Language Link Online

Spanish Language Immersion Programs in Latin America and Spain
www.langlink.com  Toll Free 800.552.2051   info@langlink.com
Full details of all programs on our website

March 2002 Online Newsletter...sent every other month
Tips and information about learning Spanish and the people who speak it.  Please send your comments. Personal attention is what has made Language Link grow, and we value your contributions.  Please send an email to the address above to remove if you do not want to receive our news.  If you would like to be added to our online or printed mail (newsletters twice a year), email us.  If you have problems with this format, please inform us and we will send a text only version.
What's in this edition
Online Lesson, Cocina Cooking, Culture Clips, Language Link's Latest, OJO (special deals), Rhythm & Book Blurbs, Been There, Loved That (reports from participants), Likeable Links
Online Lesson
Let's deal with the way you should talk about the public "you".  In English we often say they, I or you, as in the previous sentence.  However, we mean it in a generalized way.  In Spanish this is closer to the more formal British way of saying "one".  This is often expressed with the passive voice.  Use the word "se" plus the third person present tense.  Can I come in?  (Think formally, may one enter?) - Se puede entrar?  Where do you pay the bill?  (Formally, where does one pay?)  - Dónde se paga la cuenta? Do you accept cards? (Formally, are cards accepted?) - Se aceptan las tarjetas? The other way of speaking around this is using "hay".  The form "hay que" has the meaning of one must.  It's easy to use, as you follow it with an infinitive.  Do I have to pay here?  (Formally, must one pay here?)  - Hay que pagar aquí? Do I have to do it now?  (Formally, must it be done now?)  - Hay que hacerlo ahora?   Another use of "hay" deals with generalized existence, not personal possession. In English we might say to a waiter, do you have tamales?  In Spanish it would not be expressed literally this way, as we're not emphasizing his possession of the tamales, but rather their existence.  It would be correct to say - Hay tamales?  He might reply back, Lo siento, pero no hay.  In general, this is a more formal way of speaking than we have adopted into contemporary English, but it's the norm in Spanish.
Cocina Cooking
Piña Colada Sundaes...fast, easy, refreshing!  In anticipation of the fruits of summer...
For each serving top a scoop of purchased strawberry or lemon sorbet with fresh sliced strawberries and pineapple chunks.  Then top with the piña colada sauce, which is simply an undiluted,  defrosted can of frozen piña colada drink mix (without alcohol).  It is so wonderfully easy that it's hard to keep it a secret!  This makes a beautiful, impressive dessert after spicy food.
Culture Clips
The state of Morelos, Mexico, has been the site of a vast panorama of history. It may well have been inhabited for the past 3,500 years.  It provides easy access to walks back through many centuries, fascinating trips.  The native Tlahuicas, a Nahuatl speaking branch of the Toltecs, arrived in the 12th century.  In the 15th century the Aztecs included Cuernavaca in their territories, and the first Moctezuma had a palace in the area.  After the Conquest Cortés built his own palace in 1522, now known as the Palacio de Cortés, and housing a major museum in downtown Cuernavaca.  The area which surrounds the city is filled with ex-haciendas, in their full glory during the sugar cane era.  Some are now luxury hotels or resorts. The state is named after a priest, José María Morelos, the finest tactician of the independence movement from Spain in 1810.  There was a fleeting attempt to place a European on a Mexican throne after 1850, and the Emperor Maximilian had an office built in Cortés' palace.  There is talk of tunnels he built from this office, so tall he could ride a horse through, for secret trysts with his lover, the "india bonita". The state also became linked with the Revolution of 1910, as it was the birthplace of Emiliano Zapata, a major hero.  (Legends still have him alive, appearing on his splendid white horse.)
"This is certainly one of the most beautiful lands in the world." - Fray Diego Durán, 16th century chronicler (And there's a wonderful language school there, too!)
P.S.  And as a footnote to Mexican history, the upcoming Cinco de Mayo is NOT Mexican Independence Day.  That date is September 16, when independence from Spain is celebrated.  The May date is significant in Mexican history, but not celebrated as has become the fashion in the U.S.  The date commemorates the famous Battle of Puebla in 1862 in which the Mexican Army defeated the troops of Napoleon III, as his French forces tried to occupy the country and set up a foreign empire.  Then there's the groaning joke about it commemorating the shipwreck of a vessel carrying a cargo of mayonnaise, otherwise known as the Sinko de Mayo.
Language Link's Latest
Although we're not there yet, we're predicting that we will have wait lists in several programs, especially in June and July.  This is almost a certainty in Guatemala, and our most popular B & B is already full through July.  Please register early so that we don't have to disappoint you.

