The Life at EF Santa Barbara

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By Diane de Molinari (Belgium)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/a7iyvhfkjm4ia9o/EF%20Santa%20Barbara.mp4?dl=0

 

 

My video about the life at EF Santa Barbara

I made a video about the life here, at EF Santa Barbara, to show you, future EF students or parents, how SB is a real paradise.

I have been here for 3 weeks and I am leaving this beautiful place on Saturday, to go to Miami for one month more.

I think one month is the perfect duration to stay here. As you can see in my video, you can do a lot of things here and you never get bored.

I stayed in the residence and I can tell you that the environment there is very good. Everything is very organized and always clean. I have a lot of friends who are in host families, like you saw in my video, and I think that it is very different than the residence, but that is also good for your learning and to discover the Californian culture.

During the weekends, and sometimes in the week, there are different activities. You can do activities with or without EF. Personally, I went to Camarillo, which is a big outlet with a lot of brands, and I also went Jet Skiing. It was very beautiful and so fun to do it. There are a lot of different aquatic animals in Santa Barbara!

The meals at the residence’s restaurant are always very different and delicious, both breakfasts and dinners.

In the residence like in host families there are some rules like that you have to be in your room at 10pm but it is not really boring because you do so much things during the day so you are very tired in the evening that you want to sleep!

The EF teachers are very cool. It is not like your teacher at your school, there are so cool here and sometimes they just ask you what you want to do, like more grammar or more vocabulary and they understand you so that is really great.

I think that to go away from your family and friends for 2 months is a beautiful experience which teaches you a lot of things. This is the kind of experience which grows you up and which teaches you to be independent.

So if you are hesitating to book a trip with EF, just do it, you will not regret it.

Diane de Molinari, in Santa Barbara since the 30th July until the 26th August 2017.

Utrecht: my hometown

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Evie de Graaff, the Netherlands

It was 50 years before the Common Era (BCE) when the Romans decided to build a fort called Traiectum. This was the moment the city Utrecht was born. Now, more than 2017 years later Utrecht is one of the famous cities in whole Europe. And I am so glad the Romans build that fort because otherwise I would never have grown up in such a great and beautiful city.

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History of Utrecht

Around 50 years BCE the Romans built the fort Traiectum. They built this fort as a border for the Roman Empire. Around 270 years CE the Romans abandoned the city. After that, several nations where located in Utrecht. Around 1122 the city got their official documents and Utrecht was officially born. In the 16th and the 17th century, Utrecht was important for the art development. A few famous painters are Jan van Scorol, Cornelis van Poelenburch and Jan Both. In the 17th century the famous University of Utrecht was created. Today more than 30,152 (2014) are joining this fantastic university. According to Shanghai Jiaotong University’s university ranking in 2014 it is the 57th best university in the world.

Geography of Utrecht

Utrecht is located in center of the Netherlands. Utrecht is the capitol and most popular city from the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is the fourth largest city in the Netherlands with a population of 338,949 and counting. Utrecht is famous for her old history, her beautiful channels, the dom tower and of course Miffy. It’s the city where I live. The city Utrecht is a part of the ‘Randstad’ which is part is of the area with the most important cities where most of the money is generated.

The most important train station of the Netherlands is located in Utrecht: Utrecht Central station, because it is located so central, every train to almost every location depart from the train station of Utrecht.

The city of Utrecht is divided into 10 city quarters:

  1. City center
  2. East
  3. Leidsche rijn
  4. West
  5. Overvecht
  6. South
  7. North- East
  8. South – West
  9. North- West
  10. Vleuten- de Meern

Sightseeing

Utrecht is a very popular city for tourists. Most of the tourists are coming from Japan, China, Germany, Spain and the U.S. There are beautiful places where you can discover the beauty of Utrecht. Here is a list from the most famous highlights of Utrecht:

