2 weeks in Brooklyn and BSL – by Elisabeth Hechler, Germany

“Congratulations! You won the ‘Trip Poker’ prize draw!”

That is how my New York adventure started. Two weeks in New York including flights, a language course at BSL and accommodation in a host family – all for free! Unbelievable!

The first prize drawing of my life and then the top prize! When I had calmed down and stopped running and bouncing around in my flat cheering with joy I called my family and friends who couldn’t believe it either.

That was back in February and I finally took off in September – from Munich via Frankfurt to New York JFK. Although a little bit tired I was very excited and curious to meet my host mother and see the accommodation. I took the subway and a New Yorker kindly carried my suitcase up the stairs – I must have looked as if I’d collapse from exhaustion. My first impression was definitely very positive! When I arrived at my new home for the following two weeks I was welcomed by my lovely host mummy Sharon. She showed me around the house and the neighbourhood. Many families live here in Park Slope and there are many little shops (second hand, antiques and accessories), bars and restaurants. Prospect Park is also nearby.

After a restless first night (due to jet lag!) I took the subway to the school. It didn’t take longer than half an hour door to door. I was given a very friendly welcome at the school but the view from the window beat everything! The view from the 34th floor over Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan is just amazing. ‘Wow’, all new arrivals were struck with awe. After calming down we introduced ourselves. Chatting to each other in English seemed so much easier here than at home.

After a written and oral level test we were assigned to our classes. The level of English varied a lot among the students but there was a suitable class for everyone. During the break in the morning people gather in the kitchen for coffee and it is easy to start a conversation with students from other classes. People from France, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Argentina, Netherlands, Japan, Germany – it is a motley mixture of nationalities and everyone laughs a lot. The school is small and has a family-run atmosphere. Richard, the school director, knows every student by name and the team is always helpful with questions regarding the school, accommodation or New York in general. We also had a lot of fun with the teachers during the lessons. Unfortunately, my English was a bit rusty since I had only needed it on a few occasions at work. It was therefore very beneficial that our teacher Gabi – who proclaims herself to be a grammar Nazi – jumpstarted my English again.

There were several activities after school such as excursions to Brooklyn Bridge, a visit to a museum, and a Broadway tour as well as a Broadway musical. I went out a lot with my classmates. We went together to MOMA, to Lady Liberty and Ellis Island, to the Top of the Rock, Central Park, Times Square, and the cinema. And of course, the girls went shopping together. Also at night you didn’t have to be on your own if you didn’t want to be. We went out to eat in Chinatown and had an Octoberfest beer at a bar in Brooklyn (sorry, I am from Munich and Bavarian beer is just the best in the world).

My time in New York went by incredibly fast, although I felt at the same time as if I had been there for months. The daily commute to the school and back home felt familiar very quickly and I was even able to help tourists find their way through the subway labyrinth. Two weeks in New York, however, were also very exhausting. You really need a break in Central Park to escape all the noise and hustle and bustle.

On my last evening I went to Brooklyn Bridge Park to take a final look at the skyline of Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridge by night. We were all wistful when we said our good byes on the last day at school.

I had a fabulous time in New York. Many thanks to everyone!

I find my lessons very interesting. The teacher is very good and explains very well. She uses the projector a lot and this is very helpful for me. I think I really improved my English. The program is also very organized and the staff always takes care of us.

Elena Bussolari, Italy, July 2016

Sherry, my host mom, cooks very well. All the family is very nice and they integrate us into the conversations. I feel like at my home.

Rosalie, France, July 2016

A good school in a very beautiful position in Brooklyn. I liked it so much! Also my host family was very nice with me, and available to answer all my questions.

Riccardo Di Molfetta, Italy, July 2016

Emily is the best, and she cooks very well!

Giulia PiaFaraone, Italy, July 2016

I like the places we visit! Albert is a fantastic leader! The best experience!

Thor Renner, Denmark, July 2016

I really like the school and the people here. There was a lot of fun!

Kiara Monja Heidi Horig, Germany, July 2016

Amanda’s lessons are very fun and interesting, I learnt a lot of new words.

Maja Talarek, Poland, July 2016

The general atmosphere in the house is very nice and the family is always available!

