Student Testimonials | Study Abroad in Hawaii at Hawaii Palms English School

Before coming to Hawaii, my English was basically at zero. I was amazed by how much I was able to learn simply by being surrounded by English and actually using it every day. While I was in Hawaii, I made an effort to talk to as many people as possible and use English whenever I could. By the end of the program, I was able to understand what people were saying and communicate with them in English. I was honestly surprised by how much I had improved in just two weeks! This experience made me dream even bigger about traveling abroad and continuing to learn English in different countries. I also really enjoyed performing on stage again for the first time in 10 years! Being able to connect with local dancers and build friendships with them made the experience even more special.　It was an incredibly fulfilling and unforgettable two weeks!

This time, I decided to travel to Hawaii for 75 days because I wanted to take my dog with me while he is still young and also enjoy my hobby of
surfing. I came to Hawaii Palms because I wanted to study English to communicate smoothly with friends from other countries. My impression of
Hawaii Palms was that it is very small group classes, which gives many opportunities to speak and express yourself, which I really liked. I also joined school activities and made friends!

I previously attended a language school in California, but at Hawaii Palms, the classes are small, and there are plenty of opportunities to practice speaking during lessons. They also offer many school activities, which allowed me to interact a lot with my classmates!

I really wanted to improve my own English skills, so I had been planning this parent-child study abroad experience for about a year. My son was
able to take English lessons at the same school, and since I also have a one-year-old daughter, I felt reassured knowing that babysitting
services could be arranged through the same place.　My class was small, which felt really spoiled having such a personalized class.　I was able
to learn English at my own pace, and whenever there were grammar mistakes, they were corrected on the spot. From there, the teacher would
expand on the topic and help me explore it more deeply. Although I have studied English before, this was the first time I genuinely felt that
learning English was fun!
In my son’s class, he learned new English words he had never known before and became able to use simple greetings, which allowed me to
really see his progress. I would love to come back again.

The level of this class was just right, but if I were able to stay longer, I would like to challenge myself with a higher level. Since I
was here for only one week this time, I was still able to have a great time because both my classmates and the teacher were wonderful. Next time, I would like to come and stay a little longer.

It was great that I could book classes online according to my schedule with the Elective ticket classes that allowed me to freely choose my classes. In addition, I took hula lessons at the school and also attended a yoga class that was introduced by the school. I became
friends with PALMS students I met through school activities, and we even went to a café together. I’ve decided that I want to study English properly, so I will obtain a visa and come back to Hawaii again!

When my child first joined the Summer Kids Program for one week, they came with absolutely no English ability at all. Since the summer program had many participants, my child felt a bit scared at first. However, little by little, they began to say on their own that they wanted to try ordering pizza in English.　After that, my child participated in the Autumn Cultural Exchange Program, followed by five weeks in the Winter Kids Program. During the autumn program, my child admired an older boy from Korea and even became interested in learning the Korean language.
Because the autumn and winter programs had relatively small class sizes, there were more opportunities to speak English. The teachers also took the time to have meaningful conversations with the children, and I feel that my child’s English ability improved dramatically. At the same time, my child continues to study Japanese, and with a naturally sociable personality, their interest in English has grown even more. We would love for our child to participate again if given the opportunity.

This was my second time taking the intensive English course. I was the only student in the class this time, which allowed me to ask many questions at my own pace and spend a lot of time practicing conversation. As a result, I became able to understand English much better, even outside of school.　I visit Hawaii several times a year, so next time I am considering taking private lessons as well. Because the teachers also explain natural English expressions used by native speakers, I was able to learn very practical, real-life English.

The week went by very quickly, and I really enjoyed my homestay, which offered a comfortable balance of privacy and time together. On Friday, I even went to see the Hilton fireworks with my host family.
I was able to walk to school every day, and I had many fun and meaningful experiences there as well. It was a very memorable and enjoyable time overall.

I really enjoyed studying at Palms. I came three times over the past year, and every time was a great experience. I liked the classes mainly focused on conversation, so there were many opportunities to speak and use the expressions I learned. The class style was similar to my university classes, which made it easy to follow. The content and level were appropriate for me—maybe slightly easy at times, but I was still able to learn new things. Overall, it was a really great and rewarding experience.