Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Enjoying Miami

by: Marilannie

I'm Marilannie Avila from Venezuela. I've been to Miami many times but this time I came to improve my English in Open Hearts International College because I would like to study at the university. Miami is an amazing place. There are different people from all over the world, especifily Latin people. In any place you can speak Spanish. It is better for the Latin people that come to know this city. If you want to enjoy Miami there are many places you can choose, in particular the beaches.

Having a Good Time in Miami

by: Veronica Canadilla

First of all, I would like to say -"Hello everybody!"

My name is Veronica and I am from a fantastic town in one of the niceest cities in Spain, Madridejos in Toledo.

The first time I arived in Miami, it was three days ago so I don't know a lot about this fascinating city yet. Nevertheless, I feel at home because its people are really friendly and they are helping me to have a comfortable and unforgetable stay here.

For this reason, I am going to write a few brief lines about the peope in Miami and their different cultures. There are people from many different countries such us Italy, Poland, France, Argentina, Venezuela, Germany, China, Spain and so on. So you can learn a little bit about all of them if you are lucky enough to meet them. However, you won't have any problem with anyone. Everybody will help you to learn and improve your English language, taking advantage of your experience in this amazing city, Miami.
Remember, if you would like to have a fun, remarkable and incredible journey, don't hesitate! You should choose MIAMI. I am sure you won't regret having come.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Travelling to Orlando

by: Ruben

Hello everyone! My name is Ruben and I came from Spain. I must say that I'm enjoying my stance in Miami, but now I'm going to talk about another place that you can go: Orlando and it's theme parks.

When I arrived in Open Hearts and they showed me all the activities that I can do, I was sure I would go to Disney World, so I did it. It's a experience that I recommended, it's a beautiful place and you will enjoy it a lot.

I went to the Magic Kingdom and the Islands of Adventure. They are very very different:
- In Adventure's Island you can ride in all kind of attractions like roller coasters, water attractions or a lot of simulators. But the best of that is the ambiance, based on the Universal's films. You will see a lot of stages and you'll feel like you're in the film. I was impressed with the part of Harry Potter!

- Magic Kingdom is... MAGIC!!! This park is the real spirit of Disney World, you will feel like a child again and I'm sure that you'll get excited. In this park Disney's ambiance reigns in the stages of all the Disney's films. You can't miss all the spectacles, the parades or the final fireworks, they are incredible!!!

I recommended going to these two areas, first to the Magic Kingdom because there's a lot of things to see and you wouldn't have much time to see all that, and you must see this park at night! Not going to Magic Kingdom is like not going to Disney World...

I hope you enjoy this trip! See you!!!

Miami's Bus

by: Fady Bou Abboud

Miami's buses are very interesting. Most of the time in the bus or other way of common transport there are nice peaple who when they are sitting near you, start opening a conversation with you. In other countries you could think that this man wants something, but no, they just speak to speak. They are very sociable, even homeless people or people who look strange are like that; it's nice. Sometimes you can see crazy people too, who speak alone, but it's very fun because they say stupid things. You should try the bus; it's a good way to improove your English.

Beach in Miami

by: Adrian Baydak

Hello,

My name is Adrian. I come from Poland. I've been here about one month so I can tell a little about the beach.The weather here is always good so don't worry. If you like the sun you can enjoy it every day.
I think I have been on the beach 5 times and every time there are a lot of people.They often bring a radio and listen the music with high volume so you can hear too.The water is very warm so you will not have a problem going in.

I'm very happy that I have a opportunity to experience this place and I really really suggest that other people enjoy this place too.

Beaches in Miami

by: Carlos I

I arrived in Miami many days ago and I'm still amazed by the beaches. Beaches in Miami are wonderful. I'm amazed how clean the beaches  are and the white sand that they have. There are many beaches in Miami that have great equipment. For example Key Biscayne has places to do barbecues, restrooms, parks and it's amazing how many shy animals approach you without fear. The beaches are sandy with a white and clean sand. The vegetation and the climate are amazing. Miami is a great place to enjoy a sunny climate, and enjoy the nice beaches and the activities like surfing, kayaking, snorkeling, etc..

Transportation

by: Carlos II

Transportation in  Miami is really interesting. You know, in the USA everybody has a car, and Miami isn't one exception. If you are walking around, practically you can't see pedestrians. Everybody goes and comes back by car. However, Miami has an amazing transportation system totally free. Yes! Totally free!!! 
I am talking about the fascinaiting metromover which runs fifteen meters from the ground. You feel you are suspended in the air. Each train has two wagons and doesn't have a driver. It is a totally automatic system supervised from any distant place. I recomend you take the metromover at night and enjoy the amaizing view of Miami illuminated. .