Gaia Guglielmo, Italy, July 2016

I am very happy and satisfied about the school!

Julien Rubio, France, July 2016

The program was awesome: the lessons had a good balance between speaking, grammar and listening, our activity leader Albert was amazing and my family was typically American which was great.

Mateo Raguenault, France, July 2015

My students and I had a great time in Brooklyn. Our host families really integrated us in their daily lives and the activity program went really smoothly. Our leader Albert was fantastic, always ready to help and very knowledgeable about New York. And the commute to school by subway was no problem at all. Thank you to everyone at BSL for making our stay a very successful one.

Eas-Vele group, Spain, July 2015

I had a great time in New York, the program was really well organised. I enjoyed the classes and activities, and my host family was just perfect too!

Alysse Bayon, France, July 2015

My host family was very kind, during and after dinner we talked a lot and the house was very clean.

Joyly Stevens, Belgium, July 2014

The classes were very interesting, I think I have progressed a lot. My 3 favorite excursions are the trip to Coney Island, the walk through Wall Street and the visit to the Empire State Building.

Mailys Noziere, France, July 2014

We had a very good teacher, I have improved a lot my English. I enjoyed my stay and the visits to the Top of the Rock, Times Square and Brooklyn Bridge. Also, my host family is very nice, they are helpful and very friendly.

Marc Xapelli, Spain, July 2014

I think I was really lucky during my experience in New York because my host family is really great and the house is very well located.

Rossella Ponente, Italy, October 2017

They are really attentive, polite and supportive. Everything was perfect!

Ivonne Litschauer, Austria, October 2017

They are a very kind, friendly and helpful family. During dinner we talked about the day, school and other things. Aaron and Nicole cooked for me every night and the dishes were very good.

Camila Ciotoli, Italy, September 2017

Very friendly and kind family, interesting neighborhood. They gave me a lot of recommendations. Especially on weekends the breakfast was extraordinary!

Valerio Preisig, Switzerland, September 2017

Very calm and friendly family, they helped every time I had a question. The house was clean.

Falk Ehler, Germany, August 2017

They are a very lovely family. They helped me a lot and answered every question I had. The house was clean the whole time.

Clarissa Marlene Schwilk, Germany, August 2017

Our host showed a lot of interest in us and asked a lot of questions which made us feel totally welcome. And the food was delicious and well-balanced.

Melanie Huber, Germany, August 2017

The most interesting part of my stay was to meet my host Linda, who is a very interesting and nice person. She introduced me to her friends and shared with me her daily life.

Cristina Romero, France, August 2017

I felt like home, really nice atmosphere. I arrived late and they were waiting for me. I enjoyed speaking with them after dinner. Everything was as clean as my own home. The food was really good and she also taught me how to cook. They also gave me good recommendations about what to do and where to eat.

Laura Gomez, Spain, August 2017

I booked homestay B&B and it was very convenient because I had my independence. Tracey was very welcoming and kind, always helpful without even having to ask. She gave me very good tips to enter museums and other places without waiting at the entrance.

Jocelyne Prévot, France, June 2017

Amazing family, very friendly and helpful. I felt very welcome and had an amazing time!

Meltem Te, Germany, June 2017

My host mum Sonja is so helpful, friendly and very funny. And the food was delicious!

Dominik Gnann, Germany, May 2017

I really felt at home, Emily is a welcoming and open-minded person.

Natalina Siffert-Fiori, Brazil, May 2017

My host family is very kind and it was a pleasure to get to know her.

Jeannine, Switzerland, March 2017

Emily is a really kind and nice person. I enjoyed staying in her home so much! She welcomed me very warmly and I felt comfortable all the time I stayed with her. Plus her cooking is amazing! It’s always fresh, healthy a varied, I was very impressed.

Alexandra Hafner, Germany, November 2016

Everyone is really kind and helpful. Everyone knows your name and smiles at you. They care about how you’re doing and try to help.

Laura Lumbresa Sarrias, Spain, November 2017

Very friendly and warm, always present.

Khadija Benaissi, France, November 2017

The staff are all friendly and so nice. I see this is a good workplace for the staff, and it is important to offer a good environment for the students to learn.

