We zitten steeds vaker achter de computer op internet te surfen. Er word steeds meer mogelijk door het internet. Je kunt nu winkelen op het net, chatten met vrienden, nieuwe vrienden maken, talen leren, spelletjes spelen en nog veel meer.

Boodschappen doe je gewoon online en het word aan huis bezorgt en voor eigenlijk alle andere benodigdheden geld hetzelfde. Je kunt contact houden met vrienden via populaire chat programmas zoals MSN Messenger en je kunt nu zelfs gratis telefoneren via het internet doormiddel van Skype. Nieuwe ‘vrienden’ kun je  vinden door bijvoorbeeld een profiel aan te maken op Hyves of op Myspace. Op deze sites kun je dan mensen van overal in de wereld vinden die bijvoorbeeld jou muziek interesses delen. Ook zijn er sites waar je je talen kunt oefenen met mensen die de taal die je wilt leren als hun moedertaal hebben. Verder zijn de ouderwetse spelletjes dozen ook vervangen door online games, er zijn single-player games maar ook multi-player games en in deze kun je dan ook weer ‘vrienden’ worden met mensen van over de hele wereld. Er zijn zelfs websites waar je een online, virtueel huisdier kunt hebben.

Als ik al deze nieuwe mogelijkheden zie, vraag ik me af of over een aantal jaren het ‘echte leven’ vervangen zal zijn door een ‘digitaal leven’ waar niemand elkaar meer echt persoonlijk heeft ontmoet en waar de winkels zijn vervangen door websites.

Zouden mensen elkaar dan niet meer ontmoetten in bijvoorbeeld een kroeg maar ‘gezellig’ een biertje drinken voor de webcam? Zouden mensen nog op vakantie gaan of zal een online evaring van tropische oorden genoeg zijn? Zouden mensen nog echte, levende huisdieren hebben?  Zouden mensen uberhaupt nog het huis uit gaan? Wat zou dit betekenen voor de bevolkingsgroei?

Deze vragen stel ik mezelf als ik zie hoeveel er digitaal mogelijk word gemaakt. Ik denk dat het zou kunnen dat het ‘echte leven’ uiteindelijk vervangen word door een ‘digitaal leven’ maar dit zal waarrschijnlijk nog wel even duren en misschien gebeurt het wel nooit want het is toch ook wel heel gezellig om door winkel straten te slenteren en lekker op stap te gaan met een groep vrienden.

Door Laura Wilpstra

English Translation: 

Will ‘Virtual Life’ replace ‘Real Life’?

We sit behind the computer, surfing on the Internet more and more often. On the Internet this is more and more possible every day. Read the rest of this entry »

Answer English is pleased to announce a new section in its blog Student Corner.  This site is for you the language learner, so we are throwing open the blog to you our readers.  We invite all our students to get involved and write some creative pieces about life, living in London, learning English, finding work, whatever you may choose.  To enable people to be as involved as possible this is a section both in English and the Mother Tongue of each language learner.  So I hope over time we will have Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Chinese…  The world is our oyster!

To get the ball rolling, Laura Wilpstra, who is working with us in the office for the next 3 months has posted up an article in Dutch ’Een digitaal leven in plants van een echt leven?‘ (Will ‘Virtual Life’ replace ‘Real Live’?).  First you have the Dutch then the English Translation.  We hope you enjoy this new section. 

If you have any articles you would like to add to the Answer English Blog please send me an e-mail to: james@answerenglish.com.  We would like pieces to be around 300 words long, of interest to our readers, and translated into English.

Newly furnished flats in Central London, available to rent now, at discounted summer rates?  Sounds too good to be true.  Britannia who help provide accommodation to most of our students has announced the opening of some large newly decorated apartments just off Oxford Street, 3 minutes walk from Tottenham Court Road. 

The rooms are very spacious in a wonderful location and are available all year round, specially designed for language students either for short 3-month lets or year contracts.  They are within walking distance of language schools, colleges and of course the delights of London’s nightlife, shopping district, theatres and restaurants.

They have all mod-cons, new shared bath/shower rooms, fully equipped kitchens with washing machine and dining table, a wide plasma screen TV in every bedroom, and Wireless broadband internet connection.

They are available by flat, room or bed, year-round. The promotional weekly rates for July & August (including bills and weekly cleaning) are from £160.00 per week (twin share per person) and from £215.00 (double room with single occupancy) plus administration charge.  The price includes bed linens, towels, weekly cleaning /linen change and utility bills.  For more information Contact Answer English

South Chelsea College welcomed me to Brixton last week to look around their extensive facilities.  I was shown around by the Director of Studies, Eamonn Shanahan, and we spent a good hour and a half discussing innovative services that would be of interest to Language Learners coming to London.

Where SCC is particularly strong is in its Health Care, and Computing courses.  They have literally hundreds of computers and offer courses to foreign students on anything from basic software packages (Word, Excel etc.) to advanced computer programming.  Their HIV/Aids in the community course, is growing term by term, and is well attended.  They cater very well for students from abroad.  If you are a long-term resident in London and want to do a vocational course or already have achieved intermediate level and want to do something different then South Chelsea College could be the college for you.

On the ESOL side (English as a second langauge) we spoke about devising some Saturday Pronunciation classes.  This is aimed at foreign students that perhaps already have achieved an intermediate level of English and are working part or full time.  Working people that can’t take a traditional course during the week but would like to give up a few hours on a Saturday morning to improve their spoken English.

