My Cat Maksik

It is with great pleasure that we unlock each student's potential.  Some come to us with a pocket full of advanced vocabulary, ready to use it to express themselves even on complex matters. Others come with a great command of grammar but a shyness when expressing themselves orally. Some students haven’t had as much practice, and it is particularly rewarding to see such students make the English language their own. 

The author of the following blog post is one such student. She came in with a lovely demeanor, excited to learn and make friends with the other children.  However, using English was intimidating to her. She would freeze at the thought of holding a pen and crowned Google Translate as her refuge, where she could hide behind the Russian alphabet and still communicate with the teaching team. As  the week progressed, the magic of our language immersion started taking form, gifting her more confidence. By Friday, she had made significant progress and wrote this wonderful description of a cat. The word ‘proud’ doesn’t come close to describing how we feel about her evolution. I hope you enjoy this piece (and the picture of her original work)!

  

My cat’s name is Maksik. He is 8 years old and lives in Russia. Maksik is yellow with orange stripes and a white tummy. He always wears a green collar with a gold bell. He’s fluffy, soft and cuddly. He is also very cute and friendly. He loves to purr and play with me. He drinks milk and eats tuna.

Edited for clarity.

Why Hi-London?

Maria Beatriz

With Hi-London, I had the opportunity to make friends from all over the world just by speaking English.  During these two weeks, I learned a lot of things by visiting different museums and parts of London.  Of course, I can't forget to say how much I've improved my English abilities, especially my speaking.

Enrique

The thing I have enjoyed the most about Hi-London is the Science Museum.  What impressed me the most about this museum was the bomb called V2 that was dropped in England in 1942 by the Nazis.  Another thing I really enjoyed from this Museum was the reflecting telescope by Isaac Newton due to the impact it had an astronomy.

Giulia

I really like studying English and travelling.  Last year, I came to Hi-London and loved it; so, I came back the following year.  Something that I enjoy about this school is that we always go out and visit museums because I think it is very important for us to have cultural experiences.  

London is also a gorgeous city; so, exploring it with our group is always a adventure.  The teachers are nice and friendly, and the students are too.  

Another good thing is that they care about your abilities.  For example, I was moved to another group since they thought I could express myself more in this team.

I recommend this school.

Edited for brevity and clarity.

Where Are You Now?

 

Edited for clarity.

My name is Emma F., an 18-year-old student from Italy. I am now in my last year of high school in Piacenza and preparing my applications for university in Milan. I have always been fascinated by the English language and am very passionate about travelling as a way to discovering new places, cultures and traditions. 

My first experience with Hi-London dates back to when I was almost ten years old. I joined the KIDS group and started my adventure. I immediately fell in love with the program because Hi-London was not an ordinary summer school. Indeed, instead of sitting in a classroom, I found myself wandering around the city of London, visiting museums, art exhibitions and natural sites, while improving my English and connecting with other international students. I quickly realized that the more I learned the easier it was to build relationships with the other children coming from the other side of the world! 

I continued my journey and, after a couple of years, I was ready for the TEEN group that allowed me to improve my reading comprehension and writing skills. I made amazing friends whom I am still in touch with, and I found kind and professional teachers who played a major role in my learning experience. 

I was so fond of the Hi-London “family” that, when I was 17, I created the opportunity to become a teaching assistant for two weeks. This job experience helped me to develop my communication and team-building skills along with organizational and time management capabilities. Senior teachers made me feel part of the team and guided me in my role in the best way possible. I found out how hard and demanding it was to work with young students but also how enriching it was to deal with them every day. 

This long-lasting connection with Hi-London made a difference in my school performance in Italy and definitely shaped the person that I am today, even influencing my choices for the future. It is not a coincidence that my university selection is now oriented towards an “International Relations” degree where I hope I will carry on with my international path. 

A Feast Fit for a King

Hi. I'm Vincent, and today, I worked a lot in the kitchen.  It's Feast Day.  So, I worked hard to feed a lot of people.  I made stew.  It had meat, vegetables and potatoes in it.  It's too hard working for the King because he is so demanding.  I think they liked the stew because they ate very fast.  The cauldron was hot.  So, I burned my arm, and now, I'm tired.  I also made fish with rosemary and corn.  That was my day.  I'm going to bed now.  Bye!

Hi.  My name is Antonia, and I'm the chef for the King.  Today, I needed to cook a big dinner for 200 people.  We cooked beef, potatoes, vegetables and bread.  To drink, we had wine.

Hi.  I am Jonas, and I cook for everyone in the palace.  It is always really busy because I have to cook for 600 people and then I sleep.  The King doesn't pay a lot.

Hi.  My name is Lucas.  I am the royal chef.  Today, I cooked a stew for the King.  My stew had potatoes, pork, carrots, rosemary and onions.  My stew is the best stew in the whole kingdom!

First, helpers have to plan what they need to cook.  Before they cook, they have to think which food the King loves.  For example, when we went to see the kitchen, we saw that the King has a food and drink list.  The list is about the food and drinks the King loves.  I think it's going to be a very nice feast.

