July 29th, 2010
You’re eager to learn a new language? Here are some advises on what you can do to achieve it!
Learn on your own: you can begin to learn any language on your own, for example by reading newspapers or books in the language in question, listening to the radio, watching TV or a film you already know in the language in question with or without subtitles in the same language… You can also buy some course books, generally with CDs, or have a look at the Websites that enable you to learn a language on-line (that can even be free!)
Speak with a native speaker: it’s more and more common to find people who want to learn your language while they teach you theirs. You can easily find that on the Internet, as well as a foreign penpal!
Study at University: if you’re eagger to learn new languages, try to find a University that offers a wide range of language courses. Specific degrees based on foreign languages study also exist of course! And who knows, you may get the opportunity to enjoy a stay abroad with the Erasmus exchange program or other specific agreements! =)
Going abroad with language travel agencies: these are organisms that offer a wide range of language courses abroad, through homestays, language schools, home lessons but also other programs such as internships or jobs, language teacher assistant… They usually offer lots of different languages to learn!
You can of course combine various of the above advices to make your language skills improvement more efficient! Of course, these are not the only ways to learn a new language, so be creative!
Tags: advices, fun, ideas, language abroad, learn languages abroad, tips
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July 22nd, 2010
A “typical” host family with 2 lovely children: that could be what comes to mind when thinking about what a host family is. However, it exists various types of host “families”, generally depending on which kind of program abroad you’re taking part in. This is a crucial factor to take into account when choosing your language course program.
On the one hand, host families participating in the Junior Homestay program welcome a teenager like a new member of their family so that interaction is intensive. They supervise the student and immerse him in their family and daily life. The family is really eagger to share a lot with the student and learn from his culture too, even if level of integration in the host family life still depends on each host family of course. They can either be a family with children or retired people. In this kind of homestay program, the student does not attend any language course, it’s a pure immersion program generally for juniors during summer holidays.
On the other hand, host families hosting students attending a Language school program offer room and board, it is a mere type of accommodation. Students of this language school program are usually young adults and must be quite autonomous, since this kind of host family is not asked to organize activities for and with the student. Students organize then their leisure time freely, go to school to attend language courses and participate in optional activities. They go back “home” to have a rest, to study, to have their meals and to sleep…
In this kind of program, students usually do not spend so much time in the host family during the day and prefer staying with their schoolmates or visit the town. In opposition to host families for homestay programs, there might be no intensive interaction with the members of the host family and it may mainly deals with daily issues and daily conversation. These host families can either be a family with or without children, a single-parent family, retired people, a woman living alone…
Now that you know the main differences between host families hosting students for Junior Homestay programs and host families for Language school programs, you’re ready to go abroad!
Tags: academic year abroad, cultural shock, Homestay, Host family, Language schools, travel abroad
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July 15th, 2010
Some weeks ago we told you about the French organism SEJ (Sports Elite Jeunes) and their original discount for the 2010 FIFA World Cup on soccer summer camps. Did you know that if you take part in these sports camps you could follow the path of some champions?
Sports summer camps with SEJ are unique and really worth participating in. They welcome each year top sportsmen and women who are eagger to share their experience as well as their career highlights and awards. They love to give advices to young participants.
Top sportsmen such as Tony Parker -basketball champion- or Laurent Blanc -World Champion of the FIFA World cup 1998- have already taken part in the sports summer camps. Different top sportsmen and women run the activities year after year.
Enrol in this summer camp in France!
Tags: France, fun, ideas, language abroad, learn french, learn languages abroad, study abroad, travel
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July 8th, 2010
The students of St Paul Preparatory High School in Minnesota (USA) have just been graduated!
Enjoy the picture of this multicultural promotion!
You’re interested in taking part to this unforgettable experience? You can enrol at St Paul Preparatory High School too!
Tags: academic program abroad, academic year abroad, english, International High School, learn english, learn languages abroad, USA
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July 1st, 2010
You’re eagger to learn English, thinking of Great Britain but you’re not fan of rain? Don’t worry, there are so many locations in the world you can go to learn English, you cannot even imagine! Forget rainy United Kingdom, we’ve got a very interesting suggestion for you…
Have you ever heard of “Malta”? Even if you have, you might not be able to locate it on a world map, am I right? =)
Malta is a small island located in the Mediterranean, 100 km south of Sicily and 280 km north-east of Tunisia. Its national and official language is Maltese (an Arabic based dialect written in the Latin alphabet). English is a co-official language in Malta due to its strong British influence, since Malta has been a British colony between 1814 and 1964. Other languages are also spoken in this small island such as Arabic and Italian.
