What inspired you to go abroad?
I wanted to learn English and have a change in my life and in my mind, so I think that was the best way to do it!
Lion's Head caves
Why did you choose Kurus English?
Because I was looking for a place that wasn’t too expensive, and when I started to search and I found amazing pictures and videos about Cape Town. I actually realized that it is cheaper than other countries, so I started to search an agency and found out about Kurus. It really called my attention because it is a small language school with small classes, and that it was that I was looking for.
What was your favorite part about South Africa?
Definitely the mountains and the beaches.
Girl standing on mountain with view of Cape Town below
What made your experience abroad unique?
I think everything made my experience unique because I felt that I had to go there in that moment of my life to know all of those amazing people that I got to meet and to have all of these nice experiences with them because I traveled alone. I have never experienced something like this before.
How did local staff support you throughout your program?
People there were really kind to me. It was obvious that they were comfortable with tourists so they are always open to help which was so wonderful.
What's one thing you wish you would have done differently?
I wish I had enjoyed my first days more and that I went out more, because when I arrived there I felt like a child sometimes. Because I didn’t have good English I sometimes decided to stay at home and that is not a good solution. Now I realize that once I started to go out more and make more friends, I started to improve my English skills a lot.
Describe a typical day in the life of your program.
I used to get up around 7:00 a.m. and get myself ready and have my breakfast. I left the house about 8:30 a.m. because my class started at 9:00 a.m.. In the beginning, I would take the bus and then I walked about 10 minutes, but then I decided to buy a bicycle to get around. On bike, it took me about 14 minutes to arrive at the school, which I loved it!
Muizenberg, South Africa
Then we had our first class. This class was about grammar and finished at 10:45 a.m.. We then had a break for 15 minutes. At 11:00 a.m. we would go back into the classrooms to have our skills class which lasted until 12:45 p.m.. After that I always had lunch with the people that I was getting to know every day.
What did you enjoy doing in your free time?
If the day was sunny I always was at the beach or at the mountains. Sometimes only to spend time with the people that I met in a coffee, in a park or in a restaurant was nice plan as well. I learned a lot of different things about culture and countries with them.
What was your accommodation like? What did you like best about it?
My host family was amazing. They are Muslim and I didn’t know anything about their religion and culture, but it was not a problem. My host mother explained to me a lot of things about it, and that was really nice. She helped me a lot with my English and my doubts. I had my own room that was spacious and comfortable.
I was lucky because there was a washing machine in the house which was nice because I was there quite a long time. I really enjoyed the food because my host mother cooked delicious meals and everything that she made was new for me, and I love new things!
What is one thing every participant should know before participating in your program?
On the top of Lion's Head
The only thing that you should know is that if you make the decision to go abroad, you have to let go of all of your fears, take risks, and be open minded to everything that you are learning. And then you will see amazing results.
Now that you're home, how has your program abroad impacted your life?
This experience has impacted my life in a lot of amazing ways. Even though I returned to the same house with the same people and in the same city, I see everything in a different way with a good perspective. I feel like another person but better. I learned a lot of things about myself and I really enjoyed that. Another positive thing is that before I traveled there, I had no idea what I wanted to study or do with my life. And now I have a lot plans for my future and that make me so happy.
Would you recommend Kurus English to others? Why?
Of course! I think an experience like this should be something everybody experiences at least once in their life. Cape Town is an amazing place to live and to learn English. It is not too expensive compared with other countries, and it has a lot of amazing landscapes and people. I am so thankful for my time with Kurus English school. They were such a nice people—the teachers and the manager were so kind and helpful with everyone. I am really lucky to have meet them and I miss all of them a lot.
