ONE MONTH IN EXETER

Alain :

A language course is an experience. It’s a human experience, tourist experience, and , of course, a language experience. The city of Exeter lend itself to those experiences because it’s a student city. But, to appreciate this experience, we have to stay at least one month.
When I arrived in the city, I was a bit under stress. Under stress to know a new city, some new people, to speak another language and to meet my hostfamily, to eat a foreign food.
My anxiety didn’t have any bases. Everything went on well.
When I arrived at home, I knew another culture. The house seemed to be a sacred house. I mean, I think, it is a typical house, when everything has its place and don’t have to move.
The food isn’t very strange. My family just eat a lot of storchy food.
My family was very kind. But something shocked me : It’s the mother who is the house’s boss. I couldn’t help to do something, but I asked. The evenings in the hostfamily weren’t very interesting, because they watch a lot the television.
The organisation was a bit bad, because some excursions were cancelled. Otherwise, the rest was good.
The English courses were interesting but I didn’t learn a lot of things.
I met a lot of nice people. It was the best experience, the humean experience.
In conlusion I have no regrets to came in Exeter. But the couse is a bit expensive, in comparison with I learned in English.

Alberto :

The first day, the 26 June , I wasn't happy to come here. Because in Geneva the people speak not well about England.
But my family is very nice, there are two parents and two kids. They are like my family in Geneva, the mother is like my mother andk Mark, the father, is very nice, he likes the computer and plays football and I like them all.
Now, the school is very nice in the class. I don't like all the people, but I try to because in the group is much hypocrisy and I don't like that.
The excursions are very nice, very beautiful but there are too many and we were very sad.
I camw here to learn English, speaking and writing, and I progress in English but only in speaking and not in writing, that is why I have faults in this text. My family speaks much in English. Sometimes I stay with my family and we speak during one or two hours about my problems or my life in Geneva. They understand my English.
I am very happy to have come to England and to Exeter because I have met many friends.

Aline :

I came to Exeter to study English, and to make another experience.
In the family and in the town (shops, etc) I spoke English, but with the other people I spoke French. For me it was a double lucky.
This month was long but it passed fast. We make a lot of excursions, I met the other in the evening. We make a lot of thing, like visits, etc.
The school was a little boring because I was in the worse class.
The family was very nice and always polite with me. At the first moment I didn’t understand all things when they spoke with me, but if they spoke slowly I understood. Now, I can understand a lot of things.
The biggest problem was the bus, they never passed on time, they were always later, somethimes I waited for it 30-45 min. In the morning or in the evening it was the same history. Also the foods were very different, very greasy and sometimes disqusting. I didn’t like eating here, but for a month it’s ok.
However this month was very interesting for all that : I saw , I learned, I knew. It was very cool, because I have never been in England. Saw a new country was very good
I liked stay here. Also the other people were very cool, now I know all of them.

Anna :

First of all, I would like to speak about my host family. There is the mother, whose name's Zeynap. She is Zwiquish and you notice that the first time you look her at she is the typical Zwiquish person. Then we have the father, Andy, he's like a child. Finally they have two kids, James the old one, and Selina, the small one. There is also a cat, I never remember his name, it's very lazy. He's always in the soja sleeping and he only get up to eat.
I think that my host family are very friendly, nice and kind. Although I'm very difficult for the food, Zeynap tries to cook food that I like and because of that I'm very grateful.
In the same house as me lived other swiss students. The first one is Fanny, she's 15 years old and she's very nice, polite and kind. There is another student whose name's Jonathan. He's French and he's 19 years old. He is the person who I like speaking with because he had a good English and he speaks quite slowly.
All classes are concerned, I though that they would be boring but except Shakespeare class I spend a good time during them.
About activities, some of them were boring and some were quite well like visit the underground passages.
Finally, I think that during my stay I have improved my English, as I hoped it, and I find a lot of new friends. I find the experience very amazing and it's good for learning a new culture, new people and a new different lifestyle (not better not worse, different).I would like to be in contact with some of the Swiss people because I get very well with them.