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Miami's Faces

by: Carlos II

I am Carlos from Rosario, Argentina. I am 62 years old and I visited the Miami area two times before in the nineties. Rosario is located 200 miles from Buenos Aires to the north. Rosario is on the west coast of the Parana River and the climate is very different from Miami. In Rosario you can feel the weather of all four seasons.

I want to transmit to you the different faces which Miami has shown me in my three visits:

The first time was only a connection city to Orlando. So I could only see the shopping area in Flager Street where a lot of Argentinians are working in the shops. I could see something of Miami Beach too.

The second time I chose to enjoy the climate and the healthy activities like walking and biking. In this opportunity I discovered how the people live an enjoy the Miami area. But I only met retired people from all around U.S. who choose Miami for resting.

Now, I am staying in the down town area and Miami shows me another side. This is my first time without a car, so I can discover a lot of places where the young people do their activities like going to colleges or gyms. Staying in the same building as the school, Open Hearts, has been a good choice because it is really nice to get the English classes and all activities nearly and easily.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Enjoy the Moment in Miami

by: Julio

Hello everybody. My name is Jul and I study in Open Hearts College (Miami, FL.). I have been here since 2009. Now I want to compare my hometown and this cty.

At first when I decided to choose a school to study English, I was checking all the comments from the students and I saw many places, but none of them were like Open Hearts. In this place you you feel very confortable because you find a perfect atmosphere with excellent teachers that help you all the time to obtain your goal: learning English.

About Miami, it is a wonderful place where you enjoy the sun and beaches and meet people from everywhere. Here you appreciate the architecture in places like Miami Beach and Coral Gables or simply admire the fashion if you prefer. This city is completely different from my native city because I was living in Bogota, the capital of Colombia, where you find low tempetures and it is located more than 2,000 meters above sea level. Also you see mountains aroud it. I prefer the sun and the beach.

So for me, living in Miami is always a good experience.

Miami and I

by: Sophie Schlicht

My name is Sophie. I'm 20 years old and from Germany. I'm here in Miami for three weeks and I'm in Open Hearts language school to improve my English. I study economics in Germany. For these three weeks I am living with a host family.

Now it is my second week here and I've seen a lot. I love the beach in Miami. I also visited Grassy Key to swim with the dolphins. It was great. I have met many new people in the school. So I think Miami is a really good place to make new friends. I like this. Most people in Miami are very helpful. But sometimes I miss Germany. It is often too hot here and very humid, and they use very high air conditioning in all rooms or in buses and so it is too cold. So I was a little sick the first week. For me it is terrible that everybody drives a car. The air here in Miami is not good. In Germany many people use the public transportation.

On the other hand, I love the food in America. It is very unhealthy but great. The healthy food is expensive and the unhealthy food is mostly really cheap. So I eat a lot of bad things here. :) I like Miami. But I can't imagine living here because it is too big and sometimes too crazy. :)

First Five Days in Miami

by: Fady Bou Abboud

Hello people from all over the world,

I am Fady; I am from France. I am eighteen and have just finished high school. I think that speaking English is really important to get a good job in every career. That's why I decided to come to improve my English in Miami at Open Hearts International College.

I have not been here for a long time. That's why I can't give a description of Miami  but I can tell you that it's a nicely strange city; here people are happy to live. When you ask someone a question about anything, he answers you with all his heart, whereas ask a question like "where is this?" to someone in Paris, he could tell you, "I'm not a map." People enjoy helping you in Miami.

I'm someone who likes sports and here playing sports is a way to live; at all hours you can see people run or do something athletic. And if you prefer eating to playing sports, you'll be very happy; I have never seen so much fast food, and, you should sit down, Burger King is open 24 hours a day. So you can be a sports man or a lazy man; Miami is for you. It's impossible not to like this city. I live in Paris, and the only bad thing compared to Paris is that you can't buy alcohol before age 21. Aside from that and Paris' architecture, everything -- the price of clothes, the smell of burgers, the mixed culture, and the mentality -- is better in Miami.

My First Impression of Miami

by: Adrian Baydak

Hello,
    
My name is Adrian. I'm 20 years old and I come from Poland. My hobby is sports, especially soccer and taekwondo. In my country I study logistics but I have a break for one year. I have a brother who is also abroad and I think this is the reason that I flew away too because since I can remember we do similar things.

Miami is very, very far from Poland and seriously I haven't seen similar things yet.

