VIV'S ENGLISH NEWSLETTER

By Viv Quarry. Edition Number 9 The 24 of January 1999.

Study English in England with Cicero International - See Viv for information & discount.

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 Hello everyone! Viv's happy to be back in Rio again after spending a month on holiday in England. The weather wasn't too bad. There's a big difference in climate between the north and south of Britain, and as my family live in the south, it was mild and sunny most of the time. I spent Christmas with my family at my brother's house, which is 50 km south of London. I had hired a car, so I was able to visit my friends in the west and north of England. I spent one week travelling around visiting everybody. I spent New Year's Eve with one of my best friends in a pub about 100 km north of London. The price of the tickets for the evening was £10 and that included a disco, buffet and a mini-van ride home at about 3am. It wasn't difficult to adjust to the drop in temperature when I arrived in Britain, but I have been suffering in the heat of Rio since my return. For this reason I won't be starting my classes in Botafogo until after the carnival, to give me time to acclimatise before catching buses!

Devaluation!

NOTE! THIS INFORMATION IS OUT OF DATE.

The devaluation of the Real was a shock for me (and I suppose for you, too). Although the cost of my classes is based on the parallel exchange rate, I am keeping the exchange rate for December (1.22) for at least two months. Eventually though, I will bring the cost of classes back to the equivalent of US$20 (or £15) per hour, but this adjustment will take place gradually and students will always be informed one month before any increase, so that they can decide if they wish to continue. I apologise to anyone who may not be able to continue having classes, but since I started giving private English classes in Barcelona in 1986, I have always charged the same price (US$20/£15) in the local currency, and I am not willing to have the value of my work devalued. However, the equalization with the cost in hard currency will be gradual, and as stated, you will be informed in advance.

What's new?

Viv's library has expanded and there is now a wide range of EFL readers - these are books specially adapted for students at different levels. They include a glossary, and exercises to be completed at the back of the book. All of my students were given at least one book to read during the holidays. I hope that I'm not going to be disappointed to find that no-one has read anything! Don't forget, too, that Viv has a video library. Therefore, if your tv has SAP or closed captions, you can borrow video's for up to two weeks. It's a fun way to practice your listening!

Contributions

If you read newsletter no.7, you will know about Marcio, my ex-student who went to work in Australia. This month's composition is from him. Next month I'll do an assessment of studying English in the UK or USA. There will be no classes during the carnival (13-17 February).

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