If you decide to learn English in Malta, you’ll be able to improve your English skills and enjoy sunny holidays at the same time. Indeed, Malta is famous for its Mediterranean/Subtropical climate and its wonderful historical monuments as well as its typical villages. You’ll enjoy the beautiful sea where you can dive. There are also very original villages such as Its nightlife is also known to be great.
Don’t wait any longer and book your English course in Malta!
Tags: english, fun, Host family, ideas, language abroad, Language schools, learn english, learn languages abroad
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June 23rd, 2010
Three weeks ago we talked about “culture shock” and tried to understand better what it deals with. Here are some advices to make the culture shock less important and the recovery easier when going abroad.
1) Cultural relativism: focus on the idea that no one culture is “right” or “wrong”. So don’t use your own standards to compare and judge other cultures with, but try to understand why the way of doing of the other culture differs from yours, and vice versa.
2) Get prepared: learn the language! Culture and language use are strongly linked. This will give you not only some control in the new culture once you get there, but also the opportunity to meet people and socialise. Making friends as soon as you can is important. Don’t forget to find out about food, customs and so on before you go, not to be unpleasantly surprised or even shocked.
3) Work on yourself: raise your self-awareness and listen to yourself! Be observant on what’s going on around you, and try to notice behavioral differences. Try not to lose your temper, keep your sense of humor and reserve judgement when you get frustrated.
4) Be sensitive, open and tolerant: when something goes wrong take a new look at yourself, try to understand if you might have done it the “wrong way” within the other culture. Don’t dismiss things you don’t know about. On the contrary, try to put yourself in the shoes of the other culture to better understand how their world is and why.
5) Be social and extrovert: even if you tend to be shy, adopt a new identity and be the person you’ve always dreamed to be. Forget stereotypes! You blind yourself to all the other charateristics peculiar to the other culture when you focus on stereotypes.
Some situations to avoid!
A common reaction to difference is seeking things you are acquainted with. This is part of the critical stage 2 in cultural shock process: you tend to over-idealise your own culture and as a result, to make the gap between both cultures become more important! So be careful, this generally leads to super ethno-centric moaning situations in which you tend to downgrade the benefits of your host culture. Don’t forget that the main objective when going abroad is not to entirely replicate your home country, do you think it would be worth going in a foreign country then? 
In a nutshell
Enjoy differences! See the positive side of this experience, and make the decision to adapt your habits and behaviour by changing them a little bit to better match the culture you’re in. You will be surprised on how fast things will pleasantly evolve. People will apreciate the effort you make, and you’ll enjoy a lot this unique and rewarding experience!
Have you ever experienced cultural shock? What happened and how did you cope with it? Tell us about it!
Tags: academic year abroad, advices, cultural shock, ideas, life abroad, study abroad, tips, travel abroad
Posted in Academic Year Programs, Homestay, Host family, International High School, Internships & Work Experiences, Language Teacher Assistant, Language Travel Scholarships and Financial Aid, Language Travel Testimonials, Language Travel Tips, Language schools, More Incredible Stuff, Teenagers, Tips to learn languages | No Comments »
June 16th, 2010
Next June 25th 2010 will take place an open doors day at Notre-Dame International High School which is about to open in September. This will enable you to visit this unique school and its facilities as well as meet the staff!
Interested in enrolling at Notre-Dame International High School or just curious about it? Don’t miss this opportunity! Notre-Dame International High School organises an open doors day on June 25th 2010, from 2.30 pm to 5.30 pm for students interested in enrolling at this American school next to Paris. Students from all over the continents are already enrolled, we’re just waiting for you! Take part in this open doors day!
If you need further information about Notre-Dame International High School or its open doors day, contact this American boarding school near Paris.
Tags: academic program abroad, academic year abroad, english, France, Host family, International High School, learn english, learn french, study abroad
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June 7th, 2010
For the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the French organism SEJ (Sports Elite Jeunes) decided to launch a special and original discount.