Armen : 27 days in Exeter

I think Exeter is a nice small town with a lot of people. I like the Highstreet because there is a lots of shops and there are two "KFC" (joke). My hostfamily is really good and nice and the next year if I go in Exeter for twenty-seven days I would like to live in this hostfmaily. In Exeter I train my english and I learn a little bit. The excursion are not so good because they are long and the water is not so good too. In this town the people are very nice. And the night we can't do anything. In Exeter there is not so much foreign people and the lite here in England is so expensive and in this town the life is quiet. The cathedral is beautiful. And the school is strange but I think it'is good. But we don't have many free time and we can't practise a sport.

Cèline : One month in Exeter

Exeter is a very nice city but English people is strange. They're extremely polite. In the others families, food wasn't very good but my family wasn't Enlgish, so it was good! The main street in Exeter is the High Street. We could find all sort of things. For me, this travel was very interesting because I like discovering an other kind of life. And speaking English is really a pleasure, but the pronunciation is difficult. I think this travel will be beneficial when I'll go in trip (where people don't speak French). The excursions, the courses and all the rest were good organised but one month was just a little bit too long. I just miss that my family has welcomed only me because I would have like chattering with a spanish or an Italienish…

Christian :

What is there else to say about this stay exept that it was an enriching experience. Not only for my English but also for my general knowledge.
When I look back on my program I am amazed to see all we did in only 28 days. All the trips, activities and things we say will always be stocked in my mind.
Unfortunately some oganization problems disturbed our stay.
First, the bowling got delayed and later canceled. If the organiser had booked a bit earlier it xould have been possible to go.
Secondary, the visit of the Underground Passages which was one hour later than on our program. If the communication between organizer and leader was better some problems like this wouldn’t happen.
Exepted those little problems the stay was really nice as I said on top of this artical.

Christophe :

I think that my stay in England was very positive for me.
First of all, I'm sure that my English is very better and that's the most important thing for me.
I also lived in a great family with very nice people. I could speak very much with them and by that I improved a lot my English.
Regarding theother people in my group, I was lucky because the group was nice. Not all the members but I didn't have very big problem with anyone.
However the food wasn't bad and I really enjoyed it.
However, I think that we could have something better to do during the evenings. I wanted also to go to London and that was impossible. I was very disappointed and sad because I've never seen this city. I think as well that we have spoken to much French between us.

Claire-Anne : One month in Exeter

I think my sty i Exeter was a good experience because I improved my English. My host family was very kind with me, and I met nice people in our group. Exeter is a nice town (and it has a very nice cathedral) but it's quite small. I think it's pity because we always were with our group and most the time we spoke French. We have visited a lot of places and some of them were nice but some were uninteresting.
I think people in England are very different than in Switzerland. England is more strict than Switzerland; food is strange in England and the weather is bad. I said I met nice people but I'm fed up with some people and I think it's difficult to stay all the time with this people (at school and our visit) if I don't like them. But maybe it's a good experience too because I learned something with each person. I learn a lot of things at school especially in grammar but I think more speaking would be better.
I don't think a month it's very long but I'm happy to go home.

Fanny :

Exeter is a nice city. But I don't like my family because I don't speak English very well so my family almost never speak with me. The group is very nice but we always speak in French.
I think that it help me to learn English.
I find that there are too many excursions.
In my family there are two students: Anna, a Spanish, she is 16 years old and a French, his name is Jonathan and he is 19 years old.
I didn't like to make my project because it is very difficult to make a good work. I know that my project is very stupid!