La Janda school in Vejer de la Frontera, Spain, has just moved into an interesting location, the Castrillón Shelly Mansion which has witnessed many centuries of Spanish history in this small village.  In addition to offering lodging with local families, students may also choose to live within the mansion in school residence rooms and apartments which have been refurbished.  There's a terrace with a view of the very old Moorish tower which was a lookout point to defend the city, at a date before the discovery of America. It's an enjoyable way to experience Spanish history, as well as learn the language.  Full costs and details under the Spain section at www.langlink.com.

The March 2002 issue of Condé Nast Traveler magazine has an excellent article, p. 100, about Oaxaca, Mexico.  It's called "one of the deepest, hippest places in the Americas."  Read this article, and you'll definitely want to investigate our partner school Becari in the Mexico section of  www.langlink.com.
OJO (Special Deals)
There is a new website out which offers fellowships for travel writing about foreign experiences.  They prefer trips of one to three months, and you must agree to write at least two journal entries and to submit at least four pictures per month.  You must submit proof of financial need, and the first award will be given by April 30.  See www.mytravelbug.org for details.  This would be a great way to underwrite your language study!

Positions using Spanish (paid and unpaid) are available through the South American Explorers Club
1.  The club in Quito, Ecuador, is looking for a new assistant manager, available after August 2002. If you are interested in applying, please email your resume to Cindy Smith at -
quitoclub@saexplorers.org.
2. Lima, Peru: Publicity Coordinator (Internship/Volunteer)
Requirements: Knowledge and experience (preferably) in marketing, including publicity and
promotion. Person must be presentable and have good inter-personal skills. A working
knowledge of Spanish is required as the candidate will spend much of his/her time
communicating with the local communities regarding what SAE has to offer. Due to the nature
of the position, a commitment of at least 3-4 months will be required. Benefits include lunch
and help with accommodation. To apply, email your resume to Simon Atkinson at
limaclub@saexplorers.org.

Rhythm & Book Blurbs
Oliver Sacks is an interesting combination of a writer and a neurologist, and you may know him from the movie Awakenings or the book The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat.  His latest book Oaxaca Journal (National Geographic Books $20), is about a 10 day tour of Mexican ferns, but includes the prehistory of the region and contemporary events.  What Sacks saw, in his words, "altered my view of what it means to be human."  It is a bittersweet, profound, lovely book.

One of our office favorites is the Cuban singer Silvio Rodríguez.  The lyrics to his music are good vocabulary practice, as they often are songs of social protest.  Cuba Classics 1, Greatest Hits, compiled by David Byrne, with album title "Canciones Urgentes" has liner notes in Spanish and English.  "Unicornio" is one of his best known songs.
Been There, Loved That
Our students are so helpful to us in sending in evaluations of the schools they visit. We'd like to share these with you...
    Don Quijote (formerly Amauta) of Cusco, Peru  "School well organized.  Teachers friendly, conscientious, willing to work towards students' objectives.  School helpful in helping to organize other trips, pickup arrival and departure."  Suzu Matsuda, Management Consultant, Canada
    Academia de Español Quito of Quito, Ecuador  "The experience of living and studying two weeks in Ecuador greatly enhanced my later travels.  Host family--They were wonderful and they will always be my Ecuadorian family."  Barbara Holtzman, Retired, Arizona
    Spanish Language Institute of Cuernavaca, Mexico (Executive Program)  "Wow!  What a great adventure in Cuernavaca!  I really enjoyed my month studying at the Spanish Language Institute.  They were great.  Of course, my stay with Rosita was excellent."  David Gray, US Environmental Protection Agency, Texas
    Becari of Oaxaca, Mexico  "Administrators were upbeat, helpful and always cheerful.  Family outstanding in every way."  Don Ford, Retired, Illinois
    CLIC of Seville, Spain  "I loved Sevilla--and the teachers at CLIC were great!  Very nice family."  Ruchi Kukreja, Student, Texas
    PLFM of Antigua, Guatemala  "Thank you for a wonderful experience at your school in Antigua.  I was part of a group from Minnesota, organized by our teacher here.  Special thanks to my teacher at PLFM--I would like you to know that she was absolutely wonderful, smart, fun, and gifted at what she does.  I hope to return some day.  Thanks again.  Karen Rusnacko, Registered Nurse, Minnesota
Likeable Links
Information on Cuernavaca, Mexico, including churches, archaeology, gardens, and many pictures...
cgi.aros.net
www.cuernavaca.cjb.net
www.nuestraimagen.net/mexico/index
We hope you enjoyed our news. Please visit us at  www.langlink.com. Or if you like a real voice, call us at 800.552.2051. We're on Central Standard Time.
Kay G. Rafool, Executive Director/Marcy Slane, Assistant Director
Language Link, P.O.B. 3006, Peoria, Illinois 61612 USA
Fax 309.692.2926 Worldwide telephone 309.692.2961 Toll free 800.552.2051
info@langlink.com
Hasta luego!

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