Don't buy them !!

You know, I'm striving to get my English better with different kinds of efforts and "little experiments".
I have already told you that I try to use an English dictionary instead of a translator. For this reason I bought some months ago a dictionary and "phrasal verbs" dictionary, both depicted in the picture below. I wanted them to be portable thus I can bring them with me everywhere for this reason they look very small in the picture.




Concern about the School dictionary which is an English dictionary, it has a wide list of vocabulary with a deep explanation despite its small size. Unfortunately it lacks the pronunciation for the words and that would be very useful to me!
Anyway it's my fault because I should have checked this before buying it!
Regarding the phrasal verb is not good at all!!
It misses many phrasal verbs that I manage to find in the school dictionary. Honestly, it is not worth buying, trust me.
Bye

A great surprise

In the afternoon I received a wonderful gift by my American friend Scott, look at the picture below:

They are 7 books (in English of course) that Scott advised me to read and I wanted to do it
!! it's awesome

Thank you, Scott

P.S.
From which to start ? :)

My dilemma: accommodation in a host family

As you know I m' looking for an English course abroad.
I want to spent about one month and half in an English speaking country so I have to crunch the numbers carefully and be care about my choices. You can run out of money quickly in a new country that you don't know yet :)
I would have opted for an accommodation in a host family who provides bed, breakfast and dinner too. It seems a less expensive solution compared to others offered by the schools.
Anyway given my age (I'm 25) I could look like a chubby child who needs someone to take care about him! without knowing that in somewhat I'm forced to chose this solution.
Have you info about students old like me hosted in a host family ?
How was their experience ?

Hunting for advice

It' s time to reflect about my next future. To tell the truth I should have started thinking months ago, but I have been involving in unpredictable long series of events.
Anyway, my next step is to move to an English speaking country in order to improve my awful English and then hopefully to get a job. Honestly the latter is infeasible given my technical skills (mostly Academic ones).
I'd like to receive some advices, these are the questions that are bouncing from one side to another of my mind:

1. Where should I go? I think it's better don't go over Europe so I'm in front of two choices: London or Dublin?
   
2. Why London or Dublin? Because my desire is to stay as long as possible in one of them and at the same time to get a job in my field (ICT market). In Ireland seems that there is a demand for ICT profiles, I also know that the current trend is moving down, so it's hard to get a job even for engineers with a good experience.
   
3. Which accent is better to know and learn? English or Ireland?
   
4. Dublin seems cheaper than London, for example in Dublin it 's used Euro as currency but in London there is the strongest pound !
   
5. Where is easier to get a job Dublin or London ?, in other words where might I have more opportunities in the ICT market?
   
6. How is the people in these cities?

I was taking into account the idea to go to USA or Australia or Canada but I know nothing about these countries, I wouldn't even know from which city to start.
Concern about London or Ireland I could go to another city too for example Manchester or Belfast, it isn't very important to go to one of these two capital my target is to stay over there as long as it's possible.
Any help is appreciated.
Thank you

An unfeasible future

I'm about to finish my studies, yet another a few days and the university will be a place which I will never deal with or.... not?
Some days ago, one of my mentors proposed to me to continue my studies as a PhD student at university. This has been one of the most important acknowledgments in my whole student career because I think a PhD is not offered to the first person someone meets. The professors bet and invest on you money, time and energy, you have a duty and to work very hard if you want to get in.
On one side there is an interesting opportunity and the possibility to keep studying things which you desire to focus on.
A friendly team where to grow as person and afford new challenges, on the other there is the great uncertain related to such a choice.

After the PhD there is no certainty about your future, you have to work harder and harder... mistakenly I wrote work the correct verb is struggle or fight !!!
In this country, the mine where the researchers are regarded as crazy people who do nothing worth noticing and with a meager salary this kind of choice requires a huge amount of endorsement !
I'm very confused. Moreover I don't know if I feel up this situation I've always seen the PhD students like a sort of genius, people very talented and skilled, it isn't my case.

Where am I going .. I'd like to know.

Thanks Zsofia for correcting me