EF Stories: Alexandre and Teresa from Portugal at EF Perth

Alexandre Pereira, 21

The lessons weren't like the ones we're used to in Portugal, they were more interactive and participative. The aim was to learn to speak, not just to learn to write. The teachers were all friendly and taught well. As for the accommodation, I stayed in the residence and I really liked it because I met and socialised with a lot of people from different nationalities. It was in a great location because it was in the centre and very close to the school. As for activities, we went kayaking on the river, which was really fun, and the school also organised nights out and visits to the city.

It was definitely a good experience. Being on the other side of the world, I'd never had the chance to go there and so I was able to spend some time there, get to know the city and improve my English at the same time.

Teresa Lima, 21

The school was new and the teachers were really good. The lessons were a lot of fun, we were always talking and practising English. The teachers made us feel free to ask questions and participate. It's a learning method that we're not used to here in Portugal. Because in Portugal there is a distance between teachers and students and that wasn't the case there.

As for the accommodation, I really liked it. I stayed with a host family 20 minutes by public transport from the school. The house was great, the lady treated us very well and didn't control us, she always put us at ease. It was like being at home.

The activities were great and it was much better to do them with EF than on our own because there was so much to see, they organised everything and explained everything, and also because we always went with lots of people from different nationalities and countries. You meet new people, new customs and new cultures. I went for three months and I'd like to repeat the experience because we not only learnt English we also ended up growing as people too.