Takeshi Ogino, Japan, August 2017

I really appreciated the help at school. I think not every school helps the students so much and so fast.

Simone Herzog, Switzerland, July 2017

You are all great people, keep doing what you’re doing! Thank you for helping me not only at school, but in NY in general.

Carlos Eduardo Trujillo, Mexico, June 2017

Very friendly and easy-going! They make students feel comfortable about speaking English with staff and other students.

Bruno La Regina, Brazil, June 2017

Everyone is friendly, available, competent, and also funny!

Maria Vittoria Scebba, Italy, May 2017

I was surprised to see all the staff knows the students’ names. They are very kind and give good advice.

Ayako Shimada, Japan, May 2017

They are all very friendly and helpful, and it looks like everyone has fun in their jobs.

Dominik Gnann, Germany, May 2017

Thank you so much for everything. You are so helpful, open-minded, curious, kind, and I felt in good hands.

Silke Kampfmeier, Germany, May 2017

Warm-hearted! It’s amazing how you care about every single student.

Janine Aniela Gehring, Germany, April 2017

The staff is friendly, open and helpful.

Leila Bertschinger, Switzerland, April 2017

Madison is one of the kindest people I have ever met. From day one she was so warm-hearted to every student.

Benjamin Schiehl, Germany, March 2017

Everyone is really nice, friendly, cheerful. Thank you for making this experience for unforgettable!

Lucia Perez Barhumi, Peru, February 2017

Warm, friendly, attentive – everything was perfect.

Thibault Genton, Switzerland, February 2017

My teacher is very kind, friendly, dynamic, very spontaneous and respectful.

Sandra Picarra, Portugal, October 2017

She makes great lessons, it’s interesting and she knows how to motivate us. I liked that we started the morning with grammar and vocabulary (listening) and moved on with speaking and reading after the break.

Ann-Catrin Wischner, Germany, September 2017

She made classes very interesting and fun. I could improve my speaking and my grammar in just 2 weeks.

Yolanda Serrano Reviriego, Spain, September 2017

Each teacher taught in a different way but all of them did a great job. Every day was interesting and I learned so many things each day.

Joelle Christine Tinguely, Switzerland, August 2017

It’s a fantastic school, the teachers are really good and fun.

Aniela Rosales, Mexico, August 2017

Joanie is professional, patient and dynamic. She is fantastic and I definitely recommend her

Elena Maria Alvarez Castro, Spain, July 2017

Cory is really a great teacher. He makes us participate, he puts us at ease. Thanks to him, I learned and progressed quickly.

Karine Guguen, France, June 2017

Ethan is very experienced and makes every class unique. The materials he used make the class enjoyable.

Carlos Eduardo Trujillo, Mexico, June 2017

Madison had a great style, empathy and gave great examples applied to real life.

Juliana Alvarez Restrepo, Colombia, June 2017

My teacher was really kind and funny and the lessons were interesting. There was a good balance between the activities and she used lots of extra materials.”

Giancarlo Serany, Italy, June 2017

Ethan has lots of resources on how to study English and lots of good advice. In one week I practiced many aspects of the language and skills.”

Ayako Shimada, Japan, May 2017

I really like how she teaches because I can understand everything and she has a positive attitude. I improved a lot and I am more confident now when I have to speak.

Mattia Pizzutti, Italy, April 2017

I thank my teacher Baise because she is a good teacher and also funny! I think I learnt a lot because in class we can express ourselves freely, I was not uncomfortable. For the first time I enjoyed going to school!

Jeanne Savine, France, April 2017

Ethan always makes sure we have fun while learning.

Henry de Roquefeuil, France, March 2017

I loved having Joanie and Lauren as teachers. Joanie is very interesting and sweet and I love Lauren’s energy.

Manuela Albero, France, March 2017

Clean, chill, bright, comfy.

Munyee Yap, Malaysia, November 2017

Perfect view, nice location, friendly and helpful staff. I love everything!

Rena Gentsu, Japan, October 2017

Overall it was an amazing experience that exceeded all my expectations. I wants to thank you all for the excellent 8 weeks I spent there.

Bernardo Augusto Rodrigues de Araujo, Brazil, October 2017

The school is awesome. I learnt a lot and my speaking improved a lot.

