Which country to visit?

[N4D13]

Hi! I'm looking into English courses in summer - if you've read any of my previous messages, I'm pretty sure you know why I need them. :p I've looked into several possible destinations and the most interesting ones were Australia (Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane), New Zealand (Auckland) and Canada (Toronto or Vancouver).

Australia and New Zealand look like really nice places to visit, but travelling there might be a pain in the @$$. It's not just expensive (plane tickets cost no less than 1600 euro), but I'd also have to spend around forty hours in airports or planes, which isn't really nice either. Anyway, for some reason, these countries are the ones I fancy the most, so, please, tell me - are they really worth visiting*? Which city would you choose?

* I know there's a lot of Australians on this forum. Please don't jump at me! I'm sure Australia (and also New Zealand) are absolutely worth visiting - I'd just love to hear why. ;)

[Rollo]

If you're a traveller, depending how long you have, New Zealand is a better place to take a holiday in. Both Australia and New Zealand are broadly similar but NZ is a lot lot smaller. Australia is vast and unwieldy with vast distances to get anywhere.

[N4D13]

If you're a traveller, depending how long you have, New Zealand is a better place to take a holiday in. Both Australia and New Zealand are broadly similar but NZ is a lot lot smaller. Australia is vast and unwieldy with vast distances to get anywhere.
Thanks for that! I'll try to keep it in mind. :)

[Mark]

I'd say your written English is better than a lot of native speakers I've seen here and elsewhere!

[pino]

New Zealand on top of my list too followed by Japan :D

ps: and how is my English Mark ? :p

[odykas]

I'd be tempted to go down under :)

[Mark]

ps: and how is my English Mark ? :p

'orrible :p

[schmenke]

... Australia is vast and unwieldy with vast distances to get anywhere.

Similar to Canada, although with more agreeable weather :p : .

Stay away from Toronto. Big ugly city :s

Vancouver is nice although it would be easier to learn Mandarin there :mark: .

Montreal would be my choice :up: .

[Gregor-y]

I'd say Montreal and Quebec City; I need to visit up there myself. Plus everyone will be driving on the right side of the road.

[janvanvurpa]

Vancouver. It is in a wonderful location, nature bursts out of the Northern side of the metro area:
http://members.shaw.ca/bcrider1/2001_00_NorthVan_Lions.jpg

NZ has beautiful nature too but not a bus ride from downtown.

OZ you would mainly learn some of the 75 or more words for what most spend therir time doing when they quaffed too many frosty flaggons of the local ale
barf – bark at the ants – blow chunks – blow groceries – bob – boke it – boot – boot and rally – bow down before the porcelain god – bow down to the porcelain god – bow to the porcelain queen – burl – cack – call dinosaurs – call Earl – call for Huey – call for O'Rourke – call Huey down the big white telephone – call Ralph on the big white phone – call Ralph on the big white telephone – call Ralph on the porcelain phone – call the whales – call Uncle Ralph on the big porcelain telephone – call up some dinosaurs – chuck – chuck (one's) cookies – chunder – cry Ruth – de-food – dial the porcelain phone – do the Technicolor yawn – drive the porcelain bus – dry heave – earl – fail a fortitude save – feed the fish – fergle – gack – gag – gragg – heave – Hendrix – honk – honk Smurfs – horf – hork – hughie – hug the porcelain goddess – hug the throne – hug the toilet – hurl – kak – kiss ralph – laugh at the ground – laugh at the toilet – launch lunch – liquid laugh – lose (one's) lunch – multicolor yawn – paint the walls – pash the porcelain princess – pray to Dionysus – pray to porcelain gods – pray to the great ceramic idol – pray to the porcelain god – pray to the porcelain gods – psychedelic yawn – puke – ralph – readjust fluids – retch – see (one's) lunch again – sell the Buick – shomit – shout for Hughie – speak Dutch – spew – tactical chunder – talk to Ralph on the big white telephone – Technicolor yawn – throw up – toilet hanging drunk – toss a sidewalk pizza – toss cookies – toss (one's) cookies – uneat – un-swallow – upchuck – url – urp – vurp – whistle beef – woof (one's) cookies – worship the ivory idol – worship the porcelain god – worship the porcelain goddess – yack – yarf – yark – yawn in Technicolor – yodel groceries – york


