Sydney – Student Spotlight: CAE graduate Antonio Ragaz of Switzerland

All photographs by Antonio Ragaz

At Lexis English, we meet a lot of wonderful students. Their enthusiasm to learn English and to meet new people is what makes college life so much fun. Today we spotlight 2022 CAE graduate, Antonio Ragaz of Switzerland.

“If you are planning to go to Australia / Sydney,
I encourage you to just do it!
It’s an incredible experience which opens your eyes
and enriches your life.”

– ANTONIO RAGAZ, SWITZERLAND

About me

My name is Antonio, I’m 22 years old and based in Switzerland. I lived in Sydney from June to August 2022 and did the “Cambridge English Advanced” (CAE) course, which lasted for 10 weeks. I’d like to share some of my experience about my stay here in Australia, not only about the school itself, but about my time here in general.

Why Australia and why Sydney?

I remember very well when I did my first research about where to stay. I wanted to improve my English somewhere, but there were so many interesting places all around the world. Finally, I just followed my heart and went to Australia.

I thought it would be interesting to see how life is on the other side of the world. I chose Sydney because it’s the biggest city in Australia and therefore has many things to offer and explore. In addition to that, it’s a beautiful city.

I travelled to other cities after finishing my course at Lexis, but never did I regret staying in Sydney for that long. Both the center of the city, as well as Manly, where the school is, are lovely places.

I was a bit worried about the large size of Sydney at first, but it turned out that Sydney doesn’t feel as overwhelming as for example New York. It’s more the huge area that makes Sydney a 5-million-city.

“…I just followed my heart and went to Australia.”

– ANTONIO RAGAZ

Some of the things I’ve learnt (besides English)

During my stay in Sydney, I’ve learnt soooo many things! Of course, I learnt a lot of English, but besides that I learnt how to travel alone and with friends, to deal with people from all around the world and how to organise my life independent from my family – just to name a few things.

“I’ve learnt soooo many things!
…a lot of English …how to travel alone and with friends,
to deal with people from all around the world and
how to organise my life independent from my family.”

– ANTONIO RAGAZ

Living with a Homestay family

I lived with a Homestay family for 10 weeks, which I would highly recommend. The Homestay family gives more than just a room and food: They actually care for you and ask how your day is, and so on. In my experience, the Homestay family actually gives you a home. Moreover, you are able to practice your English and you always have locals that you can ask about any matter of life. They can show you around and provide insider information about where to go and what to do.

A normal day for me in Sydney

Normally, I got up at 7:15am, ate breakfast at home and went to school at about 8 o’clock. School started at 9 o’clock.

During breaks, I really enjoyed talking to my friends from all over the world. I met a whole lot of very nice and friendly people at the school.

At lunch time, I normally grabbed something to eat from one of the many food stores around the school and ate either at school or at the beach, depending on the weather. After another hour of school in the afternoon, I was free on what to do.

There are many things to do: Go shopping, get an ice-cream and hang out at the beach, play some volleyball, go to the city centre, go for a walk or swim / surfing or finish homework at school.

The beach is right in front of the school. Just cross the street and you are there!

“The beach is right in front of the school.
Just cross the street and you are there!”

– ANTONIO RAGAZ

You can also go jobbing after school, which quite a lot of students do. On the weekends, I really enjoyed to go out with my friends.

Some tips for your trip to Sydney / Australia

If you are planning to go to Australia / Sydney, I encourage you to just do it! It’s an incredible experience which opens your eyes and enriches your life. It may be a challenge, but I’m sure you won’t regret the decision of going on this adventure.

Some additional tips

If possible, do a Cambridge (CAE) or IELTS course. They are much more focused, and will improve your English more. And last, but not least, if you go to Sydney in winter, which is from June to August, bring some warm clothes with you! Most of the students, including me, underestimated the cold temperatures.

Thanks for reading!

About Lexis Sydney on Manly Beach

Lexis Sydney on Manly Beach provides high quality education experiences in Elementary English, IELTS Preparation, Cambridge FCE and Cambridge CAE.

Our international students come mostly from South America, all parts of continental Europe, as well as South East Asia. Most of our students are aged 18 years and older, and, at certain times of the year, Lexis English offers a juniors program for youth aged 12-17. You can find out more about that here.

The college is open 13 hours a day Monday – Friday, with morning, afternoon and evening classes. The average class size is 12-15 and the college can accommodate approximately 438 students. Lexis Sydney is open year-round (except for public holidays and the standard Christmas closedown).