Brighton in July

As you probably have read on the STS homepage or in the catalogue already, you all will go on at least one excusion to London. Those of you who have ordered Explorer Pass will go to London twice and you might wonder about the difference between the included trip and the Explorer Pass trip.



The included trip is more of a sightseeing trip, when we'll try to show you as many interesting places in London as possible. London is a huge city so we won't show you everything, but among the popular sights are Queen Elisabeth II's home Buckingham Palace (seen above), Trafalgar Square with the more than 50 meter tall Lord Nelson Monument, Picadilly Circus, Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. You'll get an sense of the fantastic London atmosphere, but the day will be intense, especially since London is hosting the Olympics this summer. As you might understand, there will be hard to squeeze in much shopping, if any. If we're lucky we'll have time to buy some souvenirs, before we return to Brighton, tired and happy.



The Explorer Pass students do not all love shopping. Those who do, will just love to spend hours at Oxford Street (left picture) or Camden Market, but if you prefer other kinds of experiences perhaps Madame Tussaud's with wax copies of celebrities like Justin Bieber, Britney Spears or Robert Pattinson is more tempting. It's also possible to visit museums (many are for free), London Eye or perhaps Covent Garden with it's street performers. What we'll do on this excursion, we plan together in Brighton and everybody doesn't have to do the same things.

The days in London passes quickly, and you will perhaps get a feeling of not having had enough time to experience everything you had wished for. This feeling is likely to come back everytime you leave London for the rest of your life. Exploring London is a neverending story - and hopefully you'll get the chance to return many times.

/Emma

Most of the Swedish students have got their ABC books by now and also some important information about how to prepare for the trip. Since I will take care of Swedish students only until we arrive in Brighton, I will blog about preparations mainly from a Swedish perspective.

After reading several student blogs I've noticed that many of you are very happy to have received the ABC book and I remember the feeling from when I was an STS student myself. I read it through over and over and imagined how it would be to experience it all in reality. Reality was actually far better, but keep on reading. It's not only fun, but also important to read the ABC book.

Among pack lists, questions and answers and information about your destination you also find THE RULES. These rules exists for the sake of your safety and your parents will actually have to sign and send in an agreement that they've read and accept these rules. Basically, it's about you not leaving the course town without a leader, not drinking alcohol, hitchhiking, smoking or taking drugs. Nothing strange really, but make sure both you and your parents read them through and sign the Parental Agreement (Målsmans Godkännande). Then print it out and send it to STS! You find it among other Brighton documents here.

Rules might sound boring, but as long as everybody stick to them we will not talk much about it. We're in Brighton to have fun and improve our English, right!

/Emma

Hi there,

Now I'm back after Easter break. I saw a film the other day, mostly filmed in the neighbour town Eastbourne but also in Brighton. If you wanna check out the trailer, have a look here -> YOUTUBE (at 1:08 you get a glimps of Brighton Pier)

In Swedish it's called "Bekännelser om killar, kyssar och katter", but whatever your nationality is my advice from now on is that you watch films in English, including English subtitles. A fun and efficient way to improve your skills. If you prefer reading, the film is based on a book:

/Emma

Clock Tower                  Brighton Station                        Royal Pavillion
(Queens Rd, south end)(Queens Rd, north end)            (Old Steine/North St)


Brighton Pier (Madeira Drive)                      Preston Park (Preston Road)

The landmarks above are places where we'll meet for different activities on the language trip. You don't need to know these in advance, but if you're curious you can prepare yourself by learning how to find them before going there. We will show you these landmarks and more, when we're in Brighton, so this is more of a teaser.

Try to find the landmarks on this map, by dragging the yellow "street view" pedestrian from the upper left corner and drop him/her on the streets within parenteses and try to find your way. Why not have a walk between the landmarks and see more of the city. If you don't find the streets just google the street name above the map.

/Emma

(Image: Private)

When studying International instead of Classic you force yourself to use English more, since your classmates, most likely, will be unfamiliar with your mothertounge. It's challenging, of course, since it's not only about trying to make yourself understood. It's also about trying to understand someone who's learned English in another part of the world and maybe speaks with a different accent. Maybe you're curious about what nationalities you might come across in Brighton and among those going the same dates as we are (14 July - 3 Aug), are students from Sweden, Denmark, Finland, France and China. You will probably run into people from other countries as well, since Brighton is a very popular destination for people who wants to study English.

Even those of you taking the STS Classic course will meet students from all around the world. At acitivities like the STS discos, try to make friends with people from other countries. Mostly, because they are probably wonderful people, but also because it will improve your English more than you might think.

If you want to have a sneak peak on people from Sweden, Denmark and Finland going to Brighton with STS this summer, there are Facebook groups or events where they gather before and after the trip. Just follow these links and feel free to join if your going to Brighton with us:

Brighton students from Sweden
Brighton students from Denmark
Brighton students from Finland

/Emma

A fine, old, English tradition is to have tea in the afternoon. Might seem like a tradition for old people, but I bet you will find it quite pleasant sitting in a nice tea room having tea and warm scones with clotted cream and jam - an experience quite different from Starbucks or Costa, even though they're great in their ways. Some places in Brighton where you can try this are The Tea Cosy, C&H (coffeshop inside), Cream Tea Brighton and The Gallery Café. Don't miss it!

/Emma