  • The Dom tower: The Dom tower is the symbol for the city of Utrecht. The tower is 112,5 meter tall and has a beautiful history.
  • Oude gracht: The Oude gracht is the most famous street in Utrecht. It is located in the center of Utrecht with beautiful channels and bridges. This is also the biggest shopping street in Utrecht.
  • Botanic Garden: The Botanic Garden is located next to the main building of the University of Utrecht. Is has beautiful unique flowers, plants and my absolute favorite, the butterflies.
  • Tivoli Vredenburg: Tivoli Vredenburg is a very famous music building in Utrecht. A lot of famous artists and bands have played here.
  • Soccer team FC Utrecht stadium: This is the stadium of the national soccer team of Utrech: FC Utrecht. There is capacity for 23.750 spectators.
  • Gerrit Rietveld museum: This museum shows the art of famous designer and architect.
  • Nijntje museum (Miffy Museum): I believe Miffy is the most famous creature of Utrecht. The little bunny is a creation of painter Dick Bruna who has lived all his live in Utrecht. Especially the tourists from Japan and China love Miffy.
  • Aboriginal Art museum : Located at the Oude gracht this museum has a small exhibit of Australian Aboriginal Art.
  • Railroad museum : This museum shows the history of the Dutch railroads.

 

 

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Oude gracht

 

 

The Dom Tower

The Dom tower of Utrecht is the tallest church tower in the Netherlands. The tower is 112,5 meter tall. The Gothic-style tower is the symbol of the city. The tower was part of the Cathedral of Saint Martin of Utrecht, also known as the Dom church. The tower was built between 1321 and 1328. However the cathedral was never finished because there was not enough money. Unfortunately a part of the cathedral was collapsed in a heavy storm in 1674. From that moment the tower became a free standing tower. It is very popular to climb the tower and enjoy the beautiful sight of the city.  If you want to do this you have to be able to climb 465 stairs, but I can tell you that it’s totally worth it.

In 2015, the 102th edition of the Tour de France started in Utrecht. The first game of the teams was in the center of Utrecht. All the members of the teams biked next to the dom tower, it was so much fun!

 

Tour de France in Utrecht

 

Miffy

Miffy (in Dutch: Nijntje) is a female little bunny in a famous series of books for children created by Dick Bruna. Miffy was created in 1955 by Dick Bruna after he told his son bedtime stories. What I find so special and funny is because the drawings of Miffy are so easy but it tells so much. When I was a little child I had a stuffed animal from Miffy and it was really a part of my childhood. Bruna has made more than 124 stories about Miffy. The books of Miffy are translated in more than 50 languages, and over 85 million books have been sold all over the world. Dick Bruna has won many awards for his creations about Miffy. In 2005 Miffy celebrated her 50th birthday. In 2006 the museum about Miffy was opened, called the Dick Bruna House or ‘Het Nijntje museum’. It’s located in the center of Utrecht.

Dick Bruna

Unfortunately on the 16th of February this year Dick Bruna passed away at the beautiful age of 89, but I know for sure Miffy will always be popular.

 

Famous people in Utrecht

Because Utrecht is a very popular city in the Netherlands with a lot of great opportunities it is almost logic that there are famous people who live in this amazing city ;). Also in the past, a lot of great and important people lived in Utecht. Hopefully, in a couple of years I will also be on this list!

  • Pope Adrian VI (1459–1523) – head of the Catholic Church
  • Louis Andriessen (1939) – composer
  • Marco van Basten (1964) – football player
  • Dick Bruna (1927-2017) – writer, illustrator (Miffy)
  • H.D. Buys Ballot (1817–1890) – meteorologist
  • Theo van Doesburg (1883–1931) – painter, artist (De Stijl movement)
  • Paul Fentener van Vlissingen (1941–2006) – businessman and philanthropist
  • Anton Geesink (1934–2010) – judoka, first non-Japanese worldchampion Judo
  • Gerrit Rietveld (1888–1964) – designer, architect (De Stijl movement)
  • Dafne Schippers (1992) – sprinter/heptathlon Olympian

 

 

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Dafne Schippers 

 

Fun fact: The King of The Netherlands, Willem- Alexander der Nederlander was born in Utrecht in 1967 in the same hospital I was born!

 

ARE YOU READY TO LET A TRIP CHANGE YOU?

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Lucia Tartagni, Italy

lucia1

 

Can travelling alone make us happy and free? 

Can a woman travel alone?

 

We try to find out!

 

I am a woman and I love to travel alone. I will try to show you my experience.

There are a lot of positive aspects when you travel alone, but don’t forget the negative ones and the preparations that will take a lot of time:

  • Before departure remember to complete all the documents required by the country you are visiting;
  • Prepare in advance a list of emergency contacts: police, hospital, fire fighters…
  • Because you are alone you can’t share your ideas, how you feel, your mood with other friends;lucia3
  • Take a paper map with you every time ;
  • Every day you have to plan your trip, the place you want to visit or where you want to sleep;
  • Last but not least, especially for a woman, don’t turn into dark places in the evening and don’t be provocative with someone you don’t know.

