Brighton in July

Don't expect any updates until 2 July. I'm travelling in Sweden and Germany until then, and after that my STS Brighton group of 2010 have a reunion. Perhaps you'll get a report from that! Then I start calling my Brighton 2012 students, because it's not long now before we leave. Hope you are as excited as I am :-)

/Emma

Alright, you're thinking of what to bring and what bags to pack in now, right?

What to bring you find in the the ABC book. Swedes can find the list here. Danes and some Finns will probably understand it. You also find a packing list in the ABC-book - here's the Finnish version (page 9) and the Italian (page 9). I hope you all got your ABC books. It's one of many important things to remember.

When you've put all the important stuff, and all you favourite clothes, eau de toilets and dictionaries in your bag there will hopefully still be room for souveniers, gifts, clothes and other things you'll bring back from Brighton. You need to prepare for this by not stuffing your bag to it's limits on your way to Brighton. Paying overweight on your way home is expensive.

Baggage rules are a bit different depending on what airline you're flying with, but they all have some things in common. You are allowed to check in one big bag/trunk/suitcase and bring one small bag on board with you. In the smaller bag, all liquids (like shampoo, sun block, lipstick etc.) must be in small bottles/tubes of 100 ml or less. All 100 ml containers have to be put in a 1 liter zip bag (you get them for free at the airport). If you carry larger bottles in your hand luggage they will force you to throw it away in the security check at the airport. It's OK to bring large bottles in you checked in luggage though, and then I usually put them in separate plastic bags, since it might leak due to changes in air pressure during the flight.

Differences between airlines:

British Airways: Check-in bag up to 23 kg, hand baggage can be up to 56 cm x 45 cm x 25 cm and you must be able to put it in the overhead locker yourself (so the weight depends on your personal strength :-) ) You may also bring an additional bag, in the size of a laptop or purse into the cabin. If you're flying with British Airways the flight no. on your mypage starts with BA.

SAS: Check- in bag up to 23 kg, hand baggage 55 cm x 40 cm x 23 cm with a max weight of 8 kg. No additional bags. If you're flying with SAS the flight no. on you mypage starts with SK.

If any of you readers fly with another airline, just write your flight no. in comments and I'll add the baggage rules for you.

/Emma

Tomorrow my Swedish students in Linköping have their last day in school before summer break. I'll work for another week and then it's only three weeks before I meet my new students - you! I know that many of you are looking very much forward to the trip and wish you were in Brighton already, and I can assure you that more STS leaders than myself are feeling very eager to start this adventure as well.

I will keep on updating this blog for one more week, and then I take a little break to visit Germany. So prepare for less or no updates between 20 June and 1 July. Then I start blogging again and as soon as I get info about who my students are, I'll contact you. You can check out your mypage in the beginning of July and if you leader's name is Emma Holmquist, it's me. Otherwise it's one of my colleagues and we'll all be at your service, but always turn to you own leader first. We're there to make this your greatest summer ever.

/Emma

There are several STS related groups and events on Facebook. STS from each country usually has a FB page, from where you can find your country's Brighton event or Brighton group. On the Swedish STS Facebook page anyone can ask questions to the Swedish STS office, but sometimes I, other leaders or former students help out when we know the answers. There are similar pages for other countries as well.

In these groups/events/pages there are usually people from the same country going different dates and even to different course towns if it's the main STS FB page. I thought STS students from any country going 14 July-3 August could gather in one group since you will actually be meeting each other in Brighton and maybe want to chat with future friends from other countries. We have students from Denmark, Finland and Sweden so far, but we want you to join as well if you have Facebook. Otherwise we'll meet in Brighton anyway.

Get to know future friends and classmates from different countries going to Brighton 14 July by clicking here!

/Emma

The size and weight of your luggage, and how to pack liquids, is regulated by the airline you're travelling with. How you pack your bags and when, is a totally different matter:

There are different ways to pack. Some plan ahead, others  pack their bags last minute. Let me introduce three made up travellers. Which of them are you most like and what can you learn from the others? Whatever your style is I recommend all of you to read your packing list in the ABC book in advance. If you're unsure of what you need to prepare in advance check it out here.

Planning Paula

Why do you write this blog post now? In June? I finished my packing months ago, right after booking my trip. Nothing forgotten, underwear ironed, all liquids in bottles over 100 ml in my check-in suitcase, and all liquids in smaller bottles nicely put in a zipped 1 lit plastic bag (all bottles secured with tape, so they won't leak). Of course everything's got its own place and to remember where everything is I've listed it both alphabetically (ABC book (hand luggage), after sun lotion (check-in luggage), bikini (check-in luggage)...) and on a map of each bag (from top left to bottom right). The bags are measured and weighted, so now I just wait for my host family info so I can write their address in my ABC book, and on my membership card and luggage tags. Then I'm ready to go!

Last Minute Lisa

Why do you write this now? It's like forever til we go. I bought new shoes yesterday, I might bring them, we'll see. I'll probably put everything I want to pack on my bed the night before leaving (I hope mum remembers to wash it all). Then I'll just put everything I need for the first days in my hand luggage. You know, passport, ABC book, phone, wallet and my first change of clothes, maybe a magazine for the bus trip between Heathrow and Brighton. The rest goes in the check-in bag. How hard can it be? Planning ahead, hello? When you can just chill! If I forget something I buy it in Brighton. And anyway there's a packlist in the ABC book, so I don't have to plan it all myself.

