucy

Hello from Modern Languages

Hi bloggers!

I'm Claire the UK Sales and Marketing Manager at International House London. I've just started blogging so thought I'd write a 'hello' message.

There are lots of languages being spoken around the school and not just from our overseas students. You can learn 7 languages at International House London, which includes Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish, as well as train to become a teacher of French, German, Italian or Spanish.

I currently study Spanish in the evening and have proudly progressed my way through the levels for the last year (from Elementary Continuation to Intermediate Continuation). I enjoy learning Spanish as it's such a useful language and the classes are really fun and dynamic. There is also the Modern Languages Social Programme to take advantage of, keeping you up to date on the latest foreign and cultural events in and around London.

London is a great place to speak another language and there are always opportunities to practise. Did you know that there are 312 languages spoken in London? This makes it easy to pick up a language exchange partner. International House London has its very own Language Exchange Programme which is where I found my partner to practice espanol with.

We are coming to the end of term now for the current evening programmes, but I'm looking forward to taking the next course in April.

Questions and Answers

This week we have been learning about question forms. We have been practising question words, auxiliaries and infinitive verbs. Below are some examples of the questions students have written, asked and answered:

1. What's your favourite web site?

Marcela said: "My favourite website is Facebook because I can share with my friends and keep in touch with them".

Fatma said: "My favourite website is ihlondon.blogspot.com because I want to continue improving my English and have the opportunity to know how my class is advancing".

2. What's your favourite film?

Imer and Majed said: "I like action and comedy films because they have good storylines".

Annie said: "I like romantic films and Amercian TV series".

Pin-I said: "I like documentary and funny films because I find them interesting, they help to reduce stress".

3. What's your favourite place in London?

Majed said: "My favourite place in London is Harrods department store because I can find a lot of things there".

Annie said: "My favourite place in London is Covent Garden for the small shops and architecture and the theatres".

Pin-I said: "My favourite place is the outlet store in north London. There are beautiful, cheap and high quality clothes, shoes and famous products there".

4. What would you like to do in the future?

Marcela said: "I would like to work with my father in his company, and I would like to get married and have children".

Fatma said: "I would like to work with women in my country (Western Sahara) to improve their development, and for them to have more active, political and economical participation".

Hyeli said: "I would like to go and study art at university in London so I will study English at SOAS when I finish at IH. I have to pass an exam and make a portfolio before entering university".

5. What is your favourite food?

Anam said: "My favourite foods are spicy foods, especially Tom Yom Gum which is a spicy soup from Thailand".

Chiara said: "My favourite food is tiramisu, it is an Italian dessert".

6. What are you going to do when you finish your English course?

Khalid said: "I would like to go back to my country and study at university".

Hamza said: "I would like to study at university in London".

JL said: "I will start a postgraduate course in London or Korea".

Maria said: "I would like to go back to my country and live in the place where I was born".

7. Why are you studying English?

Khalid said: "Because it is a very important language in the world and it can help me at university".

Hamza said: "Because I want to study at university in the UK so I need English skills".

JL said: "Because I want to study at university in England so I need English skills".

Maria said: "Because it is very important to improve my English. I like to talk with English people".

Signed, the class of Lower Intermediate A (room 302)

Lower Intermediate A Class: Introductions

My name is Khalid Alshaikh. I come from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. I am 18 years old. I am a student in London and I'm living here for one year. My favourite football team is Arsenal. I love to play football in my free-time. During my holidays I go hunting in the desert with my friends in Saudi Arabia. My favourite drink is Arabic coffee.

My name is Maria De Lourdes Costa Nepomuceno. I come from Brazil. I'm here because my husband is working at Petrobras Europe. I have to stay here for two years. I study English at International House because I need to improve my English. I would like to explore Europe, I think it has beautiful places.

My name is Hamza Ghaith Amhamed. I come from Libya. I am 18 years old. I'm studying English in London at International House for one year. I like playing football and my favourite team is Arsenal.

My name is Jaewoong Lee. I come from South Korea. I need English skills because I want to do a postgraduate course. I'm really into taking pictures and watching overseas dramas on TV. I was a product and landscape designer in Korea. I also exhibited my work at several exhibitions. I really like to explain my work to other people and observe peoples reactions.

My name is Annie le Moal. I live in Switzerland. I'm an interior designer for a private company. I like fitness, tennis and cooking. I hate running.

My name is Hyeli Jo. I was born in South Korea. I was a student of art at university in Korea. I will stay in London for about three years. I like to go shopping on the highstreet and watch films.

My name is Pin-I Liu. I come from Taiwan and I live in Teipei in the north of Taiwan. I like going shopping in my free-time. I was an accountant in Taiwan.

My name is Majed Alharbi. I come from Saudi Arabia. I like football too much! My favourite international team is Manchester United. I'm living in London and in my free-time I like going out with my friends.

My name is Imer can Yagci. I come from Turkey. I live in Istanbul. I am a university student in Istanbul. I am 19 years old. I like playing basketball and golf. I also like going to the gym. I am an NBA fan.

My name is Fatma Mehdi. I come from Western Sahara (northwest Africa). I'm a member of NUSW (National Union of Sahrawi Women). In my organisation we work in order to help women improve their skills. We also have special programs with young women training about leadership, empowerment, selfesteem and communication.

My name is Chiara Morelli. I come from Italy. I'm 23 years old. I'm a beautician and I would like to open a beauty centre in Italy or England. I like swimming and listening to music. I don't like reading books.

My name is Marcela Jaramillo. I come from Colombia. I'm 21 years old. I'm studying business administration. In my free-time I like hanging out with my friends, sleeping, watching TV and sharing with my family. I enjoy going to the shops and traveling around the world. In England I'm studying English at IH.

(other class members are: Anamu Sekiguchi from Japan, Zaher Alshehri from Saudi Arabia and Raja Shawesh from Libya).

Signed, the class of Lower Intermediate A (room 302).

B is for Blog...

Hello again readers, we are finally in 2010 and what better way to start the new year than by launching the IH London blog! This month we will be speaking to the students of lower intermediate A (my class!) and finding out about some of the things that they're doing whilst in London. This group are a very chatty, extremely friendly bunch of students and come from all over the world. It can be very nerve-wracking being the first to do something and these brave students have agreed to be the first to use this site, so wish them luck! We will start with an introduction to who we are, and over the month add pictures and write posts about what we have been doing in class.

Speak to you soon!