Summer English Camp in Osa (SECO) is an intensive course in which students stay at a residence hall on campus and study English for six days. This year 28 students participated in the programme, and enjoyed studying English with two instructors from Britain specially contracted for this programme.

Classes start at 9.00 am and finish at 3.50 pm. Besides this there is a self-study time for daily assignments and final presentations. This is a very demanding course, but the students had a great time this summer.

The two instructors, Moira and Janet, are professional teachers with a lot of experience, and they love teaching and communicating with students.

The department provides SECO for students who do not study abroad. Every year half of the second-year students take this course. They truly enjoy this 'mid-summer' instensive course . 

My life in Australia was a definitely fantastic and unforgettable experience that I had ever had. I was blessed with not only excellent teachers but also the perfect environment which allowed me to concentrate on studying English thoroughly.

In my language center, a large number of international students enjoyed studying English helping each other. It was a good opportunity for everyone to learn professional English as well as the way of thinking and living in Australia. I was so satisfied with the surroundings that I had, especially the teachers who provided individual attention and support to every single student.

In terms of my daily life, I had a wonderful time with my host family. They treated me as if I were one of the family members, and I got so much affection from them. Thanks to them, I was able to spend an enriched life there.

Overall, I experienced precious things that I had never had in Japan. What is more, I am well motivated to keep studying English and pursue my dream with passion. (from A.Y. EAGL 2nd-year)

Work, work, work! / report from H.O.

I’ve been in the UK for 6 months. In my language centre, a lot of international students are studying English. They are from all over the world, such as Saudi Arabia, Thai, China, Spain, Italy and so on. First few months, it was difficult to communicate with friends and teachers. There were no other Japanese, so I had to speak English absolutely, but sometimes I couldn’t say what I wanted to say. I was not used to a strong British accent either, and most students spoke English with their own accents, which made me more confused. However, I got gradually used to communicating in English.

There are reading, writing, listening/speaking and project classes. All classes require hard work, and it is not easy for me to follow the classes because most students are studying here to go to graduate school and get a master's or doctor's degree. The class levels are set for them to achieve their goals. We have a lot of homework every day. I sometimes feel it’s too much, but it helps me to improve my English skills in many ways.

In my daily life, we have parties and one-day trips with friends. We had an international party last month. Each of us brought traditional or cultural foods and we played some games. I enjoyed it very much.  I’m going to go back to Japan in December. I’ll make good use of my last two months.

My life at Monash / report from M.H.

Australia is a multi-culturalcountry so there are many international people. I was lucky to be able to learn not only Australian culture but also the cultures of the people who came from other countries. For the first month I started living there, I could not speak English well because I worried about grammar mistakes. Since my hostmother taught me English patiently, I was soon able to speak English better.

I took Speaking and General English classes. Each class was small and we had a lot of discussion activities. We had to have our own opinions and show them in English. Most of my classmates came from different countries, so I learned a lot from them. It changed my views about the world. Sometimes we went to city as a class activity through which I learned how people lived there.

After class I usually went to ILC (Independent Learning Centre) to study by myself. There were a lot of study materials,and workshops were held from time to time. It gave me a chance to communicate with teachers and other students. Moreover I often joined the activities organised by the Japan Club. We exchanged cultural information. It was a good opportunity to understand each other.  

Comment from EAGL staff: Thanks, M.H. It's good to learn something about other cultures. M.H. came back to Fukuoka in 2008.

My greatest memories in the US / report from M.H.

I was in Washington for half a year. Central Washington University, where I studied English, had a beautiful campus surrounded by mountains and trees. I met many people who were interested in international communication. My friends often invited me over to watch movies and have dinner together. They were so friendly and really nice to me.

American students were hard workers. Every time I went to the library, I met friends there. It was an ideal atmosphere to study and work together.

I was not happy all the time, however. When I argued with a friend, I could not express my feeling well in English. Such an experience encouraged me to study English harder, and I learned how important it was to express my feelings and opinions in English. My experience in the US is truly precious in my life. 

Comment from EAGL staff: Thanks, M.H. You became strong through the programme. M.H. came back to Japan in 2008.