Student Info
Here at Combination, we’ve come up with a few pointers to help you to get the most out of your Language Immersion Experience.
BEFORE
Make email contact with the foreign student who has been assigned as your penpal for this trip. Click on the flag below to see an example of what you could send as your first email. It’s a good idea to write as much as you can in the foreign language so that you can practise your language skills but it’s also fine to put some of it in English;
Querida María,¡Hola! Me llamo Lucy y soy tu corresponsal. Vivo en Worthing y tengo una gran familia – 2 hermanas y un hermano. Se llaman Amelia, Jessica y Jack. ¿Tienes hermanos? Voy al colegio, ‘Davison’ y me gusta mucho. Mis asignaturas favoritas son las matemáticas, el francés, y el español. ¿Te gusta tu colegio?
Hi! I’m called Lucy and I am your penpal. I live in Worthing and I have a big family – 2 sisters and a brother. They are called Amelia, Jessica and Jack. Do you have any brothers and sisters? I go to Davison High School and I really like it. My favourite subjects are Maths, French and Spanish. Do you like your school?
Tengo muchas ganas de ir a España el mes que viene y Jaén me parece muy bonito. ¿Te gusta vivir allí? ¿Que se puede hacer en la region?
I’m really excited to go to Spain next month and Jaén looks really pretty. Do you like living there? What can you do in the area?
Escríbeme pronto,
Lucy :)
Write back soon,
Lucy :)
Chère Maria,
Salut! Je m’appelle Lucy et je suis ta correspondante.J’habite à Worthing et j’ai une grande famille – deux sœurs et un frère. Ils s’appellent Amelia, Jessica et Jack. Tu as des frères ou des sœurs ? Je vais au collège, Davison et je l’aime beaucoup. Mes matières préférées sont les maths, le français et l’espagnol. Tu aimes l’école?
Hi! I’m called Lucy and I am your penpal. I live in Worthing and I have a big family – 2 sisters and a brother. They are called Amelia, Jessica and Jack. Do you have any brothers and sisters? I go to Davison High School and I really like it. My favourite subjects are Maths, French and Spanish. Do you like your school?
J’attends avec impatience aller en France et Le Touquet a l’air très joli. Tu aimes y habiter? Qu’est-ce qu’on peut faire dans la région ?Écris-moi vite,
Lucy :)
I’m really excited to go to France next month and Le Touquet looks really pretty. Do you like living there? What can you do in the area?Write back soon,
Lucy :)
María,
Hi! Ich heiβe Lucy und ich bin deine Brieffreundin. Ich wohne in Worthing und ich habe eine groβe Familie – 2 Schwestern und einen Bruder. Sie heiβen Amelia, Jessica und Jack. Hast du Geschwister? Ich besuche Davison Hochschule und die Schule gefällt mir sehr gern. Meine Lieblingsfächer sind Mathe, Französisch und Spanisch. Magst du deine Schule
María,
Hi! I’m called Lucy and I’m your penpal. I live in Worthing and I have a big family – 2 sisters and a brother. They are called Amelia, Jessica and Jack. Do you have brothers and sisters? I go to Davison High School and I really like it. My favourite subjects are Maths, French and Spanish. Do you like your school?
Ich freue mich sehr darauf, nächsten Monat nach Deutschland zu fahren und Berlin sieht sehr schön aus. Wohnst du da gern? Was kann man in der Gegend machen?
I am really excited to go to Germany next month and Berlin looks really great. Do you like living there? What can you do there?
Schreib bald bitte!
Lucy
Write back soon!
Lucy
Brush up on your key phrases. See our list below and also look in your exercise book from school, online or ask your teacher.
What to pack? It’s important to think carefully about what you are going to need while you are away and to make sure that you don’t over pack.
Most airlines allow you 10kg of hand baggage and 20kg of hold luggage. At some point during your trip you are going to have to carry your own case (possibly up stairs in a hotel) so make sure that you can comfortably carry your own luggage.
If you are sharing a bedroom with friends, why not arrange to bring some things that you can share like one hairdryer for the room instead of three or four – this will cut down on the weight in your case.
Here is a general list of suggestions but it depends on the weather where you are going!
• Check out the weather where you are going. Click here for Jaén, Berlin, Le Touquet and Worthing weather.
• Lightweight waterproof coat
• Umbrella
• Shorts / Summer skirts
• T-shirts
• Summer tops
• Jumpers
• Trousers
• Pyjamas
• Comfortable shoes
• Trainers
• Wash bag including tooth brush and cosmetics
• Swimming costume / trunks
• Swimming Towel (optional as your host family can lend you one)
• Pens
• Scissors (NOT in hand luggage!)
• Glue
• Colouring pencils/pens
• A small water bottle to carry with you
• Suntan lotion (when the sun comes out it can be strong and we will be outside quite a lot)
• Sunglasses
• Any medication that you need
• Adaptor for electrical appliances
• PASSPORT!
• Document from the Guardia Civil allowing you to travel without your parents (students from Spain, France and Germany)
• Money – you do not need very much but it is a good idea to change your money into local currency before you travel. £50 - £100 for presents or souvenirs is plenty
• A small gift for your host family or penpal
• Photos of where you live and your family to show your host family or penpal
You are free to bring the following items but you are responsible for their safety.
Combination Languages cannot be held responsible if they are lost or broken.
• Camera
• IPod
• Mobile phone (remember your charger and adaptor but be aware that calls and texts will be very expensive while abroad and it will cost you to receive calls as well).
Please remember that you are not allowed any liquids over 100ml in your hand luggage or any sharp objects such as scissors or knives.
No students are allowed to purchase or consume cigarettes, alcohol or illegal substances.
DURING
It’s true that you get more out of an experience the more you put into it. It’s normal to feel shy when meeting new people, especially when you are talking to them in a foreign language. However, the only way to start feeling more confident is to make an effort and start practising. You language does not need to be perfect, you simply need to communicate your message, so have a go – you’ll soon find out that making mistakes in a language can be fun and that it’s the best way to learn.
Use the phrases below to start with and make conversation out of anything...! Use your basic phrases such as ‘Do you like?’, ‘Do you have?’ and create a topic to chat about – you only have a few days to make friends so don’t let the opportunity pass you by! You never know, you might make a friend for life!
Make a note of all the new words and phrases that you pick up during your time away as this will help you to remember them!
It’s also important to be observant – look around you, read the road signs, shop window signs and notice the similarities and differences between your country and the place you are visiting. Keep your eyes and ears open and ask questions – it’s just as much fun to jump into the culture as it is to jump into the language!
AFTER
Now that your back from your trip look through all the new words and phrases that you wrote down and learnt during your time away. Try to use them in your language work at school and in pieces of homework. It is only by using a language that you begin to really remember what everything means! Research has proven that to learn something, you need to see it at least 5 times, so don’t be frustrated if it feels like you’ve forgotten it, to deeply learn anything takes time.
Keep in contact with the foreign students that you met during your trip. Email, facebook, whats App, Snap Chat etc are all ways to help you to keep in touch and to remember and practise your language skills.
Get involved with the host school visit! If your school are planning to host the foreign school’s visit into your school try to see if you could welcome one of the students into your house – it could even be one of the people that you met on your trip! Even if this isn’t possible, you can always apply to be a Junior Euro Rep and help to look after the foreign pupils visiting your school while also taking part in some great activities.