Shopping Charlotte

I've bought this really cool suitcase with a matching cabin bag. There's not much in it, of course - yet! I've planned to shop most of what I need in England. My sister went to Bournemouth two years ago and she bought loads of nice, cheap stuff, which appearantly wasn't as cheap when she had to pay for overweight luggage on the airport on her way home. So, now I'll show my silly sister how it should be done. :-P Some things I bring to England of course: my passport, VISA card, European Health Insurance Card, £100 in cash, phone, camera, some clothes for the first days, toiletries, insurance papers and my ABC-book. I hope that'll be enough - then I'll fill my bags on North Laine, Churchill Square and Oxford Street (and on Tesco for shampoo, antiperspirant and stuff like that). Yay!

Great! The month of the first STS departures is here. Even though my group don't travel until July it still feels a bit more "for real" when the earlier groups a getting properly prepared for their trips. I've even got my host family well in advance and I've heard that some of you have got yours as well. If you don't know yet, who your host family will be, don't worry. You should have got them two weeks before departure, so for some in my group it could actually be in the beginning of July.

There are a few common things students usually worries about before their first trip. One of them is how the host family will be. Other things could be if you'll get strange food, if it will be hard to make friends in the group or what happens if you get ill.

For now I will focus on host families, but I talk about other areas as well in later blog posts. There are almost always some suprises when you first see your English host family. What kind of suprises depends much on where you come from and what you're used to.

* Space - In Scandinavia we're used to bigger houses or apartments in general. House prices in England are higher than in Sweden for instance, so most familes can't afford the same luxury of space as many of us. Also take into account that the UK is half the size of Sweden, but with more than six times as many inhabitants. That means a Swede has twelve times more space per person!

* Bathrooms - you might not be used to carpets on the floor in your bathroom, but it's not uncommon in England. I've also experienced more bath tubs and fewer showers than in Sweden. In some homes you'll find two taps instead of one, one for hot water and one for cold. Don't be afraid to ask your host family how to use it. Sometimes they have a device that connects the two taps to one shower head

* Food - You easily take for granted that the food culture of your home country is "the right way to eat" and very alike what people eat in other countries. It can be quite different, though. Even though you'll probably get some vegatables, it might not be as central in English cooking as in Scandinavian. You might also get a breakfast with less fibers and more suger than you're used to. If you want to eat nutritious, you might see this as a problem, but then try to think about this as just three week of experiencing another food culture.

* Social interaction - How we talk to each other differs between families in our home countries, so you could of course experience differences between your own family and your English host family. If you're from a noisy family you might find a more quiet family a bit strange, or the other way around. Try to prepare yourself for anything and you will probably be suprised by how normal and friendly your hosts are, even though it maybe smells and sounds different than in your family.

As a conclusion, my best advice for all students is "try to be open for everything", be positive and look upon differences as something you can learn from and tell fun stories about to your friends when your back in your home country.

/Emma

I guess all of you have got access to your mypage by now. If you haven't got your user name and password yet, please contact your country office.

At mypage you can see when you fly from/back to your home country and with what airline. The first two letters in the flight number shows what airline you'll be flying with. I'm travelling with SAS from Gothenburg on flight SK523, and SK stands for Scandinavian Airlines. If your travelling with British Airways your flight number starts with "BA". You need to know this, first, because the bagage rules can differ slightly and second, because you need to register APIS on the the airline webpage before the trip. You have got info about this from STS, but I will also go through the details when we're closer to departure.

The most important piece of information on mypage is actually your own name. Check that STS spells your name exactly the same way as in your passport, or you might get trouble when passing customs.

You also get info about your leader. You'll meet your leader in Brighton at the latest, because sometimes students in the same group travel from different airports and the leader can only be on one of the planes. In that case you travel with another STS leader. The leader will get in touch with you before the trip and you will also get the leader's email. The phone number on mypage is usually for an English mobile phone. The leaders start using them in Brighton and then we'll be there for you day and, if needed, night as well.

Your host family's phone number/adress may already be visible on mypage or you'll get it at least 2 weeks before departure. If your curious search for your host family's address on Google Maps and maybe you get a glimps of their houses. I also recommend you to send an email/postcard or call your host family in advance. You tend to get a bit calmer when you know a bit more about whom you'll be visiting

If you have questions about anything, please comment here, call your country office or ask us on Facebook. Where here to help.

Link to mypage Sweden

Link to STS Sweden on Facebook, and the Brighton event
Link to STS Denmark on Facebook, and the Brighton group
Link to STS Finland on Facebook, and the Brighton event
Link to STS Norway on Facebook, and the Brighton event

/Emma

Can you do without it while in Brighton? That's very much up to you. Some students don't seem to miss it at all, while others bring their own laptops. Even though the latter is less common, I think some piece of advice could be useful.

Question 1: Should I bring my laptop?