Thiago Henrichs Stulpen, Brazil, October 2017

The small size of the school enables students to easily talk to each other. All the students come from all over the world, it is a way to be more open-minded. The staff is very kind and always takes care of students.

Marie-Charlotte Alvard, France, October 2017

BSL is the best school I have studied in. Everything was perfect but the best point is Rich, amazing, always in touch with the students, great job!

Jose Adrian Serrano Sanchez, Spain, October 2017

I had a great time attending English classes at Brooklyn School of Languages! Even though going back to school at a certain age may sound like a nightmare, all of you made this experience very easy. I had a lot of fun, loved the atmosphere, teachers, afternoon activities.

Anna Wicijowska, Poland, September 2017

There are not so many students so we are able to talk to everyone, I liked it. I made many good friends through the school activities and tried to be with them all the time to speak English.

Ayano Enda, Japan, September 2017

I really loved learning English at BSL, the school atmosphere is awesome! Thank you Rich and the team!

Andrea Campelo S. Dias, Brazil, September 2017

Beautiful design and view.

Ann-Catrin Wischner, Germany, September 2017

I like the familiar atmosphere and the staff is very professional. I appreciate the concept with the weekly assessments and the personal progress reports.

Joelle Christine Tinguely, Switzerland, August 2017

The location is perfect, in a very nice district of Brooklyn, and very close to Manhattan. And for me it is good that there aren’t so many Japanese students in this school.

Takeshi Ogino, Japan, August 2017

Easy to find, awesome view, clean, friendly and helpful staff – it has everything you need.

Falk Ehler, Germany, August 2017

No need to go to the Empire State or Top of the Rock, the school has a great view!

Berenice Champion, France, August 2017

I am very happy to learn English in this school, it’s fantastic! My teacher is excellent, very patient with us, and the staff is very friendly and helpful. Thanks so much!

Ester Carmona Alcolea, Spain, July 2017

I like that there not many people in class and the lessons even at advanced level are challenging. I’ve done a few courses like this before and this is the best school I’ve seen.

Laura Lumbresa Sarrias, Spain, November 2017

Although 2 weeks were short period, I believe that I learned a lot of things at your class, not only English as a language but also how to behave in the global business situation. Now I am full of motivation for making this chance as a turning point in my life.

Kazuhiro Hosaka, Japan, October 2017

I think the business class is very well structured. There are a lot of interesting topics and the book is very challenging.

Martina Michel, Italy, September 2017

I want to thank you about the two weeks that I spent in NYC. I really enjoyed my time at the school and I really was very satisfied about your lessons. It was my first English course abroad but your abilities in teaching and keeping the attention of the class really inspired me.

Alessandro Rossi, Italy, August 2017

Awesome class, lots of fun, comfortable atmosphere. The teacher was friendly and helpful. I gained confidence in speaking.

Falk Ehler, Germany, August 2017

The best English classes I’ve ever had. I learnt so many things and I am not afraid to speak anymore.

Berenice Champion, France, August 2017

I really enjoyed the BSL structure, the way they teach and the relationships with the students.

Claudia Jacobovitz, Brazil, July 2017

The lessons were so fun and we learned so much. Now I can understand and speak better.

Edoardo Girardin, Italy, June 2017

Private lessons are very useful and the teachers bring very interesting materials and topics into class. I can tell they do very good research.

Diego Sebastian Gueler Monte, Argentina, June 2017

The topics covered in class were helpful for conversation. We spoke a lot and learned a lot of new vocabulary.

Dominik Gnann, Germany, May 2017

I like my Business English teacher, he is a pushing us forward in a very positive way.

Janine Aniela Gehring, Germany, April 2017

There’s a very friendly and easy atmosphere in class.

Leila Bertschinger, Switzerland, April 2017

The topics were interesting and relevant. We used a lot of different materials and learnt a lot of interesting of interesting expressions.

Henry de Roquefeuil, France, March 2017

I’m very satisfied because the classes at BSL don’t have too many students, so I had a lot of opportunity to speak at school.

Michiko Kuwauchi, Japan, March 2017

The English course was very good and gave me the opportunity to talk a lot.

Mauro Grombone, Italy, March 2017