I think we could include this in our level test!!!

What do you think Rob?

“fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too

Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg.

The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a

rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in waht oerdr

the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and

lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you

can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid

deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!”

David Vieira/ Brazil

Lessons don’t have to be boring, and they are far from it here at The English Studio. Check out this clip of VIcky playing a vocabulary game with her Cambridge Preparation class.

Games with Vicky

I had never been out of Brazil before coming to London. People used to classify me as crazy. A lot. But I didn’t care, all I thought was: I’ll be free. Free from myself. Weird, right? But, that was exactly what I thought. I would get rid of this person that people had always known as, me. Because, the truth is: you are known as what society thinks of you. And for society back where I come from, I am “the daughter”, “the sister” and “the granddaughter”. I wasn’t just a girl. The thing is, I didn’t know that the freedom would come at a prize. Not money or any material thing, but, tears, loneliness, emptiness.

I got here completely on my own, no friends, no family, no acquaintances, no one. At first, it was overwhelming. Living and sharing experiences with complete strangers. They didn’t know anything about me, most of them still don’t know. However, it was and it still is, everything I ever thought it would be: amazing. It’s like I’m a completely new person, a free one. Free from all the things that used to stop me from doing everything I thought wasn’t appropriate.

The thing the made all the difference was my school. At The English Studio I learned and I am still learning almost everything that I need to know about London, the English language, British culture, places to visit and experiences. It was here that I made my new friends, that I found my flat and, most important, it is because of my brilliant teacher Mike Mooney my English has improved considerably. It’s here that I learn new and exciting things everyday, especially with my adorable and so well educated teacher.

I still get shocked sometimes; I blame my “small town mentality”. But, after a minute or two, I get used to the idea, and sometimes even start applying it to my own life.

I used to cry everyday when I got here. I used to call my dad and say that I wanted to go home, that this was too much for me. That I would never love London, and that everything here was backwards. From the way they drive to the plug (I still have to use the adaptor to use my hair-dryer).

People used to say to give it some time, that London would eventually get me and in 3 months I would start loving it. And so it happened. Of course, with a lot of tears, phone calls, and family support, but here I am: loving every minute of it, free from all the pre-conceptions people would build in their minds the minute I’d introduce myself by saying my last name and free from all the assumptions.

Now I can really say that I’m truly living the “London experience”, and The English Studio and everybody that I met there is a really big part of this little part of my life.

Mariana Shayeb

I’ve always believed that the power of new perspectives and the ability of making the most out of them are what makes us who we are. They open our eyes and make us see a totally new world that was hidden before. Some people are not scared of this inner transformative power. And as their world get smaller, they find themselves gathering for new experiences.

London is the dream destination of many students world wide. And this is the kind of change that requires lots of preparation. You decide to leave the warmth of your home to celebrate a journey of exploration. And choosing your guides on this trip may be the most important topic to be concerned about. I chose the English Studio because first of all I needed to be confident about the language I was speaking on my conquer. It was not just a matter of communicate well but to do it like a native speaker, with all idiomatic expressions that just a person who’s always lived in an English speaker enviroment was able to.

It’s amazing how you start to appreciate school the very second you get your first compliment about your language skills coming from a native speaker. And thanks to the classes I’ve been having at The English Studio it didn’t take to long for this day to come. You feel like the time and money you spend to live and study here are totally worthy. No class is like the other. Partly because of the well-qualified teachers they trust on and partly because of the friends you make on the way. I couldn’t wish for a better “family” in London.

Being in such an amazing enviroment definitely helps me on my adventure. Because as much you explore everywhere, that’s where you discover yourself.

Evaldo

my job for today is to expand the school library, and I’ve been asking students what kind of books and films they’d like to lend from us! apart from some ridiculous requests for Japanese horror films, we’ve been happy to supply  students with the things  they  need to help them learn English- after all, it doesn’t all just happen in the classroom, you know!

My name is Rob King, and I’m the Director of Studies here at the English Studio. Alongside four of our students, I will be posting every week to give you all the news and information you need about living in London and learning English! Keep your eyes on the blog, and please post any comments or questions you have.