Federico :

I spent a very good time in Exeter. I learned more about English habits. My host family was very kind and I think that my host family was not the only one. The lessons were very interesting and the visits even more.
Teachers were very kind. Students with who I was here were very interesting and nice. I think that this experience has given me more friends.
My English improved very much, of course I don't speak like an English yet but if I continue to learn I would speak a good and fluently English.
Also I would like to thank teachers and our leader Markus for their kindness and their patience.
Thanks to all the teachers!
I've known people from all over the world, for example I've never spoken to a Japanese person and here I've met a Japanese girl who lived with my host family.
The only thing I didn't like was that we were always speaking in French, it's a bad thing because se came to England to speak the mostly of the time in English and for the price we've paid I think we have to speak more English than French.

Jérémy :

One month in Exeter, it was very interesting and I learned so much things, it was very enriching, above all my stay with my family. The first day where I came, my family cooked me a lig pudding it was my fist british experience.
The evening in Exeter were very strange because the young people here are very violent and they searched the battle in every time and to go in Pubs it's impossible, so we found another preoccupation like latte and etc.
The morning was very different because with the English (cause we musted talk English between us) so the contact with the other students was very different.
The visit were cool but I don't want to go to Polpero again in my life. We were very lucky with the weather because the sun was on rendez-vous and when the grey clouds approached us there were no serious rain.
The guests were very interesting, it's good I think to talk and to listen to someone who came for us and to learn something, when the Samaritans came to talk about their job, I had a strange emotion.
And to finish, my project was very enriching because we have learned by our own possibilities to learn to search some information, and all the information was in English so It was a new technique to find the information that I needed.
I think my first month in Exeter was a good experience and I want to go the next year in another Anglophonic country.

José :

In Exeter the people aren't very nice, there are many cameras and policeman. I lived with an old woman very kind. I don't like English food because it's very fat, they don't know bread and there is no sauce in the salad!

Julie :

I came in Exeter to learn English and I 'm happy because I learnt a lot of new words and now I speak better English. I was in a nice and crazy family. My family father took me talked me a lot of jokes and my family mother spoke a lot with me every time. I went often in other cities with my family to visit some friends and their family. I didn't speak a lot with the two children because they play together and they didn't spoke to me. My family mother is a good cooker but the plats were to big for me. The courses every morning were interesting and I 'm very happy that I could change the group.
Here I met a lot of friends and I liked go out in the evening and have a drink with them. The English young people are not friendly with the students. So, I stayed with my French friends. I took advantage and I enjoyed my stay in England, but one month is enough and I greatly go home.

Julien :

After one month, I'm happy to go back home. But it has been a great experience. I think that Exeter is an interesting city for many things (shopping, history, etc) but it's also not very good for other things. For example the bus. My bus was always full, when I needed to take it. There were to much strikes and the worst: We musted say "THANKS" to the busdriver.
My family was very kind, they always asked me if I would something to drink or an Ice-cream. So, it was very pleasant to live with them. Unfortunately, they haven't a teenager but a child aged 2. I could only play with him. The food was delicious and my lunch was everyday a little bit different. I had no problems with my family. The fist day, they show me where the school was and they gave me a key. I could go out every evenings and I had no obligation to go back at a specific hour.
The course was not boring, but I think that I haven't learn a lot of things. Of course, I'm better to speak quickly now, and I learned some vocabulary. The project was a good idea. It's interesting to work on a specific subject. So, I find that it's enriching.
The trips were sometime boring (for example: Polpero Dawlish) but most of time, it was funny. I fink that it's good to visit the country. Our group was nice.

Juliette :

It was interesting but sometimes a little boring… I learned a few words in English and my grammar is better. I'm happy to come back tomorrow because my family and my friends meeth me.. But this stay was good.
I think that I wont do anymore a stay in England because this country is very lovely but the weather is bad and for my summer holidays I like to go in a country where is son.. and where it's hot.
But this country is very lovely and it has a lot of wonderful countryside…
My family was not very good but we don't stay often in the house so it's not really a problem…
Ho yes! Here the food is very dangerous!!! If you eat normally you are fat!!! Because the English people cook with much butter and… they eat all the time and always pizzas, patatoes, fishen chips… not often vegetables!!!

