Balázs Beáta /angol/

It was a great journey for me to stay in London alone to learn English at the language school Excel English from 23rd July 2017 to 12th August 2017 by an Erasmus+ program for teachers.

Learning English language is very important for me, because I will have to take a language exam for my degree. I finished the course ‘International relationships’ in Kodolányi János College (Budapest) in 2016 as a teacher of Hungarian Literature and Grammar and History. I planned to study in London, because I wanted to know and use modern English not only at a language school but also in my everyday life. I have never been to London, because it is a very expensive town in Europe. Luckily I had the opportunty to study here by an Erasmus+ scolarship.

I lived in homestay with a very kind host, so I could practise the language every day.

Excel English is an excellent language school in London, in Muswell Hill. This is a beautiful place in London with an amazing view. This school is small, it is a homelike, and it has a nice garden with a small lake. The teachers knew everybody. The staff was very kind and helpful. I knew great people and professional teachers, whose teaching was very important to balance skill development on the same level and they taught by different methods using interactive table too. The lessons were very useful, interesting, fun moody and practical. We worked alone, in pairs and in groups too. We discussed the solutions together then also with the teacher. We repeted the new expressions. We read, wrote, spoke and listened in balance in a lesson. In my opinion every English theacher should visit this school to learn how to teach developing all skills in balance in a lesson.

I sudied B2 level vocabulary, phrasal werbs and idioms, the terms for everyday use, I wrote written exercises and homeworks to practice the new vocabulary and the word stuctures. I could practice the rules of pronunciation, understand and summarise in English after reading and listening. We wached parts of films in the lessons, and then we were talking about them. I practiced the basic features of mapping in a foreign town, I needed to know the rules of the hosting country.

Every courses were monthly courses, but I had studied only for 3 weeks in an Upper-Intermediet level, in a Higher Skills international group together with Turkishes, Brasilian, Koreans, Japanese and the other European students. There were 10-12 students in these groups. In this school it was allowed to speak only in English, also with the other Hungarian student. So now I can speak fluently. Every student had an owner signed mug, in the break everybody could have a tea or coffee in the breaks, and they may take home their own mug at the end of the course.

I got two studentbooks the first week. I learnt from the Move, then from the Essential English with a CD ROOM, so I could practise exercises at home too.

A visited many famous buildings and places. I bought a London Pass for 6 days, so I could visit Westminster Abbey, Churchill War Room, Shakespeare’s Globe, Tower Bridge Experience, Humpton Court Palace, Tower of London, HMS Belfast Boat, Kensington Palace and Keats House. I went without using London Pass to Sky Garden, British Museum, Madame Tussauds Museum, London Eye, Clink (this is the oldest prison in London), London Museum, and I was walking through the Londone Bridge, the Millenium Brigde, The Tower Bridge, the Borough Market and around the St Paul’s Cathedral. I bought 16 books, I can use them in my teaching work. I took about 3000 photographs.

There is a very nice tradition at this school, to say good bye in a school ceremony, where the students get their Diploma and at the end each of them speaks a speech. My speech was this:

‘My name is Beata, it means: ‘Happy’. I am happy to be here. A dream realized now.

I’ll never forget I have studied at Excel English. I’ll never regret to study at Excel English.

Thank you Andy and Viki for teach me.’

Thank you for everyting to Erasmus+, to my collegaue, Judit Emma Toth and to my directors for the opportunity to stay in London! It was the greatest adventure of my life! A dream realised by Erasmus+. I have another big dream, I would like to go back to visit other places, I wanted to see, but I had no time enough, and I want to learn in Excel Englis yet. I can recommend everybody to learn English language at Excel English! Thank you for everybody in Excel English: Judy, Kerry, Andy, Viki, Christian and Monika!