SUMMARY

SUMMARY................................................................................................................................1

DEDICATION............................................................................................................................2

INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................3

I. PRE-TRAVELLING ACTIVITIES.............................................................................4

II. WHILE IN STELLENBOSCH ACTIVITIES.............................................................4

III. GENERAL IMPRESSION AND PERSPECTIVES................................................9

CONCLUSION.........................................................................................................................11

TABLE OF CONTENTS..........................................................................................................12

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 DEDICATION
I wish to dedicate this report to my family for the moral and financial support.

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 INTRODUCTION

The training path of an ESCA student ends with a linguistic trip in an English country. This
trip is significant for an ESCA student because it is a godsend for him to strengthen his
English level by practicing his speaking, listening, writing, and reading skills.

After a break of two academic years, the ESCA students had the opportunity to travel abroad
precisely in South Africa for their linguistic trip.

This year, the linguistic trip took place in Stellenbosch (Republic of South Africa) instead of
Brighton in the United Kingdom as usual.

We spent five weeks, from May 8th to June 12th, 2023, in Stellenbosch university. Mr. SE and
Mr. DIARRASSOUBA, our administrative representatives, stayed with us during few days
and then came back in Côte d'Ivoire. During these weeks, we familiarized ourselves with
English and South African culture. The purpose of this trip is to practice English especially
business English and learn about the South African people culture and, also, give feedback on
the trip to improve it in the next year. This report has been organized in the following way:
Firstly, we will talk about the pre-travelling activities. Secondly, we will have a look on the
content of the stay, and finally we will present our general impression and perspectives.

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 I. PRE-TRAVELLING ACTIVITIES

In this part, I will talk about the documents required, the expenditures and the personal
preparation for the linguistic trip.

1. The administrative documents and visa application

We started the preparation of the stay in Stellenbosch with Mr. BAKAYOKO and Mr. SE in
April 2023. Most of us already had passports and concerning the other documents required,
their obtention was not very difficult and expensive. These included personal documents and
parents’ documents. All of us finally got the visa.

2. The flight tickets

The purchase of the plane ticket was the greatest expenditure. Our parents were not well
prepared because the linguistic trip was almost canceled. We knew that we went to
Stellenbosch few times before the departure and this situation caused many problems given
that the short delay to collect the money for the plane ticket.

3. Personal preparation

After taking a leave in our respective companies, we went shopping. We bought some warm
clothes to cope with the cold. We also got credit cards because in South Africa payment by
card is very popular and it is safe to have a credit card instead of plenty of cash.

II. WHILE IN STELLENBOSCH ACTIVITIES

In this second part, I will talk about the different activities done throughout the stay. This part
will be presented in three parts: accommodation and food, learning and university, the town
and the outside of Stellenbosch.

1. Accommodation and food

Stellenbosch is located in the western part of South Africa. This town is well known for its
vineyards. For the entire stay, we got flats that can accommodate between 4 and 5 people.
Each flat had a living room, a bathroom, a kitchen and two or three bedrooms. All the flats
were in the same building.

Concerning the food, we were fed by the university until we got our student cards which
allowed us to buy food and drinks in the Neelsie. The Neelsie is like a big lunchroom where
there are many restaurants, coffee shops and study places. Before getting our student cards,

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the university brought us the breakfast, the lunch and the dinner every single day. When we
got our student cards, we were able to buy food on our own. We had 4,000 Rands on our
cards for the food. We received a first payment of 2,000 Rands and a second of the same
amount.

The food in the restaurants was varied. We had the choice among many types of food like
burgers, fried chips, chicken, rice, salad, pasta, pizza, lasagna, pork and so on. There was also
a restaurant which offers food from other countries like Ivory Coast food or Senegal food in
the town. In addition to these restaurants, there are many fast-food like Mac Donald, KFC,
Burger king and some well-known coffee shops like Starbucks.

2. Learning and university

 The courses

We had class at GG Cillié Building from Monday to Friday. The courses began at 9 a.m. and
ended at 1 p.m. each class day. We received an exercise book and a copybook for the class.
During class, we worked on grammar, vocabulary, writing and speaking. After each course,
our teacher gave us some exercises. The courses were very interactive and each Friday we had
some funny activities to strengthen our English skills. For instance, we visited some cultural
and historical places. We visited the Botanical Garden, the Jan Marais park, the Stellenbosch
University Museum and saw the landscape of Stellenbosch. Thanks to these outside activities,
we learned about South Africa culture and had the opportunity to practice our listening and
speaking by exchanging with South African people.

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In class, we also did many activities. Here are some of the most relevant activities we have
undertaken:

- The essay

We learned how to write an essay, we studied the different parts which compose an essay and
wrote an essay on different topics. Mine was about the way social networking improves
human interaction.

