“Travelling to England and France was the most amazing trip I’ve ever had. Not just because of the places themselves, but also because of the different cultures I could have contact with. When I left Brazil I was a little bit worried about how British people would treat us, because I’ve always thought they were serious, formal and cold people and the first British person I talked to, the border officer, almost confirmed my opinion, but after that all the British people I met treated me so well that I miss all that hospitality until now. The school stuff, the host family I stayed with, the shops attendents , even the people in streets, they treated me really well and it made me feel at home, wherever I was.
The places were so beautiful that every time I saw a monument we see only on tv or in books, my eyes got full of tears. I could breathe history there, every place I saw I remembered a period of history and it was really incredible.
Before the trip I was afraid of not getting to talk to anyone there and in the begining I felt a bit shy and insecure, but when I realised I could understand and be undetstood, I felt it was worth studying English all those years I’d spent doing it.
The most interesting part of the trip was the different cultures I could see. I could talk to people from many different countries, Saudi Arabia, Korea, Japan, Turkey, Taiwan, Peru and Colombia. In big cities like London and Paris we saw many people from different countries too. The course was really nice and it was very similar to the ones we do here. To finish, I would love to have this experience again. With the same group, in the same school and staying with the same host family. There are some times that I feel very nostalgic about it, and start to imagine how it would be spending more time there. Everyone should have the opportunity to go to these places at least once in their lives. It’s a really wonderful experience. If you have the chance, just go and you’ll be able too understand what I’m talking about.”

Amanda Reis – professora no Excel Curso de Inglês e Espanhol

“A experiência de viver na realidade tudo aquilo que aprendi enquanto aluna e venho ensinando enquanto professora deste curso foi algo indescritível. Ver ao vivo lugares antes observados e admirados através dos livros, conhecer pessoalmente os nativos dos quais estudamos esterótipos (algumas vezes equivocados!) e viver a cultura a qual tentamos compreender e contrastar com a nossa, foram algumas dessas vivências. E tudo foi muito mais especial por estar preparada para esta experiência, não só com o conhecimento da língua inglesa, mas com o conhecimento prévio (teórico) de como a vida é na Inglaterra. Descobri que durantes os últimos 20 anos, os quais estive no Excel, estava aprendendo muito mais que um idioma, mas sobre a vida. Todos os textos e artigos culturais aos quais temos acesso através dos nossos livros, informações sobre estilo de vida, multiculturalismo, tudo nos prepara para vivermos da forma mais completa essa experiência. E o inglês é essencial, claro! A liberdade que sentimos ao atravessar o planeta e ainda assim podermos nos comunicar é algo insubstituível… Recomendo essa experiência a todos, e espero, de verdade, viver novamente essa emoção!”

Virgínia Bastos - professora no Excel Curso de Inglês e Espanhol