 

Don’t be afraid! After finishing these small and simple steps, you will look forward to starting your trip. Try to have faith in experiences! You will be filled with adrenaline to the point of not being able to sit still a minute.

 

lucia2I think that everything I have listed will become positive aspects of all my trips to introduce me to the best view in the culture of the various countries. In a solo trip you don’t have any commitments, distractions. You are alone and you must listen to yourself. There are only your own requirements that take you to capture the happiness of being with yourself. Every fear builds a path of growth and change. To do this you will need to face your fears and difficulties. You must not be afraid of the changes and challenges that you encounter, but only with your personal power will you find ways to overcome them.

“If you don’t allow the trip to change you a bit, you might as well stay at home”    (Nicolas Bouvier)

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You are alone, you can do what you want, you can go and sleep where you want, you can change plans as often as you want. You will take a trip with  people as well as within yourself. You must respect their culture, you will go into their home. Every person and every culture you meet will teach you something.

 

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So what are you waiting for?

Are you ready to dive 360 degrees in the culture of a country?

Are you ready to change your way of thinking and dealing with what happens to you?

 

Embark! Try it but don’t go back at the first difficulty, that’s where the road to happiness begins!

Travel alone video

 

Visit Lucerne

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Corinne Steinmann, Switzerland

Have you maybe heard about the town in Switzerland called Lucerne? If not, it’s not a problem; because I’ll give you a short insight and then I am sure you won’t forget it.

Lucerne is one of the 26 cantons in Switzerland, and the city with the same name Lucerne is the principal town of this canton. Lucerne is situated almost in the middle of Switzerland and about 83,700 habitants live there.

 

The most famous thing to visit in Lucerne is the bridge called “Kappelbruecke” with the “watertower” in the middle which connects the old town with the new town. The river between them is named Reuss.

Another historical monument is the Lion-memorial. It is a rock relief designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen. It commemorates the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution when revolutionaries stormed the Tuileries Palace in Paris.

Furthermore, if you like classical music, you should go to the KKL (culture and congress center) which is a multi-functional building with a concert hall that is esteemed for its high-profile acoustics. At the biggest concert hall there is space for about 1900 people. The main characteristic of the KKL-building is the boldly projecting cantilevered roof that seems to float over the construction.

Maybe you feel like going on a hike? The Pilatus is a massive mountain overlooking Lucerne in central Switzerland. The top can be reached with the  Pilatus Railway, the world’s steepest cogwheel railway, or with the aerial panorama gondolas and aerial  cableways. The Pilatus is composed of several peaks, of which the highest measures 2,128 m (6,982ft.). There are also a few restaurants to drink and eat something while enjoying the breathtaking view.

One big event in Lucerne that takes place every year in February is named Carnival. This event happens before the fasting period begins. For six days people go crazy, they dress up harebrained clothes and most of them drink a lot of beer or other alcoholic drinks. There are different musical bands which play songs on their instruments. The most fun thing to do is that you choose a dress or maybe you stitch it on your own with your friends. Every year you try to find a new, original idea. Sometimes it is connected to a current topic in the news.

Get to know the Dutch

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Anouk Slijkerman, the Netherlands.

Get to know the Dutch

Cheese, tulips and riding bicycles. This is what most people think of when they think about The Netherlands, but there is so much more to know about this small country with almost 17 million inhabitants. It’s a very successful country with a lot of history. The Netherlands has a lot of traditions most people never heard of and food that you can’t buy in any other country. Such as drop, stroopwafels and poffertjes.

Netherlands or Holland?
To begin with, I would like to tell the difference between the Netherlands and Holland. Most people are very confused by this. Sometimes when I say, I’m from the Netherlands people don’t immediately know what that is, but when I say Holland, almost everyone knows about the small country. So to explain this difference, we have to look at some history. The netherlands as we know nowadays came into existence after napoleon in 1830. The kingdom also included Belgium and Luxemburg. Later, Belgium and Luxemburg became independent countries. Nowadays, the Netherlands has 12 provinces. Groningen, Friesland, Drenthe, Overijssel, Flevoland, Gelderland, Utrecht, North-Holland, South-Holland, Zealand, North Brabant and Limburg. hollandSo, Holland is basically North-Holland and South-Holland combined. Holland was famous during the Dutch golden age, the 17th century, because of their many ships who tried to establish the trading routes. The Netherlands didn’t exist back then, so the sailors referred to their city state, South-Holland and North-Holland. So, Holland refer to the Netherlands as a synonym, but this is not true.  

