I'm a senior student from Korea.

My English name is SUSAN. I'm 61 years old. I worked as a nurse for about 38 years and retired at the end of June this year (2025).

I've loved English for a long time, and always thought I should study it, but I've never really tried it in Korea. I've occasionally watched Easy English on YouTube or tried conversation practice on paid sites like Speak English or other sites,

but I haven't been able to consistently study for more than a month. And when I was younger,

I traveled to many countries, but This is my first time traveling to another country, all by myself, just to learn English. I've never used English before, so my biggest question was whether I could truly understand and speak English well.

However, as soon as I retired in June 2025,

I decided to go on an English language training program.

Six months before I retired, I went to the COEX Study Abroad Fair to find out which countries would be good for English language training. I also diligently watched YouTube videos.

Which country should I go to?

Which language school should I choose? I diligently gathered information while pondering it. 

So, even though I'm a senior like you, I realized that the Philippines was the perfect place to intensively learn English.

So, I decided to study English in the Philippines.

Secondly, to decide on a language school, I diligently researched information through YouTube and study abroad agencies.

There were many language schools in Cebu, Baguio, and Clark.

I ultimately chose the CIA Academy in Cebu because it taught English well, had good facilities, was safe, and had a great reputation.

Looking back, I still think choosing the CIA was an excellent choice. Also, upon visiting, I realized that the curriculum was well-structured, forcing students to study English.

The language school's own regulations felt relatively strict, but with over 500 students from various countries, they were absolutely necessary to ensure they could live independently and safely while adhering to the given regulations.

Studying was required every day to take the daily tests every morning.

On weekdays, after all classes, students were allowed to leave the school after 6 p.m.

Also, you must be home by 10 p.m. You're not allowed to bring in even a single bottle of beer.

Everyone is checked at the entrance.

However, if you apply for a travel form, you can go on trips.

Also, if you miss more than five classes a week, you'll be restricted from going out.

And if you enter someone else's room, you'll be subject to a hefty fine.

Laundry and cleaning are provided free of charge.

Personally, above all, I loved the food.

I eat home-cooked meals here every day, every meal.

I especially love soup, and at the CIA cafeteria, I've tried soybean paste soup, seaweed soup, kimchi soup, and even yukgaejang.

And since there are a lot of young people here,

meat is served at every meal.

You won't have to worry about meals at the Cebu CIA.

Also, the 4th floor has a luggage storage and library, and the environment is very nice.

Luggage storage closes at 10:00 PM,

and the library closes at 11:00 PM, so you can often see students studying late into the night.

And the textbook is determined based on the entrance exam level.

We also conduct regular level tests once a month, covering all four areas—listening, speaking, writing, and reading—and the test lasts for nearly three hours.

I saw the young Korean students' English skills improve quickly.

It was also wonderful to see them quickly become friends with students from other countries, conversing in English, going out for fun, and even sharing meals together.

Here at CIA, there are a lot of students, especially from Japan, China, and Taiwan. Naturally, there are many Korean students, but I also realized that students from Saudi Arabia, Mongolia, Thailand, France, Russia, and many other countries come here to learn English.

In my case, because I'm older, I haven't been able to socialize as much with other international students as younger people, but when I took group classes, we met and talked a lot.

You might think Cebu's weather would be hotter than Korea, but it wasn't as hot as I expected.

I spent the summer here from July to September,

and it was much cooler than Korea, which was great.

Even though it was July and August,

the daytime temperature was over 30 degrees Celsius,

but the air conditioning in the classrooms, library, and gym was so good I didn't even notice the heat.

Finally, I studied English diligently, but I also recommend traveling.

I traveled with friends I met here to Bohol, Oslob, Olango Island, Siargao Island, and other places every weekend, whenever possible.

We also tried out many delicious restaurants.

And during my three months here, my husband visited Cebu twice.

Cebu is only about a four-hour flight from Korea, so it's a great place for family trips on weekends.

And finally, to share the results of my English training,

I didn't see any noticeable improvement,

but by communicating exclusively in English from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.,

I can now hear and speak a little.

For three months, starting in July, I studied English for more than 10 hours a day,

went to the library every day,

and exercised at the gym at least three times a week.

Thankfully, during those three months, I didn't get sick even once,

and I think I was able to improve my final level on the level test.

I'm returning this week after completing three months of English language training.

Before coming here, when I had to ask questions in English,

I felt like a mute, unable to utter a single word.

But now, although my English is still difficult and I'm not fluent,

I feel like I've gained some courage to listen and speak.

I'd like to express my sincere gratitude to all the teachers and staff at the CIA for their hard work.