Case Study

Hamburg has become more of a home to me than I could ever have imagined. Reflecting on the past year I have spent there highlights just how quickly the time has flown by since I arrived at Hamburg Airport, dragging a cumbersome bike box and far too many bags. I have immensely enjoyed the opportunity…

A year studying in Beijing has been incredible. Getting off the plane and walking into the late August heat feels like a lifetime ago – so much has happened since then. This last year, I have had the privilege to study at Peking University (PKU), supported by John Speak Language Trust. I went out to…

From starting in Shanghai and ending up in Taiwan, I am grateful to the John Speak Trust for supporting me in my language studies, despite the interruption and change of plans! Coming back to where I spent my university year abroad two years ago, Taiwan, has been a fantastic opportunity. To think that when I…

I had the incredible opportunity to spend nine months studying abroad at the academically rigorous Complutense University of Madrid, taking classes in the Economics and Business Science Faculty. It was without doubt one of the most intense and rewarding experiences of my life. I’ve grown personally, linguistically, and culturally, and now that the year is…

As I come to the end of my time in Lyon, I marvel at how comfortable I am in my life here. I regularly catch myself slipping into the normalcy of daily life, and often remind myself how abnormal it actually is! For example, I sometimes go days without speaking English in person, whereas at…

My time in Lisbon has come to an end, and what an amazing 3 months in turned out to be. Firstly, I cannot thank the John Speak Trust enough for the scholarship I received. It was a big part of why my time in Lisbon was so successful. The money I received allowed me to…

I am writing this final entry to the John Speak Language Trust from Milan, Italy, two and a half years after I was first awarded the scholarship. Back in 2022, this foundation helped me to move from Sheffield to Florence in order to complete a yearlong Master’s degree in Fashion Design –this move changed the…

I moved to Canada in August 2023 and was lucky enough to spend the next 10 months living and enjoying Montreal and the wider province. My French level before coming to Quebec was high, having studied the language at university for 2 years, but this stay in Montreal still allowed me to improve hugely. By…

In October 2023, I embarked on an exciting six-month journey to Brussels with support from the John Speak Languages Trust. Thanks to funding and continual encouragement from the Trust, this experience not only broadened my professional horizons but also deepened my understanding of the French language and Belgian culture. Upon my arrival, the challenge began…

First and foremost, I would like to thank the John Speak partnership for supporting me on my journey to Paris. Every interaction I had with your members was supportive and nurturing and made me feel confident about the life I was pursuing abroad. Living in Paris was wonderful. The total immersion into the language that…

Prior to leaving for Oman, I panicked about leaving my life in the UK for three months. There’s something very disconcerting about the unknown. On reflection, I have learnt that the unknown is what makes something an adventure, and more often than not good things lie on the other side of fear. Once I arrived…

My time in Jordan! A country full of life, chaotic joy, shisha smoke, cats and gorgeous food. Before talking about wonderful Jordanian quirks I’d like to thank the John Speak Trust, first for their financial support, without which I would not have been able to travel to Jordan and hugely improve my Arabic. And secondly,…

Moving to Germany for 6 months with the help and support of The John Speak Trust, didn’t have a huge impact on my life. It changed its direction completely. My mum was born and raised in Germany, but moved to England when she was in her early twenties. My parents for various reasons, raised me…

The past four months in Bologna has been an adventure that has transformed my relationship with the Italian language. It has been a journey that has allowed me to explore my passion for the Italian culture and to profoundly immerse myself in the language of the country. That journey began roughly four years ago when…

Case Study – Isabel Wassermann: Taipei, Taiwan 2022-2023 My year in Taiwan has been a meaningful experience in my life and propelled my Mandarin Chinese skills from the bare minimum at the start, to being able to navigate all aspects of daily life in Chinese by the end. I would like to start by thanking…

Case Study – Jed Martin: Germany 2022-2023 I would like to first say a big thank you to the John Speak trust for granting me a language scholarship and allowing me to embrace life here in Germany. A year ago, I arrived in Germany after deciding to start a Bachelors degree in Physics at the…

Rosalind Lane Hamburg Case Study My year in Hamburg has had a huge impact on me. I want to start off by saying thank you to the John Speak Trust, who have sponsored me throughout this year. The charity enabled me to travel around new Germany, meet new people and make the most of the…

These past 10 months in France have changed my life, I’m so grateful that I had the opportunity to experience this. All the people I’ve met, the places I’ve been, the moments I connected with is something I wouldn’t have been able to feel back home, and learning this foreign language has been such a…