Diego Lopes Melo

Diego Lopes Melo hails from Brazil. It was there, in his home country, that Diego found his passion for plants, animals, and the environment. He pursued his interests and became a biologist.

Like Charles Darwin before him, Diego was drawn to New Zealand for the same reasons which the English botanist raved about it in his famous book, The Origin of Species. The plant and animal life here is so different from Brazil that it would give him a unique opportunity to investigate and observe something new. New Zealand is also a fantastic place to study.

Diego started with Linguis International Institute, studying towards his Diploma in Business Level 6 in Christchurch, and later transferred to our new Auckland campus.

The National Diploma in Business can be combined with Diego Diego’s experience in biology. He will no doubt be a valuable asset to the new breed of companies today who continually strive to reduce their impact on the environment and work towards implementing effective, environmentally conscience business practices.

When not studying, or finding new ways to save the world, Diego loves to explore and play in nature. A big enthusiast in sports like surfing, running, hiking, and swimming, the young biologist from Brazil can often be found outdoors, enjoying the world around him.

So many students and visitors come to New Zealand for its beauty, but few actually take the opportunity to indulge in this beautiful country and explore all that it has on offer.

Linguis International Institute's NEW Queen Street Campus

This week students were welcomed to the beautiful new Queen Street campus of Linguis International Institute.

Following Queen’s Birthday celebrations, new classes started this week.  Students were all smiles, marvelling at the lovely decor and professional environment.  During breaks, some students made use of the new kitchen and other amenities, while others chose to head out the door and explore the exciting city outside.

Located at 369 Queen Street, students are right in the heart of the city, just minutes from all the fantastic restaurants and shops nearby.  There’s so much to see and do in Auckland.

Right now the Auckland Festival of Photography is happening, as is notable by the banners hanging in some parts of the city.  Check out the festival photos and get inspired!

The waterfront, famous for the boats that make Auckland the City of Sails is also at the bottom of Queen Street; it’s a site you wont’ want to miss.  Busses travel to the city centre from all over Auckland, and there’s even a free bus – the red City Circuit, which travels on a loop to key destinations in the the city centre, past Sky City, Britomart stop, and Queen Street.

Linguis Welcomes New Student, Sole Filgueira

We would like to start a new tradition, here at Linguis, by welcoming new students here on our blog. We’ll kick this off with miss Soledad Filgueira.
Soledad, or Sole, as she likes to be called, came to New Zealand from the beautiful, industrious nation of Argentina. A native of a Buenos Aires, Sole is very much a city girl, and enjoys shopping in the posh malls and shops back home.

When not being a shop-a-holic, Sole attends university in Buenos Aires, where she is studying and learning all about the exciting world of advertising. This girl is very sharp, and her experience with and passion for advertising shows in the language and ideas she contributes to the classroom and casual conversation.

In the summertime, Sole helps out at her family’s business, a holiday resort on the beach. What a great summer job! Family is incredibly important to Sole, as she talks about family and close friends back home with fond enthusiasm.

Sole enroled at Linguis International Institute a few weeks ago, and is studying for a National Diploma in Business Level 5. Sole intends on returning to Argentina to complete her degree in advertising.

When asked about how she feels about New Zealand, Sole said that she is really enjoying it here. She had the opportunity to spend some time here before enroling for study with Linguis. The nineteen year-old Argentinian also said that parts of New Zealand’s landscape were comparable to that of Argentina, and that she feels New Zealand is a very safe country to live in.

Since this article is going out earlier, and it’s so close to her birthday, we’d like to wish Sole a very happy birthday for June 17. Sole will be twenty years old!

Auckland and Christchurch are fantastic places to study

New Zealand is made up of two islands in the Pacific Ocean roughly 200km (124 miles) southeast of Australia. Both beautiful and incredibly diverse, New Zealand has something for everyone.The two largest cities in New Zealand are Auckland and Christchurch, respectively. North Island or South Island, there is much to see and do here. If you’re an adrenaline junky, you’ll love helicopter skiing in the Southern Alps, bungee jumping in Queenstown, and life on the edge 192 metres high on Auckland’s SkyWalk. If merely reading that last sentence was adrenaline enough for you, you’ll be pleased to hear that there is a plethora of other activities to sate your sense of adventure, however extreme or humble that may be.