The difference between my country and Miami is big. Here the weather is always hot; in my hometown it is only in June, July, September, and even then, not always. In Poland people who are 18 years old can drink alcohol and here you must be 21 but you can drive at 16.

I feel great that I'm here. Miami is beautiful and I'm glad that I have the opportunity to see this place.

My Experiencie in Miami

by: Laura MarĂ­a Scarrone Bonhomme

I'm Laura and I come from Spain. I live in the Canary Islands, a little group of islands which are situated on the west coast of Africa, but it belongs to Spain, like Hawaii belongs to America. I'm 22 years old and I just have to finish my degree in psychology. I came to Miami because the Spanish government gave me a grant to improve my English.

I arrived in Miami on Saturday so I haven't seen a lot of things yet. I went with my friends to Miami Beach on Monday and it was awesome! It's really fun seeing all those people with different hairstyles and different cultures being together; it was very interesting. On Sunday we tried to get into Nicky Beach but we couldn't because it was raining.....it was a disappointment, but instead we went to Blue Martini, and I didn't know that women never pay. It's an advantage for us, but it is also a kind of positive discrimination, and I don't like it.

Finally, I'm going to describe my own island. Tenerife is a lovely island; it's very tiny but it has all the things that you could need, including the same stores that a big city like Madrid has. Tenerife has a perfect climate all year. There is a temperature around 22 degrees Celsius. If you like aquatic sports you can practice any one of these. Canarian people are very kind, and especially Tenerife is called "the kindness island."

To summarize, I think that the most important advantage of the Canary Islands is that they don't have delinquency. From what I have heard, Miami is the second city in America with the highest level of crime.

Omar in Miami, Man!

by: Omar Altakriti Alvarez

Hi! I'm Omar from Spain; I live in the north of Spain and I'm 23. I'm stuying Industrial Engeenering and I am in my sixth year.

I arrived last Sunday so I don't really know the city of Miami (only the parties). The few things that I have seen like the Brickell Bay zone or Little Havana have a big contrast because Brickell Bay is the commercial zone and walking a few minutes you are in Little Havana, which is poor neighborhood.

When I arrived in Miami I thought that life here would be expensive in comparison with my hometown but I was worng. The change of euro to dollar is better for people who come from Europe so if you are one of them don't worry and come to Miami! Another different thing is the size; my hometown, Oviedo, has about 250,000 people so Miami for me is a huge city. Here you can see different cultures together, which in Oviedo is impossible. The weather in Miami is extremely hot and wet but you will get used to it because I did in two days and in Oviedo, in my neighborhood of Pumatas Somos Todos, the weather usually is cold and cloudy.

You should come to Miami; it will be fun for you, I assure you!

Arcadio of the Door

by: Arcadio of the Door

Dear Miami:

Hello! I arrived in Miami on Friday. When I came here it was really hot. I thought the city was very big because from the airport to the hotel (South Beach) there were many miles, but when I arrived in my hotel and I went out to the street it was awesome! There were a lot of people in all the corners and streets, and from different cultures and countries. Miami is very different than Seville; for example, here all the people have big cars. In Seville there are a few big cars, but not so good as here. The temperature isn't very different but here it rains a lot. Another important difference is the buildings; here there are many buildings taller than 100 meters; however, in Seville there isn't any building taller than 100 meters because there is a law which forbids it. On the other hand, both cities have an important thing in common; all the people speak Spanish.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Great Miami

by: Julia Martos de Azuaje

My name is Julia Martos de  Azuaje and I'm from Maracaibo, Venezuela. I'm a visual artist and since 2009 I have been living in Miami. Currently I'm studying English at Open Hearts International College.

My life in Miami  is very interesting because Art and Culture are part of the Floridian way of life; galleries and  museums play a major role in Miami. My experience in this city has been fascinating because in August 2010 my artwork, influenced by the  Magic City of  Miami, was  featured at a local art gallery by  the Coral Gables Cultural Affairs Council. On October 8, 2010 I will participate with my paintings at the Museums of the Americas (Doral  City) for the Hispanic Heritage in America Exhibition, and on October 19, 2010 I will  present the book Anthology of Poems and Lyrics in Books & Books (265 Aragon  Avenue, Coral  Gables).

My experience in Miami has been different from life in Maracaibo because in Miami I have met artists from diverse nationalities who expose their paintings and creations to the public. Miami has intense and strong cultural activities and I think  that is the most important thing in the world for artists that live  in Miami.


  

Julia Martos de Azuaje. 2010. "Miami's Nocturnal". Acrylic/canvas. 18"x24"