A Day in the Life of a Street Performer

This autumn, our students explored some of London’s best places for watching street performers. We were entertained by singing puppets, musicians, dancers, and magicians to name a few. The students then thought about what it would be like to be a street performer, and what they would like to try. Below are some written pieces from the students on ‘A Day in the Life of a Street Performer’. 

‘The Day of a Busker’ 

Yesterday was a nice day. I started at 9am in Hyde Park. It was a sunny day. There weren’t any people around at 9am, but after 10am, more and more people came to the park. People listened to my music and gave me a lot of money. At 2pm, I had a break. During the break, I ate a burger and drank a glass of water. Then at 3pm, I began to make more music. At 5pm when I finished work, I saw that I had made a lot of money. It was a great day because I made people happy with my music. I like my job. 

‘The Life of a Dancer’ 

Hello, I am a dancer. I usually start dancing at 10am. I perform in London around Southbank. From the beginning, people have always loved me. I started dancing on the street when I was a child. Other dancers impressed me a lot when I was young.  The day I started dancing, I knew it was for me. I think I’m lucky because I’m one of the most famous dancers on the street. Some of the other dancers have had to leave because they don’t make as much money as me. 

‘Street Dancing’ 

I am a street dancer. It’s my full-time job, and I start every day at 9.30am. The first thing I do is to find a good spot to perform. That can be difficult to find as I need a lot of space as a dancer. Once I have found my spot, I choose which style of dance to perform. Today, I chose breakdancing. Today, another dancer wanted my spot; so, we did a dance battle. The winner won the spot. Today was a good day because I won, and I made £120. I am happy to be a street dancer. 

‘Life as a Mime Artist’ 

I am a mime artist, and today is my 4th year doing this job. I like doing this job because I can amuse the people around me. It’s difficult to do this; so, I think this is why people like me. I am the only one around the Southbank area doing this. Many people watch me and give me money. This makes me happy and gives me the energy that I need to wake up and do this job every day. Today, I wrote on a piece of wood that it is my 4th year doing this job. People saw this and gave me more money. I invited a little girl to perform with me for 5 minutes because it was her birthday. This made her very happy. 

British vs. American English

Have you ever wondered why there are differences between British and American English? Have you ever looked up the word "colour" or "flavour" and noticed two different ways to spell the same word (e.g. "colour/color", "flavour/flavor")?  A famous poet and playwright Bernard Shaw once said “England and America are two countries separated by the same language”.

How Did These Differences Come About?

The English language was first introduced to America by British settlers in the 17th century, and it has evolved since then.  A key player who nudged American English away from British English was Noah Webster.  In the 18th century, he decided to create the now well-known Webster dictionary and worked on developing a new version of English for America.  He wanted American English to be more independent from British English and to spell words more as he believed they sound. Britain kept its spelling of words which was anchored in other languages such as French and German.

Differences between British English and American English

• Words spelt with an "our" in British English and just with an "or" in American English:

Colour/color 

Flavour/flavor 

Neighbour/neighbor 

Favourite/favorite

• Words that end with an "ise" in British English and with an "ize" in American English:

Organise/organize 

Realise/realize 

Recognise/recogize

• As well as differences in spelling, there are different words used in British and American English for the same thing. Here are some of the most common word differences:

            British English            American English

            Football                        Soccer
            Petrol                            Gas
            Rubbish                        Garbage
            Crisps                            Potato Chips
            Holiday                         Vacation
            Film                               Movie
            Chips                             French Fries

These are just a few examples of the many differences between British and American English  that you may come across. Next time you watch an English film or perhaps speak with a native English speaker, you may start to notice these differences and understand a little more about why these differences exist.

Students Learning British English in Our London Classroom 

Students Learning British English in Our London Classroom

 

Students Learning American English in Our New York Classroom

A Funny Day in Chinatown

We are walking as a human chain, like a creature we sing and laugh. As we exit the Tube station and walk along the great avenue to one side of Leicester Square, street performers, musicians, and people from all over the world creating the rich tapestry around us, and I think to myself as I do most days at Hi-London, how lucky we are to experience this great city in such a fun and creative way.

We turn to the right and walk down an alley, and the sounds and smells of Chinatown envelope us. We continue to sing and walk and talk. We stop in front of the bakery with its windows full of exotic shapes and colours. Chinese lanterns blow in the sky above our heads. I point to things that are interesting, and the children gaze with mouths wide open and grins.

We enter the bakery, and its warmth and sweet smells welcome us. The Chinese lady smiles,  and I suggest bean cakes and various things as the children choose something. Then we are outside with a collection of moon cakes and buns, and we chat as we munch on our treats.

Then one child is pulling on my arm. “Misha! Misha! My tooth!”, and sure enough there is a small gap with blood, and her tiny tooth hanging by a thread of skin and red stains on the thing she is eating. “Oh wow!” I say, and Vania comes to the rescue. “Bite down on this tissue”, she instructs softly but firmly. The child obeys and closes her mouth holding her teeth together. 

A few moments later, the tooth comes out and we wrap it in a clean tissue. “Save it for the tooth fairy”, I whisper. “It is extra special when you lose a tooth in Chinatown!”. A few moments later, we pack up our things and make our way back to the Tube station, one tooth less but so much gained on another grand day at Hi-London!