Three months in Brighton: Sarah traveled to the south coast of England and has a lot to tell!
Life with a host family
A challenging question that nobody could take off my shoulders at first. Should I spend my three months in Brighton in the residential complex or with a host family? Both options have their advantages and disadvantages …
To combine both experiences, I spent six weeks with a host family and booked in the residential complex for three weeks. Since I am a family man, I wanted to stay with the host family a little longer. I also wanted to build closer friendships and experience the atmosphere of living together.
In the end I lived with a wonderful host family, and I am overjoyed and grateful. I lived with a single mother and her young son. During my time in Brighton I really became part of her family. We took a lot of trips together, and thanks to my host family, I got to know the south coast of England even better.
Both were very relaxed when it came to living together, and you just felt comfortable near them. You completely accepted it if I wanted to spend time in my room alone.
Since I liked it so much and I had built up a really good relationship with the family, I decided not to move into the residential complex for the last three weeks. Instead, I stayed with my host family for the entire duration of my stay abroad.
We are already planning a reunion next summer. So you can see that life with a host family can really be wonderful, and I recommend everyone to have this experience at least once.
Structure of the school system in Brighton
In contrast to the classes in Germany, English is spoken exclusively at the EF School in Brighton. I learned a lot about the English language or English-speaking countries through grammar exercises, reading and writing tasks, language exercises, business English and descriptions.
For individualized lessons, the students are divided into different classes with people on a similar language level. So you don't have to worry about getting too difficult or too simple class. And even if that happened, there are enough employees in Brighton who will be happy to help you change courses.
To be divided into the different levels, complete an online placement test before you leave.
In addition, the classes are divided according to the different types of courses. In the main course, everyday English is mainly practiced and spoken. Then there are intensive courses in which learning is more intense and more complex grammar is conveyed. The exam preparation course prepares the students for exams such as the Cambridge Certificate or the toefl.
So you see that there is a suitable course for everyone, and all preferences can be taken into account. It is also a great advantage that you can change your course at any time if it does not meet your expectations.
Royal weekend
At the weekend, EF organized excursions to Windsor and Hampton to visit the famous Great Britain. On Saturday we went on a bus trip to Windsor with a large group of students. At first we had some free time and were able to explore the beautiful city of Windsor. Then we were allowed to visit the lock from the inside. Thanks to an audio guide, we were able to collect a lot of additional information.
The day was perfectly organized and we had a lot of fun. During the excursion we learned a lot about the castle and the history of England.
On Sunday we took a train to Hampton with a much smaller group to visit the court palace.
Hampton is a rather quiet place and we decided to go straight to the castle. The castle was so huge and had so much to offer that we spent the whole day there. The Hampton Court Palace was also huge and left a lasting impression with us.
These two days were beautiful and will be remembered forever. Brighton is definitely worth a visit, and if you are looking for more inspiration, you should definitely see the Instagram account @efusa! “
