Monthly Archives: August 2023

New York City (NYC), New York, has some of the nation’s top-rated colleges and is one of the top destinations in the United States for international students.  So it's no surprise that there are many programs for students to learn English in New York City.

Whether you’re working toward personal, educational, or professional goals, there are many possibilities in NYC.  Below, we’ll share the best colleges, universities, and language schools for studying English in NYC.

English as a Second Language (ESL) and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) programs can help non-native English speakers improve their language proficiency.  English schools and programs in New York range from beginner to advanced, provide test or university preparation, teach career-readiness skills, and help you learn to communicate in English.  No matter your goals, there are many possibilities in NYC.

Pakistan, once a popular hippie backpacking destination, is still mostly off the radar for most mainstream tourists.  However, this country should not be overlooked by Denver area visitors because it offers a variety of attractions, including historic and cultural heritage sites, diverse geographic features, and a growing adventure travel sector for mountain climbers, hikers, and water sports enthusiasts.  Forbes magazine ranked Pakistan as one of its 10 “coolest places on earth” in 2019 and among the top underrated travel destinations in 2020. “Pakistan is blessed with abundant natural and historical riches,” Lonely Planet noted. “Incredible mountain landscapes are set against a backdrop of desert forts and stories of sultans and djinns.  In its cities, ancient bazaars are home to intricately etched copper kitchenware alongside pungent spice racks and steaming tea stalls.” (https://www.lonelyplanet.com/pakistan) The British Backpacker Society has also named Pakistan is the world’s top adventure travel destination, citing its friendly residents and spectacular mountain scenery.

Officially known as the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the country boasts several of the most ancient cultures in South Asia.  After 1,000 years of Islamic rule, the region was conquered by Great Britain during the mid- to late 1800s and became part of the British Indian Empire.  During the early Twentieth Century, the Pakistani movement that sought to establish a homeland for India’s Muslim citizens gathered steam.  In 1947, Pakistan gained independence when Britain partitioned present-day Pakistan from India.  The Islamic Republic of Pakistan followed in 1956.

The Republic of Guinea is not a common destination for residents of Dallas and the North Texas area, but it does provide unique experiences for adventurous travelers and those seeking new commercial opportunities in international trade. “Tarnished by the Ebola crisis and long-term political instability, it is a country most people stay away from,” the World Travel Guide noted  (https://www.worldtravelguide.net/guides/africa/guinea/). “But for travelers who like being far, far from the beaten path, Guinea has many enticements.”

Located on West Africa’s Atlantic coast, Guinea beckons travelers with thundering waterfalls, virgin rainforests, remote hills, and tropical beaches.  It contains five ecoregions: the Guinean montane forests, Western Guinean lowland forests, Guinean forest-savanna mosaic, West Sudanian savanna, and Guinean mangroves.  However, travel outside major cities and tourist resorts can be difficult due to undeveloped transportation infrastructure -- and dangerous due to high levels of crime and corruption.  The impoverished country also faces frequent medical crises, as detailed by the CDC at https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/guinea.

Phoenix is the capital of Arizona and is the largest city in the Mountain Time Zone.  The Phoenix Metropolitan Area has a population of 4.8 million and is one of the fastest growing cities in America.  New residents and businesses come here for the low cost of living and year-round warm weather.  Phoenix gets more sunshine than any other major city on the planet.  The Phoenix Metropolitan Area, also known as the Valley of the Sun, includes the cities of Casa Grande, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, Maricopa, Mesa, Peoria, Scottsdale, Surprise, and Tempe—which is home to Arizona State University (ASU).  ASU is a popular destination for international students and has nearly 3,000 students from China.  There are close to 30,000 people with Chinese heritage living in the Phoenix area, and this ethnic group is growing as more people leave California for Arizona to seek a better quality of life and lower housing costs.  Chinese first came to Phoenix in the 1870s, also leaving California during this era to seek out job opportunities in construction when the Southern Pacific Railroad started laying track across Southern Arizona.  Chinese would eventually move north to Phoenix where they established a Chinatown and opened restaurants and grocery stores.  They were also skilled ranchers and farmers. 

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) – the second largest country in Africa and fourth most populous – offers San Francisco Bay Area tourists and business travelers a range of natural tropical settings, unique wildlife, and cultural diversions not found in other parts of the continent.  From the mountain gorillas in the rainforest along the Congo River to its active mountain volcanoes, the DRC is one of a kind.

Formerly known as Zaire, the DRC (also referred to as Congo-Kinshasa) covers more than 2.3 million square miles—roughly the size of Western Europe.  It borders Angola, Burundi, the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia, as well as the South Atlantic Ocean.  With more than 96 million residents, the Central African nation is also the largest French-speaking country in the world.

The East African nation of Malawi has gained new attention as an emerging tourist destination for residents of the Salt Lake City area.  Known as the “Warm Heart of Africa”, the landlocked country lies in the Great Rift Valley and borders Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia.  According to The New York Times, “Most tourists come to Malawi to go on safaris among bulbous baobabs in Liwonde National Park or sunbathe on the sparkling yellow beaches of Lake Malawi, which stretches for two-thirds of the country’s length.” (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/15/travel/rock-climbing-malawi.html). 

During the Victorian Era, missionary Dr. David Livingstone led expeditions throughout Malawi and Central Africa.  After decades as the British protectorate of Nyasaland, the Republic of Malawi became an independent nation in the mid-1960s.  English remains the official language of Malawi and almost 90 percent of its residents are Christian.

Puerto Rico tiene una población de 3.2 millones de habitantes y un área terrestre de 3,425 millas cuadradas, lo que convierte a la "Isla del Encanto" en el territorio más grande de Estados Unidos y la tercera isla más grande por área. San Juan es la capital de Puerto Rico y es la segunda capital más antigua del continente americano (fundada por europeos), así como la capital más antigua de los Estados Unidos. Ubicado en el Mar Caribe, Puerto Rico está a unas 1,000 millas al sureste de Miami y se puede llegar a él por aire desde casi dos docenas de vuelos directos desde los Estados Unidos continentales. El área metropolitana de San Juan incluye los municipios de Bayamón, Carolina, Caguas, Guaynabo y Trujillo Alto. Otras ciudades importantes de Puerto Rico son Ponce, Arecibo y Mayagüez. Aunque Puerto Rico es bien conocido por sus hermosas playas y su paisaje tropical, la isla también alberga un sector de fabricación farmacéutica de tamaño decente. El comercio internacional con China y otros países del mundo sigue siendo limitado debido al estatus de Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico bajo el gobierno federal de los EE. UU., por lo que el futuro de la isla depende en gran medida de las políticas económicas creadas en Washington, D.C. Aunque Puerto Rico no tiene vínculos económicos estrechos con China, existe cierta familiaridad cultural debido a los miles de chinos que viven en la isla.