Answer: It's all up to you (and your parents if you're underage). STS recommend you to leave your computer in your home country. If you decide to bring it anyway, I personally recommend you to contact your insurance company to investigate whether your insurance covers theft and damage. You need to have easy access to your laptop at the airport, since it needs to be scanned separately in the security check.

Question 2: Where do I find wi-fi?

Answer: You might get internet in you host family, but they don't have to let you use it, even if they have wi-fi. Ask nicely if you want to, but respect a 'no', since you're their guest. However, Brighton is full of wi-fi spots. In some places wi-fi is free, in others you get it when you buy a coffee.

Question 3: If I don't bring my laptop, could I still get internet access?

Answer: There are several internet cafés around Brighton. This is one of them. If you're in my class you will get a homework about finding the cheapest internet café (and other good-to-know-places) early on the trip. If you're not in my class you could still get the information if you're there at the same time, or why not investigate it with your group?

Don't forget that if you're in my group you will get the opportunity to blog here, since class blogging will be included in our lessons. If you have your own blog and want to write about and from Brighton, I'm happy to link to it from here. Just comment and give me your URL.

/Emma

"Ring Ring", the Swedish pop group ABBA sang back in the days (not in Brighton, though, where they won Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Waterloo" in 1974, while Grease actress Olivia Newton John (Sandy) ended up 4th)

So, quite obviously (?) this post will be about phones. Calling home with your regular mobile phone from abroad can be very expensive, so here are some questions for you, that may help you decide what's your best option.

Question 1: Who will you call the most?

Answer 1a: If your answer is mum or other people in your home country, you should check with your regular phone company if there are international price plans they can offer. This can save you money, but on the other hand...

Answer 1b: ...if you also hope you will make a lot of friends in Brighton, you might call them more. If you guys call with English SIM cards you will only pay a local rate and can forget about the expensive international price plan.

Answer 1c: If you miss a bus or for some other reason run late for a lesson, an activity or dinner at your host family's, you have to contact your leader/host family. Both have English SIM cards so in these cases it will be cheeper for you if you use an English SIM card as well. These calls tend to be more common than you might expect. Leaders and host families are supposed to be like stand-ins for you parents while you're abroad. We're always there for you.

Answer 1d: If you think you will call all above equally, there's a good idea to use an English SIM card with free international minutes. At Vodaphone you can top up your phone with £10, £20 or £30. You can make calls to leaders, host families and classmates for that amount and on top of that you get a bonus of 60, 100 or 240 minutes for free to your home country.

Question 2: How much will you call?

Answer 2: If you don't plan on calling home much you can get more minutes for less money to English phones. There are different price plan for different needs - some might prefer calling, others text (SMS) more. Your leader will help you get the right price plan if you ask him/her.

Question 3: Is your phone locked to a phone company in your home country?

Answer 3: If your phone is locked you can't use English SIM cards. Either you unlock your phone, which is perfectly legal, or you buy an international price plan from your regular phone company. You could, of course, buy an new phone for the English SIM card. There are phones for as little as £15, and your leader can help you find them in Brighton.

Whatever option you choose, remember that calling home a lot may get you more home sick. It might sound strange, but the sooner you focus on being in Brighton and not on missing friends and family back home, the more fun you'll probably have. Try to see you hosts, leaders and friends as your new temporary family and you'll have an awesome time in Brighton!

/Emma

On 14 July this blog will transform into a diary for all students in my STS International group. Whether you'll be in this group or not, we don't yet. I hope you all have got access to Mypage by now. There you'll find the name of your leader 1-2 weeks before departure.

If the leader is me you'll be a part of this blog in some way, if your leader is someone else you're welcome to contribute to the blog anyway. Just ask him/her you want to get in touch with me and I'll let you guest blog. The blog will hopefully be a nice collection of different experiences shared by many STS students - both something you can go back to and remember your Brighton stay, and also some guidance for future Brighton students.

Some things to keep in mind:

* According to Swedish law I must not publish faces and names of people who haven't agreed. Everybody in a picture has to agree before it's published.

* You don't have to reveal your full name or even real name when writing a blog post.

* If you've agreed on publishing a post with your photo or name in it, you may change your mind whenever you want to and I'll take your photo/name away.

* There are several internet cafés in Brighton, where you can write your blog post, but it's also possible just to write it on a piece of paper and give it to me. STS recommends students NOT to bring computers, because of the risk of theft.

* If you want to write your own Brighton blog during the trip, you may link it from here. Feel free to contact me if you've already started one. (I also link to blogs about STS language trips to other destinations this summer, if you're going elsewhere. Just email me at sts.emma(a)gmail.com)

/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

Going to Brighton with STS this summer? Great! I'm one of the Swedish leaders at the International course starting 14 July. Right now I'm preparing this blog to be a tool for teenagers and their parents curious about the adventures ahead, and as summer approaches I'll fill it with a lot of useful information.

Please, bear in mind that this blog is not an official STS publication. If you have specific questions about bookings, flights or host families turn to the STS office of your country.

Nevertheless, I'm happy to answer questions about language trips in general and Brighton in particular and I hope to see you in Brighton in July!

/Emma