Maria : 3 weeks in Exeter

I have to say that it has been a great experience!
My family has been nice and kind and also very funny. I like their sense of humour. I have met about 20 Swiss but I have to mention especially one: Jeremy who has stayed in the same house as me, we have become friends and this is really nice, I'll never forget him. Another special friend I have met here is Frederico, who is from Paraguai. I hope that I'm going to be in contact with them!
About the food, I have no complaint. I thought that the English food was horrible but my host family's food has been really good.
I'm sure that my English has improved. One thing it have surprised me is that is easier to understand and talk with English people than with Irish people.
I have to thanks Donna because she ahs given us a lift to school the most mornings.
The classes have been good, but I think the best place to improve English is with the host family's.
The excursions have been a bit boring, because we haven't seen so much interesting places but the cites were pretty (the most of them).
In fact, it have been a great experience that I'll never forget!

Mattia : One month in exeter

One month, 4 weeks, 28 days. A lot of time far away from home. At any case I think I enjoyed this time. I have to say that this year our group was great, with a lot of personalities and funny people. In the group was always a laugh to do, and every night, when it was possible, we went out altogether; I think I've been very lucky to be there.
Speaking about teachers: very good I think. We repeated exercises which I make a thousand times; a little bit boring at last. However I would have prefered if we had gave out during the lessons, speaking with with Exeter's people, collecting informations,…
About my host family: alright. I was in a family and I discovered that living with two children is not very easy. By the way they were always kind and ready to help me, for example with lifts, with the project, with time-tables…
Talking about the languages: above all French. But I'm not sorry for that. I knew it and I accepted it. I'd like just to say that if I had been French I wouldn't have gone there, because I wouldn'^t have the possibility to speak a foreign language.
About the town: pretty, but I still prefer Lugano. It's not bad here but I think there's nothing special. Exeter is very similar to Udtenhan, to be honest.

At last, after all it has been a good month where I enjoyed myself and I "recharged" the batteries. The next month it won't be so funny in my restaurant… However it's good, it's gooooood!

Mattia : One month in Exeter

This month was my first month in England and I think that I improved my comprehension and I have had a good time. I think that I've been also lucky because my host family is really good and the other students are funny. The school has been a little hard because it has been at 9 o'clock and I usually wake up at 10:30 in the morning when I'm on holiday. Exeter is a good place because there are a lot of opportunities to have fun: pubs, skate-park, shops,… so it's possible to learn English but also enjoy the free time. In my opinion there are (unfortunately) also a few things that weren't very good, for example: the buses, that after 6:30 pm were not in activity any more and I had to come back home on foot, some holes in the organisation, sometimes the food.

At any case I'm quite satisfied because I could also speak French and meet new people. OK, I think it can be enough… It's good, It's goooooood!

Mélanie : One month in Exeter

After one month in Exeter I've understand that it isn't easy to speak all the time in a language you have learned and you can't use very well. I think it's a very good idea to put us in a family and live with them and live like them because you have to speak English. (it's carefull). But it's pity to be with the same group who come from the same country and speak the same language because when we're together we speak in English.
It was an experience very interesting to live in this country with it habits, and I liked living with my host family it was very funny and a very good family. Thank you. I think I speak easier in English than before it's more natural and more instinctive.
The excursions were very pretty it was a good idea to come in the sweet little town around Exeter, and we always did what you wanted, I think it was a very good stay and it's a very good program, (séjour linguistic à l'étranger). And Exeter it's a very pretty town expect the weather which wasn't very good, but it's not his fault. But now I'am very, very, very happy to come back home because I missed it.