Auckland is located on the North Island. In recent years Auckland has assimilated some of of the neighbouring districts, turning the already bustling metropolis into a super city. The city skyline is recognisable by the landmark Sky Tower, jutting into the sky like a space-age rocket, surrounded by more towers of glass and steel. Auckland is also well-known for its volcanoes dotting the city landscape. All of the volcanoes are dormant, except for one on the smokey, White Island, a short helicopter ride from the coast. The White Island volcano, while active, is not considered dangerous, and thousands of tourists flock to New Zealand to see the smoking beauty every year. If you like it hot, Auckland’s weather will suit you fine, as the city of sails, as it is known, has an average temperature of 23 degrees in the summer and 14 degrees in the winter. New Zealand’s summer occurs roughly between December to February, and winter is between June and August.

Christchurch is a beautiful city, and the second-largest in New Zealand. The snow capped Southern Alps are a gorgeous backdrop to the sparkling city, rich with heritage features, like the old Canterbury University, old-style refurbished tramlines. The old and new complement each other here in a very artistic and culturally sensitive way, e.g. the old Christchurch Cathedral and the new Millennium Chalice, which, itself, is an inverted cone made from silver fern shapes. Christchurch also boasts a fantastic coastline along the Pacific Ocean with many gorgeous beaches to enjoy after a day in the city or exploring the nature-rich Port Hills.

New Zealand is an industrious nation, and most people just fall in love with it in some way. From the exciting city nightlife and action-packed business days to jaw-dropping nature and engaging people, there’s sure to be something for you. Students love New Zealand too. Thousands of students flock to Aotearoa – as it is known in native Maori, to pursue their dreams and gain higher education from premier educational institutions, like Linguis International.

Linguis International Institute gives students the opportunity to study National Diploma in Business Level 5, and 6, and Diploma in Business Level 7. Linguis International also offers excellent English programmes, as well as accelerated and combination programmes to help students improve their English level and start studying business faster. Learn more about Linguis International Institute at http://www.linguisinternational.ac.nz

Studying in New Zealand opens many doors, and is a great way to expand your mind and see the world. Linguis is a partner with Stay@NZ – licensed Immigration Advisors, and make the process of applying for a visa as smooth as possible, so all you have to worry about is what to pack.

A Real Life Fairy Tale

Dreams do come true.  The Royal Wedding was the “Happily Ever After” of a real-life fairy tale.Only a few hours ago, the entire world watched as Prince William married Catherine Middleton.  The buzz around their story, their day, was tangible.  The entire event has incidentally also served as a sort of beacon of hope.  While not everyone may agree with the Royal family’s ways, what was truly inspiring was how the masses showed their support for the couple.  The air was patriotic and jovial.

For many people around the world, everyday life is difficult, and most people don’t believe in fairy tales any more.  The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as they are now known, seemed very humble and friendly, and I also believe, very touched by all the well-wishers.  In this world, there is still love, there is still glamour, and fairy tales are real.

Linguis Students at The Roxx on a weekly student activity.

Students at Linguis International Institute were treated to a particularly fun afternoon this Thursday when they visited The Roxx Climbing Centre.  The family-oriented climbing centre has friendly, professional instructors on standby at all times.

The Free Shuttle and a short walk quickly took the students where they needed to be.  Operations Manager, Craig Ogilvie greeted the group on arrival.  Overall staff were incredibly welcoming and helpful.  They even took some pictures for us!

Friendly staff at The Roxx even offered to take pictures for us!

Everyone listened intently during the safety briefing.  The Clip ‘N Climb instructor employed a rather clever means of helping everyone remember which way the carabiner should be hooked onto the harness loop by drawing a funny simile to scratching versus picking your nose.  This is definitely something we’ll be doing again soon.

Normally, student activities are held on Fridays, but we made an exception due to a special discount being observed for the Clip ‘N Climb.  As most of the students did not have any previous experience with rock-climbing, this served everyone well, as the Clip ‘N Climb area boasts a wide array of climbing surfaces for varying skill levels.

A big thanks to The Roxx Climbing Center and the Clip ‘N Climb staff there. Be sure to check out more photos on the Linguis Facebook Page.

Christchurch is a fascinating city bursting with interesting places to explore, fun things to do, and nice people to meet.  Every week Linguis International Institute hosts an activity where we take some of the students out to see New Zealand’s best from in and around Christchurch.

The Roxx Climbing Centre Photos by Nemo Young and Derrick Olivier