Australian English Glossary from A to Zed (http://www.uta.fi/FAST/US1/REF/aust-eng.html)

So if you want to have a good time go to OZ, but after you're drunk as a skunk and collapsed face down in a pool of spew, you might not learn a lot of useful English.

Now Vancouver (and my city Seattle just 220km South into the best part of America) are amazingly situated and offer everything from the sea to the Northern most rainforests in the world to alpine areas and glaciers to prairie in just a few hours drive. I have been from sea level and 25*C and sunny to in a snow storm and 5m visibility just 25 minutes drive later.

[N4D13]

Thanks a lot for your opinions! It seems there are many amazing places which I'll have to visit some day. Montreal is one I'd definitely love going to - being a F1 fan, there's a rather obvious reason for that. ;)

However, I can't find any agencies which offer English courses in either Montreal or Quebec. Anyway, they might be cheaper alternatives than going to Oz/New Zealand, and they wouldn't require me to spend so many hours on a plane (or what's worse, waiting in an airport for hours), so I'll look into these. :)

[janvanvurpa]

Thanks a lot for your opinions! It seems there are many amazing places which I'll have to visit some day. Montreal is one I'd definitely love going to - being a F1 fan, there's a rather obvious reason for that. ;)

However, I can't find any agencies which offer English courses in either Montreal or Quebec. Anyway, they might be cheaper alternatives than going to Oz/New Zealand, and they wouldn't require me to spend so many hours on a plane (or what's worse, waiting in an airport for hours), so I'll look into these. :)

Look into prices from London to Vancouver. And if you're in an airport, use that as uno opportunidad para practicar. Look for very pretty girls and act extra timid. Carry some crazy phrase book and just open it to any random page where it says maybe "¿Ustedes venden botas vaqueras de piel de cocodrilo?" and read it out while smiling. If they don't understand, flip the pages to a new random place and maybe read: Creo que he roto la caja de cambios porque no se puede seleccionar la 6 ª marcha, ¿se puede reparar?.. The important things is to pay attention to if they smile and are curious, or if they act afraid and stupid.
If the find it funny then ask for help---and the rest is up to you. 8)
But I assure you, that is the best advice on learning a language---get engaged in situation where you MUST speak.

It worked for me!

[Dominguez]

I would visit New Zealand for sure. The perfect timing would be a month ago in order to get an invitation to the set of 'The Hobbit'. But I'll visit this country anyway cause it has beautiful nature. And I would obviously visit England. I'm looking forward to meet the Doctor! :D

[ioan]

I'd say New Zealand.

[Tomi]

ps: and how is my English Mark ? :p

Not Mark but it used to be better paisa, Australia and Japan on my list of places I would like to visit.

[Steve Boyd]

However, I can't find any agencies which offer English courses in either Montreal or Quebec. Anyway, they might be cheaper alternatives than going to Oz/New Zealand, and they wouldn't require me to spend so many hours on a plane (or what's worse, waiting in an airport for hours), so I'll look into these. :)
The Canadian province of Quebec has French as its first language so I would have thought the cities of Montreal and Quebec are the last places in Canada to go to learn English, though they are probably excellent locations to learn French!

