Preparação linguística e cultural para o estágio em Londres Versão para impressão

As you may know, a number of students from the 11th and 12th vocational classes have had the exciting opportunity to travel abroad and use their skills in a new and unfamiliar context. Of this cohort, 16 students (studying everything from fashion photography to IT) were lucky enough to get internships in London- a city which has been my home for 10 years and which is very close to my heart. As a ‘native’, I was excited to be given the chance to give these students some insider information on the city, its people and its language. Working our way through a ‘London Survival Guide’, we discussed important topics such as travel, budget and safety and—equally importantly—what to see, where to go, and how to have fun (despite the guide’s name, the students did not learn how to build a shelter from leaves or start a campfire by rubbing sticks together). Other activities included a ‘pub’ style quiz, roleplaying and even an initiation into the ‘delights’ of British food! As I found when I arrived here in Portugal, speaking with and understanding natives is always difficult; the classroom and the street are very different environments.

 

 

In order to familiarise the students with authentic English I therefore tried to speak my mother tongue as much as possible – the more difficult the language, the better!
I hope nobody was too confused, though… It was a pleasure to run this course and I hope the students have found it both fun and useful.
However, it was just a taster of the internship itself. Immersion is the best way to learn about a place and its language, and I’m sure that the city itself will be an excellent teacher for the students.
I wish them all the best in their endeavours. I am also slightly jealous of them, for they will have all the excitement of falling in love with the city (something I believe is impossible to resist) for the first time.

Henry Pyke