Mums, you who usually hate soccer, you’ll now like it more than ever. You know what? If your teen get enrolled in a Soccer summer camp in France before June 11th 2010 you’ll enjoy an incredible and original discount…
>>> Each French goal scored during the World Cup …
… makes you save 10 euros! <<<
You are refunded 10 euros per French goal (except penalties)… For you, teens who particularly like soccer during this period of World Cup, and who want to improve your French skills at the same time, be sure that you’ll enjoy these French and Soccer summer camps in Vichy and that you’ll never forget such a great time! So come on, and play your own World Cup! It’s not too late!
We hope for all those who will take part in these Summer camps that France will score lots of goals and why not, win the 2010 FIFA World Cup! =)
Tags: France, fun, ideas, learn french, learn languages abroad, tips, travel
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June 4th, 2010
Going abroad and leaving your country, the one you’ve grown up in, your culture and traditions… that’s not easy for anyone. You can even quickly feel homesickness, due to what’s called “culture shock”. This mainly happens in a case of a long stay (several months) in a different culture. Culture shock has been divided up into a process of 5 main different phases. Let’s see them with Rebecca Fong, a teacher of intercultural communication at the University of the West of England.
1. Euphoria or exhilaration
This phase is also called “the honeymoon period”. It usually takes from a few weeks to a few months depending on your personnality and the cultural distance, that’s to say how different both cultures are. Everything is new and great, you see it as an exciting experience and you tackle your problems with good humour. Actually you’re too busy to get depressed.
2. You realise that you’re an outsider
You start to experience the differences between both cultures and to face some problems: trafic problems, you don’t like the typical food there… Even if people are pretty kind to you, you just feel like you’re a misunderstood person. This is a critical stage because you begin to over-idealise your own culture and make the gap between both cultures become more important. Lots of people give up at this stage after having suffered it for a while.
3. Recovery and acculturation
This is the learning process, your language skills definitely improve and, as a result, your contact with the culture also improves and you integrate better with it. You also make more efforts to be part of the community, making friends and being interested in typical manners and customs of the country. You’re on the right track to recover from your culture shock! However, in this stage, you might still want to impose your own ideas rather than accepting the one of the host culture…
4. You adjust properly and appreciate the other culture
You really start to understand the norms and values of your host culture for what they are, and feel pretty integrated and comfortable with it. You might even believe that some of your host culture’s values are better than your own! =)
5. Going back home
Going back home can be quite a challenge too. Indeed, you might face some difficulty to re-adapt to your own culture after a long period spent abroad! This might be considered as re-acculturation or re-entry shock. But don’t despair, as Rebecca Fong says; “there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and the more times you experience culture shock, the easier it’s going to get.” (get more information about Rebecca Fong’s studies on culture)
Now that you know this 5-stage-process better, we’ll give you some advices on how to deal with culture shock when going abroad, how to acculturate and adjust properly to the other culture, making the culture shock less important and the recovery easier! In the meanwhile, you can have a look at these useful advices for students going abroad. See you next week!
Tags: academic year abroad, cultural shock, life abroad, study abroad, travel abroad
Posted in Academic Year Programs, Homestay, Host family, International High School, Internships & Work Experiences, Language Teacher Assistant, Language Travel Scholarships and Financial Aid, Language Travel Testimonials, Language Travel Tips, More Incredible Stuff, Teenagers | 1 Comment »
May 28th, 2010
Arabic, as part of the Semitic languages, is a very ancient language. As a result, it has had a strong influence in many other languages. For some of you, you can be sure that you use several arabic words every day without even being aware of it! As it is also the language of the Quran, millions of people are daily in touch with the Arabic language. Here are some good reasons to learn this beautiful language!
1. Arabic is in the top 5 of the most commonly spoken native languages in the world. Arabic is spoken in more than 20 countries in the world, not only in the Middle-East, but also in North Africa. More than 450 millions people speak Arabic throughout the world. It exits various arabic dialects from one country to another: dialectical arabic is known as al-lougha derija, whereas literary Arabic, which is used in writing and in formal speech and understood by any Arabic country, is called al-lougha fusHa.