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[EuroTroll]

However, I can't find any agencies which offer English courses in either Montreal or Quebec. Anyway, they might be cheaper alternatives than going to Oz/New Zealand, and they wouldn't require me to spend so many hours on a plane (or what's worse, waiting in an airport for hours), so I'll look into these. :)

:idea:

Isn't there a country right here in Europe where people speak a bit of English? I forget its name, but I've heard it's green and pleasant. ;) :p :

[N4D13]

:idea:

Isn't there a country right here in Europe where people speak a bit of English? I forget its name, but I've heard it's green and pleasant. ;) :p :
I'm sure there is, but, unfortunately, it doesn't tickle my fancy as much as going somewhere completely new. ;) Yes, improving my English is one of the main reasons for travelling abroad, but, after all, there are more reasons to travel than learning English... and if I have to choose a place (which I do), it turns out that Australia and New Zealand look magnificient to me. So that's why they are my primary choices. :)

[Koz]

Hi! I'm looking into English courses in summer - if you've read any of my previous messages, I'm pretty sure you know why I need them. :p I've looked into several possible destinations and the most interesting ones were Australia (Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane), New Zealand (Auckland) and Canada (Toronto or Vancouver).

Australia and New Zealand look like really nice places to visit, but travelling there might be a pain in the @$$.

Bad time for NZ now. Winter is coming, so all you'll be doing is getting wet.
Good time would be October to Feb.

Auckland is pretty boring, I can't think of much to do or see around there. It depends on what you want to see, how much time you will spend there etc. The further south you go the more there is to see and do.

As far as 40 hours of travelling... Why don't you have a stop over in Singapore or Thailand etc. for a few days on your way to Aus/NZ??

[N4D13]

Bad time for NZ now. Winter is coming, so all you'll be doing is getting wet.
Good time would be October to Feb.

Auckland is pretty boring, I can't think of much to do or see around there. It depends on what you want to see, how much time you will spend there etc. The further south you go the more there is to see and do.

As far as 40 hours of travelling... Why don't you have a stop over in Singapore or Thailand etc. for a few days on your way to Aus/NZ??
I was thinking about going there during September, as my next terms starts by then, so I wouldn't have to catch up much in my studies. Missing October or No avember would be a bigger problem, as it would mean missing three or four weeks of class, which isn't good at all, specially considering that I'll be doing an internship by then. I was thinking about travelling to Auckland for the first three weeks of September. I'm supposed to be doing an English course for at least three weeks - otherwise,the Spanish government wouldn't give me a scholarship, which I'll definitely need if I'm going there.

If Auckland is such a boring place, then I'll have to look for something else, just in case. However, I understand that New Zealand is a beautiful country to visit, so even if there's not much to do, I'm sure that I'll still be able to have a great time. ;)

Oh, and thanks a lot for your opinion!

[janvanvurpa]

If Auckland is such a boring place, !


According to the locals, there are sheep........

[Koz]

If Auckland is such a boring place, then I'll have to look for something else, just in case. However, I understand that New Zealand is a beautiful country to visit, so even if there's not much to do, I'm sure that I'll still be able to have a great time. ;)

Oh, and thanks a lot for your opinion!

Can you do a course outside Auckland?
Is Palmerston North an option? It's more depressing than Auckland (to live in) but being a university town at the centre of the country means there is way more do see and do thereabouts.

Maybe I missed it, but how long do you intend to be on this study-holiday?

[Koz]

According to the locals, there are sheep........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMe-AP1wHeA

[Humber]

You don't state what types of things you like to do.
Auckland - accommodation is a bit stretched at the moment due to migration within New Zealand due to the Christchurch Earthquakes and other reasons.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqomsIuYSG0

I would suggest options in Australia - Gold Coast - (you might end up in a class with Russian 'mail' order brides), #1 Brisbane, or Perth. (Probably more to do in Queensland than Western Australia) - Barrier Reef visits, Super Car team workshops, etc) Sydney and Melbourne can be cooler in September.

Is Florida, USA - an option ? Miami or St Petersburg -

[N4D13]

You don't state what types of things you like to do.
Auckland - accommodation is a bit stretched at the moment due to migration within New Zealand due to the Christchurch Earthquakes and other reasons.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqomsIuYSG0

I would suggest options in Australia - Gold Coast - (you might end up in a class with Russian 'mail' order brides), #1 Brisbane, or Perth. (Probably more to do in Queensland than Western Australia) - Barrier Reef visits, Super Car team workshops, etc) Sydney and Melbourne can be cooler in September.

