Cactus Opinion: London (by Katie Bann)

Posted by Sarah under Cactus Languages Abroad, Cactus Staff Opinion, English, Language Courses UK

How to use the London Underground: useful English phrases to learn before venturing underground, by Katie Bann of Language Courses UK (these phrases are real)
• Mind the Gap
“Please mind the gap when leaving the train. If you’re not leaving the train, there’s no need to mind the gap. It’s all right, you’re safe.”
• Stand clear of the [...]

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Cactus Opinion: London (by Peter Rodway)

Posted by Sarah under Cactus Languages Abroad, Cactus Staff Opinion, English, Language Courses UK

‘London After Midnight - An Ode to Camden Town’, by Peter Rodway of Cactus Language Training
The front man of the rock group strides onto the stage through the lasers and smoke.
An image most of us have seen few times except this particular front man was nearly seven foot tall and had a double bass strapped [...]

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Cactus Opinion: London (by Germaine Broadbent)

Posted by Sarah under Cactus Languages Abroad, Cactus Staff Opinion, English, Language Courses UK

Germaine Broadbent, Director of Sales, gives us her thoughts on London
London, steeped in history with a Queen whose family have lived there since the 1600s. Although it is often the West End, Soho, pubs, clubs, shops and traffic that hit the senses hard, possibly it is the contrasts of this city that draw in the [...]

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Tags: covent garden, english, london, soho, trafalgar square, west end

Cactus Opinion: Spanish in Pamplona

Posted by Sarah under Cactus Languages Abroad, Cactus Staff Opinion, Learning a language, Spanish

Senior Language Holiday Advisor Elvira Rodriguez tells us about her fam trip to Pamplona, Spain (April 08) 
 
Hemingway fell in love with Pamplona and wrote a few novels based on this proud and ancient capital of Navarra, especially its world-renowned festival of San Fermin (the running of the bulls). Beautiful novels came out of his experience under the titles of  [...]

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Tags: language learning, navarra, pamplona, pintxos, running of the bulls, spain, spanish, wine tasting

Cactus Opinion: TEFL in Vietnam

Posted by Sarah under Cactus Staff Opinion, Cactus TEFL

Laura Harrison, from Cactus TEFL, gives us her impressions on Vietnam
 
My first official ‘FAM’ trip for Cactus TEFL was, it’s fair to say, a good one.
I was told in autumn last year that I would have the opportunity to go to Vietnam, which gave me plenty of time to read up on this unknown and faraway land. [...]

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Tags: asia, cactus tefl, ho chi minh, teaching english, tefl, vietnam

Cactus Opinion: Spanish & Surfing course in Jaco Beach

Posted by Sarah under Cactus Languages Abroad, Cactus Staff Opinion, Learning a language, Spanish

Language Holiday Advisor Alex Wolfson reports on his Spanish & Surfing course in Jaco, Costa Rica (Feb 08)

Ever since I heard that Cactus worked with a school which offered a Spanish and Surfing course with the Spanish lessons on flexitime, to guarantee the surf classes took place at the optimum level of time, I wanted to take [...]

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Tags: costa rica, language course, language holiday, spanish, surfing

Cactus Opinion: French & Surfing course in Biarritz

Posted by Sarah under Cactus Staff Opinion

Alex Wolfson, Language Travel Advisor for Cactus Language, tells us about his French & Surfing course in Biarritz (Oct 07)

Biarritz is a strange clash of cultures. On the one hand you have the sophistication of the “Atlantic Riviera” and the area around Grand Plage is packed with grand hotels, expensive fashionable boutiques with gourmet food [...]

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Tags: biarritz, france, french, language course, surfing

Cactus Opinion: Portuguese course in Lisbon

Posted by Sarah under Cactus Staff Opinion

Stephanie Bon, Language Travel Advisor for Cactus Language, tells us about her Portuguese Course in Lisbon (Oct 07)

When I decided to take a Portuguese course, I was hesitating between going back to Brazil, which I already know and love, and going to discover Portugal. Brazil was more tempting for obvious reasons but in the end [...]

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Tags: language course, portugal, portuguese

Cactus Opinion: A Taste of German in Berlin

Posted by Sarah under Cactus Staff Opinion

Alex Wolfson, Language Travel Advisor for Cactus Language, gives us his thoughts on the language school and city of Berlin, Germany (Feb 07)
 
If you want to take a language holiday in a vibrant, buzzing city and you are interested in the 20th century, Berlin is for you.
Where do you start with such an important city? [...]

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Tags: berlin, german, german course, germany

Cactus Opinion: A Taste of English in Ireland

Posted by Sarah under Cactus Staff Opinion

Stephanie Bon, Language Travel Advisor for Cactus Language, tells us about her visit to our English language schools in Ireland: Galway, Dublin & Cork (Feb 07)

Before I visited Ireland earlier this year, my idea of it was very stereotypical: I thought it was going to be grey and rainy, with unfriendly people speaking to me [...]

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Tags: cork, dublin, english, english course, galway, ireland