2. Knowing Arabic can promote intercultural understanding. Become interculturally competent and more tolerant about other cultures! When you learn a foreign language, you also learn a lot about culture, values and traditions of the countries the language is spoken in. This enable you to become more open-minded and aware of cultural differences, of the fact that there is not necessarily one “right” way to do something, and as result, to avoid intercultural conflicts!
3. The Arabic-speaking world has a rich cultural heritage. If you go to Andalusia in Spain, you’ll surely imagine even one second you’re in an Arabic country. Indeed, Arab people let historical monuments of a great beauty there. Arab-speaking countries have a long past history in sciences and literature… Arts and musique are unique as well… Have you ever tried bellydance? And what about Arabic food and dishes? Sure you have already tasted them! Enjoy the beautiful colors and the pleasant smells of their wonderful spices!
4. The Arabic-speaking world is a fast growing market for trade. As well as China, the Arabic regions of the world are developping themselves very fast, and there are more and more business opportunities with the Arabic-speaking countries which integrate the global market. As a result, there is high demand of Arabic-speakers in the Western world but low supply… to such an extent that some countries such as the US offer financial incentives to learn Arabic!
5. The mere reason that Arabic is a great and interesting language, not so difficult to learn after all!
So if you want to start learning Arabic or perfecting it, you can get more information on this Arabic school in Morocco … Discover your first name in Arabic calligraphy!
Tags: advices, fun, Host family, ideas, language abroad, Language schools, learn Arabic, learn languages abroad, Morocco
Posted in Host family, Language schools, Tips to learn languages | 1 Comment »
May 21st, 2010
Moving and settling into a foreign country are never easy, all the more so as if you don’t know much about the country. It’s sometimes very helpful to appeal to experts in relocation services. Indeed, they handle everything.
Whether you are an expatriate or a student, moving to a new country for some months or indefinitely may be a quite long and difficult process. You have to find an accommodation, sometimes a school for your children, open a bank account, deal with administrative formalities, issues, procedures… and so many other things that request a lot of time and patience. As a result, a relocation to France, if you are going to live in Paris for example, might be more complicated than you thought. Don’t worry! Some experts in relocation can do every step for you.
Actually, these relocation agencies usually offer a wide range of “packs” of different services that you can adapt according to your needs. These experts give you support during your relocation to Paris, since they handle issues such as housing, partner’s professional integration, child care and school enrolment. They can even advise you about some shopping in Paris! They also provide you administrative assistance as well as French language courses if need be.
Don’t let your relocation to Paris become a nightmare! If you want to keep cool, don’t hesitate any longer to contact a relocation agency to get further information about their services and move to Paris without any worries!
Tags: France, ideas, learn french, life abroad, Relocation, tips
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May 17th, 2010
Some days ago we introduced you to the Work and Travel program in New Zealand. The same program also exists in Australia! Have you ever dreamt of visiting Australia? Make your dream come true! Let’s work and travel in this big country!
Australia has had a very long past history related to languages. Indeed, before European people settled there Australia had been inhabitated for more than 40 000 years by about 250 different indigenous languages. Nowadays, English is the official language of this huge country located in the Pacific ocean.
Australia is also known for its wonderful landscapes and unique wildlife: kangaroos, koalas, ostriches and many other species. Its Christmas that some people usually spent on the beautiful beaches getting a suntan or surfing is also very typical!
Moreover Australia is a real cosmopolitan country since you can meet not only Asians but also Europeans, North and South Americans or Russians as well… among other nationalities of course! So if you’re eager to discover cultures from all over the world, Australia has been made for you…
Tell me, what’s better than working in an English-speaking country if you definitely want to improve your English skills? And if you could enjoy the beaches and the sun at the same time to relax? The Work and Travel in Australia could be the perfect program to do so!
Work and Travel program is availabe for citizens of the following countries: UK, Canada, Netherlands, Japan, Ireland, Korea, Malta, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Hong Kong, Finland, Cyprus, France, Italy, Taiwan, Estonia, Chile, Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey and the USA. NEW IN 2010! Bangladesh; Indonesia; Iran.
Don’t wait any longer and take part in! Seize this great opportunity! The kangaroos’ country is waiting for you!
Tags: australia, english, fun, Internships & Work Experiences, language abroad, learn english, learn languages abroad, travel abroad
Posted in Internships & Work Experiences, Tips to learn languages | No Comments »