Is Florida, USA - an option ? Miami or St Petersburg -
Thanks for your interest - but I guess that I'll be staying with a local family. I'll be doing an English course, and most schools offer students the possibility to live with local families. It might not be the cheapest option, but it's certainly a great choice if I want to improve my English! ;)

Anyway, Australia looks like a great destination as well, so I'm not really sure. But from what I've heard, if I were to take a course in the US, I'd need a student visa, and the procedures for getting that aren't quite simple. In fact, I believe that I'd need to go to Madrid, but it turns out that I live in the Canary Islands, so it's not that the US Embassy is right next to my place.

[Gregor-y]

One small additional note in favor of Canada (and the US, though I understand it's not so easy) is that we all drive on the right side of the road and you're less likely to get hit at the crosswalks. ;)

[Roamy]

I'd say your written English is better than a lot of native speakers I've seen here and elsewhere!

Certainly better than mine !!

[Roamy]

Vancouver has about 3 months of decent weather. But even then it can be quite cool in the night. During the 3 months Vancouver is spectacular. Montreal is also a pretty city and much fun during race week. Many of us have visions of visiting New Zealand. I am into fly fishing and New Zealand is one of the premier places.

[driveace]

One of the worst things about OZ is the fact that the disatances between towns can be at least an hours travelling We are just back from our 4th OZ trip to my daughters in Warwick,nearest town is Stanthorpe,over 60 k away and Toowoomba 100k ,Brisbane 140k,and the speed limit on most roads is 60MPH (100k),AND I have NEVER seen as many road works in my life !!!

[janvanvurpa]

One of the worst things about OZ is the fact that the disatances between towns can be at least an hours travelling We are just back from our 4th OZ trip to my daughters in Warwick,nearest town is Stanthorpe,over 60 k away and Toowoomba 100k ,Brisbane 140k,and the speed limit on most roads is 60MPH (100k),AND I have NEVER seen as many road works in my life !!!


And as many of my OZ mates over the years have said "Andf its all the same crap from one end to the other: dust and those big fat flies"
160km in the Vancouver area--or here in Seattle gets you from an archipelago in the sound, thru rain forests, to urban to Alpine mountains and snow to prairie or steppe....
It is the most compact area I know for changes in terrain, climate, everything and another 60-70 to that and you'll be into high desert.
Well in miles any way..

[Gregor-y]

I'm envious of that. Chicago is in the middle of everything but close to nothing. Only the scale and beauty of city itself makes living here worthwhile.

[schmenke]

One of the worst things about OZ is the fact that the disatances between towns can be at least an hours travelling ...

Not too dissimilar from around here.

A 90 minute drive due north of Calgary, along a divided highway at 110kph will get you to the closest town of significance, Red Deer, population ~30,000.

Continue north along the same highway (named the Queen Elizabeth II highway for some reason :mark: ) for another 90 minutes and you arrive at the closest metropolis, Edmonton, pop. > 1M.

I can’t see a reason for making the trek to either place tbh :p : .

Vancouver, as mentioned, is a nice place, but that’s about a 9 hour drive from Calgary… in good weather.

To drive to visit Firstgear in Winnipeg, I’d have to pack an overnight bag. Alternatively I could take a two hour flight.

To visit my sister in Montreal is a ~4 hour flight.

To put things in perspective, the province of Alberta is nearly 3 times the size of Great Britain :mark: .

By all means visit our fine country, but bring a compass and a comfortable pair of shoes :p : .

[Gregor-y]

And radar detectors are illegal up there, right?

[schmenke]

Depends on the province (each enacts its own traffic legislation).

In Alberta radar detectors are permitted.
In Quebec, for example, they are illegal.

U k is best :)