Rose-Marie : One month in Exeter

The first week was very great because I met my host family and the other people of the group. I visited the town and the center. The second week, my family had a barbecue and I could see that the English people are very nice and friendly. I begin to find this travel fine and nice, also because I met 2 friends-really friends. The third week was a bit boring because there were always the same things to do. And the father's host family was a bit annoyed with his children, and he annoyed for very really little "problem"! And one time, he bawled me out because I take a shower at 8 p.m. and it was there that I asked me if the host families were really controlled (because my friends had strange families too). And all the group was a bit annoyed…¨
The last week was better because I knew that it was the last week and I made the most of my travel, I spoke very much with my host family (every time, but even more the last week).
I find the "excursions" were not really excursions! We were in another town but there were the same things to wee, and almost all the time it was a bit boring because the towns were quiet and desert. But sometimes it was fine… When we were in another city we stay in a place and we did nothing interesting.
The personal project!!!
I never understand why we must do this. Because 6 pages minimum about a subject which is not interesting is a bit difficult and boring. But my subject was interesting and I did 12 pages! I was really surprised! And glad!
I hope that I didn't make this project for nothing!
This travel was fine but perhaps 1 month it's too much time - maybe 3 weeks it's better… But it's just a supposition.

Samuel :

Exeter is a big town, whose the police supervice a lot of . It’s a town where is a lot of cameras. The p0eople are kind but there are a lot of drunk during the night. I saw people throw pizzas againt windows.
My hostfamily was superb with me. I was surprised of the food because it’s superb even it people say me that it was not good. I find that I have learned more in my home than at school.
It was a superb stay because I improved my English in England. I met Spanish students from another school (International School). What I did’t like about the excursions was that we speak in French between us. Otherwise it was interesting.

Sandra :

After one month in Exeter my English isn't better, because I often spoke French, and it was very difficult to speak with my host family because I have a lot of problem with my pronunciation.
My family was very nice, it was interesting to live with a English family and know the anglo-saxon cultur.
I had a good stay. I was enjoying to go on excursions and to visit Devon.

Tatiana :

I'am feeling pain thinking that it is my last day in Exeter. I have enjoyed this month spent in this nice city, and I will miss my host family as well, like my friends.
This stay has been an interesting experience. I have observed the way the English people live, they have different habits than we have in Switzerland.
My host family was always very nice, I laughed a lot with them. I hope that we will keep in touch.
I would have preferred more intensive English courses and I have not learned a lot more ot what I already know and the organisation was not very good, nevertheless I learned lots of things about English culture by my own experience and I had a lot of fun with my friends. Even if I still regret that we could not play golf or bowling.
I loved the excursions because the landscapes were beautiful. I think that England is a beautiful country.
I am felling pain thinking that it is my last day in Exeter. However I am looking forward to being back home, in aim to have some rest, because the programme was great and we did lots of activities and excursions!

Xavi :

I learn more English and discovered a new culture. My host family is very kind and they are very happy. The students of the school are very friendly and I can speak with them.
At the school I learn much but I learn more in my house with m host family.
I think my English is better now than before I came here. In my house I have one host brother, he is very friendly and funny. He comes from Switzerland. And I have two host sisters and they are very very funny and they come from Italy.
In conclusion I learn more English and I discovered new habits and made new friends.

Yasmina : One month in Exeter

I'm happy to go home. One month is quite long. When I think about it, all happened like in a "block". Of course I remember some places which were nice but all was about the same. I f I would look at the programme now, I wouldn't say: Oh I remember this day we went there, but all is a bit mix. My family was very nice, I eat very good, always various food. It's too bad that tere was so much swiss in our group, all the day we were speaking in French. During one day I was speaking one hour in English. It's not much English. If I had known it, I would be gone to a International School. Even if there are French speaking students, they are so many classes that maybe you aren't with them. I think it was a good experience: You learn how to integrate in the family and in the group. And you can see how the people "change". How they change their crowd. I liked the presentation about the national trust.
I think that we were well coached, if we had a problem we could speak about it.