Sinterklaas
Sinterklaas is a Dutch tradition for small children. Not every citizen likes this tradition, some people consider it as racist tradition because of ‘Zwarte Piet’.

The history of Sinterklaas starts in Turkey. Sint-Nicolaas (original name of Sinterklaas) was the bishop of Myra, a town in Turkey. Because of all the good deeds Nicolaas did, such as giving money to the poor, people professed him as a Saint. A lot of legends started to follow about this man and all his good deeds. So Sinterklaas is originally a Catholic tradition. Sinterklaas hassinterklaas helpers called Zwarte Piet. People aren’t sure where Zwarte Piet originally came from but there is a suggestion. People say that Sinterklaas  helped them from escaping slavery, and as an reward they kept helping Sinterklaas. Nowadays, Sinterklaas gives children presents on December 5th. Every year, he arrives in a big boat with his helpers in Holland. Mostly on November 11th. Children put their shoe under the fire place, and every once a week Zwarte Piet comes through the chimnpepernoteney to deliver a present in the shoe of the kid. Some people suggest that this is why Zwarte Piet is black. During Sinterklaas we eat pepernoten. Pepernoten stand for the money that Sinterklaas gave to the poor. They are small cookies made with dutch cookie species and a lot of sugar.

Koningsdag
King Day, or Koningsdag how the Dutch call it. This is a day where we celebrate the birthday of the King. Kingsday originally started as ‘prinsessendag’, princess day, which was the celebration of the birthday of princess Wilhelmina. This was on August 31th 1890. 5 Years later, when her daughter Juliana became queen, princess day became Queens Day and was hold on April 30th, the birthday of queen Juliana. Queen Juliana her daughter, who became queen in 1980 decided to keep Queensday on Juliana her birthday in honor to her mother. When King Willem-Alexander, the current king and son of Beatrix became king in 2013, he decided to change it to Kingsday and moved it to april 27th, his birthday.koningsdag.jpg

On Kingsday, most schools, stores and businesses are closed in The Netherlands, so everyone can celebrate the birthday of the king. In the morning, streets are covered with orange decoration and there’s a flea market on every street where people can sell their used stuff. People also play Dutch traditional games. One of the game is Koekhappen, Koekhappen is a game where people have to catch cake dangling from a string in their mouths. In the afternoon, there are big parties in every city and there are a lot of festival with famous DJ’s such as Martin Garrix and Armin van Buuren.

 

Dutch food
So this were 2 of the Dutch Holidays. Sinterklaas and Koningsdag. But what about the food? There are a lot of typical Dutch dishes. During winter the Dutch love to eat hot, home prepared meals for dinner. One of them is ‘hutspot’ (which can be roughly translated as “shaken pot”). The main ingredients are carrots, boiled and mashed potatoes and onions.  All the ingredients are mashed together and it’s mostly served with ‘rookworst’. Rookworst is a smoked sausage.hutspot

 

There are also Dutch sweets and cookies. Stroopwafel is the most popular kind of cookie in the county. Stroopwafel are two waffles glued together with caramel. The waffles get hard but the caramel stays soft. You can buy different types of them. You can buy fresh made ones on the market, but you can also buy them in the supermarket. You can even buy them at Publix, but these are way more expensive than the ones you can buy in the Dutch supermarket.stroopwafel

So I hope you learned a lot moreabout this small country. Are you planning on visiting this country? Come during koningsdag or Sinterklaas. And are you hungry? Go to a restaurant and ask for Hutspot with Rookworst. Maybe you can explain to a Dutch local what the difference is between Holland and the Netherlands. Because there are even people in the country self, who don’t know the difference. The next time you hear a person say, I’m from the Holland. You can ask them, North or South Holland. If they say an other part. Correct them and say no, you mean the Netherlands.

Why you should visit Ystad.

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If you go as south as you can in Sweden, then you will reach one of the most beautiful cities in the country; Ystad. I was incredibly lucky to have the chance of growing up here in this wonderful city, and I can’t help to miss it wherever I might go. There is everything you can imagine, from beautiful white beaches to large green forests.