I’d like to get an idea of interest in this course.  We would only need around ten people to get this off the ground and like all of South Chelsea College’s courses this would be competitively priced.  If you would like to take such a course I would welcome if you would Contact Us.  Click here to read more about South Chelsea College’s Courses

Hampstead School of English has developed a programme to help students hoping to establish themselves in the UK labour market.  This could be either with the aim to go on to obtain a more challenging position, or return home with a reference from a UK employer to enhance their CV.

They have found that UK employers are reluctant to take on foreign students who are not able to prove their level of English and who may not be adjusted to the UK working environment.  This programme offers the students an induction course, which improves both their level of English and gives them the confidence to work effectively.  The programme is open to all students age 18+, who are EU citizens or otherwise have the right to work in the UK.

Included in Hampstead’s programme:

Four week course in Intensive English and introduction to work.
Fours weeks’ bed & breakfast accommodation near the school.
Twenty four weeks’ accommodation near the employer
Minimum £500.00 per month salary
Transport costs between school and employer at start and end of work programme

After working for 24 weeks, the student may then wish to start looking for a different position with a different company. Armed with much improved English, good references from a UK employer and a certificate from the Hampstead School of English, they will find this challenge much easier to meet.

FEES: Courses starting any Monday, Sept – June £1659.00.  For more information Contact Us

Hackney is putting on an exciting two week festival to celebrate the unique cultural flavour of the East End of London.  Throughout the fortnight of the 9th to the 23rd July, there will be over 60 events taking place.  These include art, music, film, comedy, clubbing, and cabaret to mention just a few!  Behind the festival the idea is to put on an event with a distinctly local feel with lots of home-grown talent taking part.

Highlights include some of the top London DJ’s and live music events.  Having been to the Lovebox night at 93 Feet East and seen Groove Armada a number of times I can assure you that the Lovebox Weekender will be an-unmissable event for Dance Music Fans.

Raw UK features over 40 of the UK’s top urban artists and is a fundraiser for the urban music scene. For just one night only Trojan Soundsystem will play a full repertoire of reggae, ska and rocksteady music.  If this all sounds a little to hectic, for a more relaxed event check out the the Teatime Classical Recital at Sutton House on Saturday 15 July or the Hackney Singers community choir’s rendition of classical, popular and world music.

For further information on the Spice Festival call the box office on 020 8985 2424 or see the full programme details at www.spicefestival.com.  Nearest station: Hackney Central BR.

The first ever exhibition devoted to the late aclaimed photographer Angus McBean has opened at the National Portrait Gallery.  Born in South Wales in 1904 McBean established himself with photos of the great and the good from the world of music and film.

Highlights of the exhibition include the iconic 1950 photograph of Audrey Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich, Mae West and ballet dancer Margot Fonteyn.  You call also see his colour photographs from the 1950s and 60s including his famous Beatles covers, alongside those of Cliff Richard, Shirley Bassey, The Beverley Sisters and Spike Milligan.

Tickets are £5 and £3.50 with concessions.  The exhibition runs until 22 October.  For further information call 020 7312 2463 (recorded) or visit www.npg.org.uk

Nearest Tube: Leicester Square or Charing Cross

Congratulations to Italy for winning the World Cup.  They narrowly beat France on Penalties, edging it 5-4, after Zinedine Zidane had been sent off.  It was not a classic by any stretch of the imagination.  What a way to end an international career!  The first player to be sent off in two World Cup finals.

The World Cup has been brilliantly organised and the Germans deserve a lot of credit for that.  Having been to Frankfurt myself and seen it first hand they did a great job and deserve a lot of praise.  The stadia was impressive, the organisation slick and their seems to have been little trouble that has marred other tournaments.

Yet the football has been poor.  I think people will sadly remember this World Cup more for the number of yellows and reds (Holland v Portugal), the diving and conning of the referee (Cristiano Ronaldo would have won Olympic Gold for some of his efforts), the number of goaless draws and the general lack of invention (starting with England but France too showed little adventure).

How sad that Argentina, Germany and Spain who all played adventurous and attacking football did not progress further.  The African teams deserve a special mention however, especially Ghana and Ivory Coast who were not diturbed by the opposition they faced and their spirit to ‘go for it’ from the off.

For England they will have to wait another 4 years.  The same old story.  Sven is gone, Becks is no longer captain and Steve McClaren is now manager.  44 years of hurt never stopped me dreaming…

Today at 12:00 there will be a two-minute silence to commemorate those that lost their lives this day a year ago in the London bombings.

Our thoughts are with them and their families.

Yes another Special Offer!  Cesar Pacheco from The Latin Palace has been in touch with Answer English.  Cesar is a professional dancer and gives beginners and intermediate Salsa dancing classes on Tuesday nights.  At the moment there are only 20 people in each class, so it is a more intimate environment than other London Salsa nights.  There is also a nice mix, he tells me, of Spanish and English speakers, so this sounds like the sort of night Answer English Language Students and Blog readers should be going to!

Beginners classes are 7:00 to 8:00 and Intermediate classes are 8:30 till 9:30.  One class costs £5 and both are £7.  Cesar has kindly made a special offer for Answer English Language Students and Blog readers of £3 for one class and £5 for two.  In London I doubt there is a more competitive price than that!  We are going on Tuesday 18th July, as an Answer English Social Event, so please let us know if you wish to join in: Contact Us. 

On the night just say ‘Answer English’ when paying to take advantage of this special price.  The Latin Palace is 146 Camberwell New Road on the corner of Vassall road.  Nearest Tube is Oval.  See you there Salseros!