My Life in Torquay - Yasmin, a Swiss Student in Torbay

Before I went to England I was quite excited because I really didn’t know what to expect. Now as I have been here for quite a long time I know that British people really are as friendly and polite as they are said to be. The word 'cheers' is quite a universal one and is not only used as in Swiss German we say 'proscht' whilst clinking wine glasses together as I have learned back home but also covering any meaning ranging from 'thank you' to 'goodbye'. And yes, the English really do drink a lot of tea. But now enough talk about the stereotypes (and I haven’t even started to talk about the weather ;-)) but more insight into my everyday life here in Torquay: I have been doing an internship since the beginning of January at the Riviera International Conference Centre in the Marketing and Sales Department. Here I do various creative tasks such as creating flyers, posters and vouchers and also helping to keep the website up to date, writing press releases or doing paperwork. I especially like that the work is very rich in variety. This week, for example, I will represent the Centre at a Tourism Exhibition.

I stay in a very nice and friendly host family and I think that it is the best way to experience another culture. I am convinced that my language skills have also improved because of the interesting conversations at the dinner table. I think it’s especially useful to learn another language as it is actually spoken – that’s what you can’t really learn at home.

I always look forward to the weekly students meetings; it’s a good way to get to know people from different countries – always a lot of fun! On the weekends we often go out together in Torquay’s various pubs and every now and then we end up in the night clubs as well. In the daytime we explore the towns nearby or go shopping. Sometimes we meet for a cup of tea. Yes. It’s nice to adapt to another culture...

Yasmin

Germans in the UK

Hi, we are Emma (16) and Lou (17) from Hamburg, Germany. A couple of months ago our teacher Birte Oggesen started talking to us about a work placement in the UK. We would go to Torquay for 2 weeks, work in different companies and stay with host families. We were very excited after we filled out the not too short application. We left on Sunday, February 23^rd and flew from Hamburg to London. After a couple hours of us hanging out at the airport, grabbing some food we got on the coach that would bring us to Torquay. After the long ride on a smelly bus we finally reached the Torquay coach station where our host families picked us up. On Monday morning we went to the Torbay Innovation Centre for the Welcome Meeting, where the TTPL staff gave us some information about our stay. On Tuesday we stated our work placement. Lou got placed at the Training Partnership in Torquay and Emma started working at Churston Farm Shop. From the first minute at TTPL Lou loved working there. The colleagues were all very nice and made her feel welcome the second she entered the office. But Emma wasn’t too sure if the cashier job was the right thing for her even though she really liked the staff there. She got replaced after one week at the Churston Farm Shop and joined Lou for the second week at the Training Partnership. We had many different jobs to do which were all very interesting. After one week Lou was even asked to answer phone calls which she really enjoyed. Emma was very happy with her placement and really liked the work. It was just like she expected – working in an office with friendly staff and interesting work to do. 

Lou

Emma