In today’s post we have an interview conducted by Luiz, one of our very popular and unique Brazilian students. Luiz interviewed one of our long-term students, Ainara, as part of a grammar activity. This type of communicative approach towards grammar is just one of the reasons our students enjoy coming to class each day.

On the BBELS balcony, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ainara, a 22 year old from the Basque country in Spain.

At first I wanted to know about her course. She told me that she had been studying for about seven months and added that she would be finished in eleven weeks. I asked her about her free time and she said that she loved spending time on the beaches of Byron Bay with her friends.

I wondered if her classmates had been helpful and she replied that they had. She added that she’d had a lot of classmates because she’d changed her level and had met a lot of students who had stayed at BBELS for a short time.

I wanted to know about her accommodation and she told me that she had been living with an Australian girl and that had helped her English. When asked about what tips she could give to new students, Ainara said that it is important to be an open person and to participate in class and afterschool activities. Ainara added that visitors to Byron Bay must definitely visit the Lighthouse and watch the sunrise from there.

My next question was what she had learned in Byron apart from English. She said that she felt she had learnt about how to survive on her own and all about her strengths and weaknesses. All of these things have helped her get to know herself. When I asked her to describe in a few words the difference between the girl who arrived in Byron and the girl who will return home she smiled and sat in silence. Finally she said that the girl who is returning has learnt to believe in herself.