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