It was the trip that changed her life – Jasmin spent six weeks with us at our EF language school in Oxford. She would never want to miss this experience – why is she telling this blog article.
My preparations
EF optimally covered my needs. The price-performance ratio compared to others was ideally tailored to what I wanted from my trip. I was also impressed by how easy it was to use EF websitethe friendliness and helpfulness of the employees and the operation of the app were pleasantly surprised. After several conversations and detailed consideration, I finally decided to go on a language trip. My goal with the trip was to improve my English skills and I found a stay in an English-speaking country where I don’t have the opportunity to converse in German to be the best solution. At the same time, I got to know the culture and was able to discover a new country.
Pure anticipation!
When it was clear that it was Oxford I immediately created a packing list and picked out all the sights and places I wanted to visit. The anticipation grew! A few days before my trip, a few concerns and fears arose, but they were completely in vain: after arriving, these thoughts immediately disappeared because I made friends straight away. My first day of school was also extremely relaxed because everyone was totally open and friendly. Most people were between 17 and 25 years old, although age didn’t really play a role. The motto among us was: As long as you are nice and friendly, you are very welcome! So you also exchanged ideas with people who were much older than you.
Foreign places became home
I can’t pinpoint an absolute highlight of my trip. I was in Oxford for six weeks and those six weeks were the best of my life! No matter whether we just spent time together and shared experiences or explored new places – the mix was simply perfect!
Many places were no longer foreign to us later on: London, Stonehenge, Bath, Cambridge and Cardiff are recommended for a variety of reasons! My personal favorite place in Oxford is the National History Museum because there are dinosaur skeletons!
Life in a host family shapes your stay
Another recommendation from me is to stay with a host family. This has definitely helped me improve my English in everyday life. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about Britain and other cultures. If the host family has children, as was the case with me, you pick up completely different words while playing. Another advantage was that my host father, as a local, was able to give his own personal recommendations and insider tips that I should definitely visit. This way you get to know beautiful places that some tourists might not get to know! Another reason I’m grateful for choosing a host family is that over time my roommate became my best friend.
Contacts that last forever
Finding friends abroad is a blessing and a curse at the same time: I have made so many new friends scattered all over the world and I miss them all every day. It’s hard because it’s not that easy to get to Japan or South America. But I will never run out of travel destinations!
