Digital designer Nina Cavell is a popular blogger in her native Germany, regularly posting about her travels and creative projects on her blog ‘Be Creative’. Following her recent Study Abroad trip to LSI New York, she was happy to share her thoughts about New York, New Yorkers and studying at LSI New York.
“Improving or maintaining my English skills and exploring a big city. These were my aims for my trip to New York City. This summer I decided to spend my German business holidays abroad. One week of studying English together with other students. New York is a perfect spot to do so. It has everything you need. You find restaurants at every corner; you have the possibility to go on many sightseeing tours, go shopping or spend your evenings in one of the many parks. And on top of that you can enjoy the most beautiful sunsets combined with the impressive skyline of the big apple.
But New York isn’t only a good choice because of all these attractions and the extraordinary vibe. It is also a good choice, because it is so multicultural. People from all over the world come here to work, to study and to just improve or find themselves. New Yorkers are open minded, helpful and yes – kind of crazy.
And so was my class. I studied at LSI New York, which is located in a modern skyscraper, just near by the WTC area. I was very surprised and satisfied by all the high-tech equipment the school offers. Every class room consisted had stunning glass walls and offered a TV and a White Board. Oh and the most important question: Yes, the school has WiFi in every room 😉 On my first day David, the school director, gave me a very friendly welcome in the school reception. The first day was to inform all new students about all the important stuff. Topics concerning health insurance, rules, we also got the timetable and did a placement test. The time flew past by so fast. Because I participated in the business class, I also had an afternoon class. There I first met my classmates. We were a small group with about 9 students. In the morning class the group was about 16 students. My teacher Michael Lopez was amazing. He was a real New Yorker and super kind. Besides learning many good language skills in his conversation class, he also told us some nice stories about the city and gave us some recommendations regarding bars, restaurants and Broadway musicals. He always wanted us to talk. To talk to each other, to talk in our free time, in the shops, to the staff or in restaurants to the waiters and waitresses. And I totally agree with him. It’s the best way to learn a language. Talk to native speakers, talk to people from other nations.
In this one week I got to know many lovely people from all over the world. We were a mixed group with people from Turkey, Argentina, Brasil, Georgia, Yemen, Italy, Columbia, China, Japan, Korea and myself from Germany. It is so fascinating that no one can understand the other language but in English we talked a lot. We went for lunch, laughed and had such a great time. I really love getting to know new cultures. This trip was such a nice experience. I truly can recommend this city and this school. I felt always welcomed and safe.
It’s true: Travelling is the only thing you can buy, that makes you richer. “
Catch up with Nina on her blog Be Creative