- The covering letter and LinkedIn profile

With our teacher, we worked on the covering letter. We saw the structure of this kind of letter,
some examples of covering letter and we wrote a letter in order to practice what we learned.

We also worked on our LinkedIn profile to make it more attractive with relevant information
for recruiters. We learned some tips to strengthen our profile and some mistakes to avoid.

- The oral presentations

We did many oral presentations to enhance our speaking abilities. We did a group
presentation which consisted of selling a product. Each group was their own product to sell.
We also simulate an interview. We were in group of 4 or 5 people with one interviewee and 3
or 4 interviewers.

- The Kahoot! application

Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform that brings engagement and fun to about one
billion players every year at school, at work, and at home.

We used this application to do a competition on vocabulary, grammar, synonyms and

On the application, we have the questions and different answers. We have to choose the
correct one before the others to get the best score.

 The assessments

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The assessments we received was relevant. It allows us to correct some current mistake we
face when we write.

3. Free time activities

Time after classes is enough to have fun and South Africa offers a lot of possibilities.

In this part I will talk about the activities done in Stellenbosch and those done in the city of
Cape Town.

 Activities done in Stellenbosch

While in Stellenbosch, we did many activities. Firstly, we visited the town and discovered a
lot of beautiful places. Thereafter, we visited the Botanical Garden, a wonderful place which
contains many types of plants from South Africa and from other part of the world. We also
took a hike in the mountains. Finally, we visited the Jan Marais Park and the Stellenbosch
University Museum which was, in the past, a girl school. In the museum there is a replica of
the Mandela’s cell.

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  Activities done in Cape Town

The second weekend after our arrival, we went to Cape Town. We visited the aquarium and
saw a variety of fishes. We also saw sharks and how they are fed, it was amazing. After
visiting the aquarium, we walked through the city. We saw some audit firms like PwC,
Deloitte, KPMG, EY and BDO.

The third weekend was the one during which we did a lot of activities.

In the Saturday morning, we went kayaking. We sailed through the city and saw the house of
some famous people like the actors Will Smith and Michael B. Jordan or the English former
footballer player David Beckham. After that, we went to a shooting center. There, we had the
opportunity to use real guns and fired on targets. It was very interesting. We finished the day
by going on a cruise, we also saw earless seals during the cruise.

On Sunday, we visited two museums, a planetarium and the Cape Town Holocaust Centre.
We learned many things about the South Africa history and could see the dramas of the
Apartheid and those of Nazi concentration camps.

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III. GENERAL IMPRESSION AND PERSPECTIVES

In this part, we will give our impression about the stay at Stellenbosch and also the
perspectives to improve the trip for next years.

1. General impression

The trip to Stellenbosch was beneficial because it allowed us to learn and take a closer look at
English culture, to make new acquaintances and also to improve our level of English
language. It was a very enriching experience.

2. Perspectives

To improve the trip for the next years, I suggest:

 A better communication and organization during the flight and the airport stopover. In
fact, during the stopover we lost time by looking after one of our representative
because the watchword was to gather at the exit of the plane to complete the rest of the
steps together and when we got out of the plane, we did not see one of our
representatives. We were looking after him, but he had already completed the rests of
the steps and went to the hotel.
 A higher amount (> R2,000) for food given on one payment instead of two.
 A longer immersion period. It will be more profitable if the entire third year at ESCAE
be at Stellenbosch.
 To have class with other students and that these courses are specialty courses as Audit,
Marketing or Finance courses in addition to English courses.
 That the departure date be around September because when we came in May, the
students were in exams so had no time to us.

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 CONCLUSION

As the end of the courses approached, I compiled a report summarizing the valuable
knowledge I gained during my trip. Regarding the English language courses, I observed that
the instructors and the university employed engaging teaching methods to encourage active
participation and practice of the English language. These courses not only enhanced our
language skills but also provided us with insights into South African culture. I would like to
express my heartfelt gratitude to all those who supported us throughout this challenging
journey, whether they were physically present or provided assistance from a distance. Special
thanks go to Dr. BAKAYOKO Losseyni, the Director of ESCAE, Mr. SE, Mr.
DIARASSOUBA, our administrative representatives and all the respected members of the
ESCA family for their invaluable guidance and advice.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

SUMMARY................................................................................................................................1

DEDICATION............................................................................................................................2

INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................3

I. PRE-TRAVELLING ACTIVITIES.............................................................................4

1.The administrative documents and visa apllication………………….

1. Accomodation and food………………………………………………………….….4

1. General impression………………………………………………...……………….10
2. Perspectives………………………………………………………….……………..10
CONCLUSION.........................................................................................................................11

TABLE OF CONTENTS..........................................................................................................12

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