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Ystad is not a big city with its 30.000 inhabitants, but it is in the summertime the city truly flourishes. Tourists from all over the world come here to see its beautiful beaches and the rich culture it provides. A well-known establishment is Ystad Saltsjöbad, which is a hotel and spa located on the beach. The idea of the hotel originated in 1896 and the main building was built in 1927. The hotel has been awarded a lot of times, including “Best Luxury Hotel Spa” in 2015. On the most beautiful coast of Skåne you will find Ystad, and just by the beach you will find Ystads Saltsjöbad – a hotel-, spa- and a conference building that has existed for 117 years. Our main goal is to fill your experience with added value and hopefully to meet your expectations. A hotel, close to Malmö, Copenhagen and Österlen, full with experiences that makes your staying exciting and gives the word spa and conference a new meaning.

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The city dates back to the 11th century and the town is known for becoming a busy ferry port and for its attraction to tourists. Ystad is also famous for its old houses that are well preserved thanks to the Preservation of Antiquities Association. Some of the most well-known old buildings in Ystad includes Brahehuset (The House of Brahe), Anglahuset (The Angel House) and Siriushuset (The House of Sirius). Both Brahehuset and Anglahuset are apartments today, while Siriushuset is home to Ystads Freemason Organisation. It so happens to be that I live in the former mentioned house.

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It’s home for the popular fictional character Kurt Wallander written by Henning Mankell, which has been made into several movies and tv-series. For those who live here, the fact that you can see your house or someplace you regularly visit is surreal, but very cool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyG6WFtVJms

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Ystad is genuinely an incredible town, both for its inhabitants and for its tourists. It really brings a feeling of home and warmth, and I bet that you will love it.

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Amanda Örnebring

Interview with Juliette Asselin

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By Luara Garcia, Brazil

  1. What is your name and where are you from? My name’s Juliette Asselin, I’m from Saint-Lambert, Quebec, Canada.
  2. How old are you? I’m 16 years old.
  3. Tell me one typical food of your country: Poutine, which is fried cheese with sauce.
  4. Do you play any sport? No, I don’t play any sport.
  5. Do like watching series? Which on do you like most? Yes, I like The Hundred pretty much; it has a lot of action.
  6. If you could travel to anywhere in the world, where would you go? I’d go to Japan, because is the opposite from where I live (food, life style, etc.).
  7. Why did you choose “Media and Journalism” as your SPIN class? Because it was the funniest one.
  8. Have you ever fall in love? How many times? Just once.
  9. How many languages do you speak? Which? Just 2, French and English.
  10. What do you like most in the United States that you don’t have in your country? Why? I like the beach. Because I like swimming in the ocean, is different from the pool, and I like being under the sun.

 

Interview about Miriam

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Miriam

by Catherine Sodar – Belgium

Miriam is 25 years old and she comes from Barcelona, Spain. She is a tourism agent but she is also studying communication to become a travel journalist. She wants to travel a lot and to see different countries and cultures. She is an open minded person and for her, English is an important skill to communicate with other people, to travel and to work because it’s a good opportunity to meet new people and cultures.

She will stay here for 3 weeks only, because she has to return to work in Spain. First, she worried about the safety in America because everyone can have a gun, but now she isn’t afraid anymore because Santa Barbara is a really safe and it doesn’t seem very dangerous. She is very happy to be here because the American people are very friendly and helpful.

While she is here, her aims are to improve her English for her job, but her life goals are to become a travel  journalist for a magazine. Money isn’t that important because she just want to do something what she loves and that is traveling. She would like to go to Japan and Thailand because they have completely different types of cultures. Her dream is to swim with dolphins but she doesn’t really want to do it if it would contribute to the imprisonment of them.

Before she came to America she went to a few different countries in Europe :

  • France; She lived there for 7 months.
  • Italy : Miriam really like this country.
  • England
  • Tunis
  • United States : for holidays.
  • Brazil
  • Belgium ; to study at the English Academy in Spa for 3 months.

She told me that when I come to her country and especially to her city, Barcelona, I have to visit absolutely the Gaudi Park and also see all the Gaudi architecture. She appreciates  walking in the little streets of Barcelona where are many bars, cafes and little shops. I think it could be wonderful to get lost in her city. I have heard a lot of great things about Barcelona.

She went to Liege six years ago to go to the English Academy and it’s the city where I live in Belgium. There she also learnt a lot of English. She’s now an independent tourist guide but she is studying communication : marketing, languages and journalism.