CAE Friends and Alumni: Miriam’s Story

16/03/2026

Can you believe that my future husband Harry brought a language school brochure to our first date in the ’90’s ?! Well, I couldn’t! But now I know exactly why he did!

I had known Harry since I was 14. We were at the same school together in Munich. He was in my sister’s year group, and it wasn’t until 1995 or 1996 at a party on a lake near Munich that we reconnected.  I was 18 at the time and wanting to do a summer school in Cambridge, Harvard, USA, but Harry was so enthusiastic about his time in CAE Cambridge, England, that he convinced me that when the time came, I should go there instead! 

“It was the best time of my life!” Harry said – telling me stories of the friends he had met there in 1991 – and who he still contacts today. We had met at a bar in Munich for our first date and he brought a brochure with him to persuade me that Cambridge, England was the best choice for me to study English. Can you believe we also met another guy in that same bar in Munich who’d been at CAE?!  CAE really is such a unique place to meet friends from all over the world – as well as to learn English! 

For Harry in the early ‘90’s it was a perfect time to be in Cambridge. After a time in homestay, he rented a house with friends from the CAE school and enjoyed a vibrant, international social life – maybe too social! He was about a half a year in Cambridge and met a lot of lifetime friends through CAE. 

A few years after first reconnecting with Harry in Munich, I was studying and thought it was a good time to do an English language course. We had started dating by that time, but I went to Cambridge on my own in 2000.  Harry visited me in England and reconnected with some of the CAE teachers who had taught him years earlier.  It was like meeting up with old friends and family members. 

For me it was such a great time too! I met such nice friends from Italy and Argentina and we had a really good time.  Coming from a late-night culture it was great to be able to go out and socialise in pubs that closed at 11 pm and it was the perfect time to go home or onto a club.  By just after midnight you were home in bed – and could still be ready for the next day! The beauty of the surrounding environment and the hospitality of the host family were wonderful!  Everything was so relaxed as there was no pressure – not the usual pressures of work and school. I did a 3 week course for using English with Law, and really improved both my vocabulary and spoken English. 

For me, the main attraction of CAE above other language schools was that they included everything you could wish for.  I know I didn’t have to worry about anything extra. I improved my English, met some really nice friends there, and had a great time!  

Our children have heard our stories and when we decided to have them join a summer school, they didn’t want to do another year in Germany, and they chose CAE in Cambridge England instead.  We didn’t want or need to look at any other schools. We knew CAE was the perfect choice. Our only choice. 

Thank you Miriam for sharing your CAE family story, old photos and mementos with us. We look forward to welcoming you and your friends and family to CAE again soon.