Language Link Online
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August 2003 Online Newsletter...sent every other month
Tips and information about learning Spanish and the people who speak it.  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 or a friend would like to be added to our online or mail list, email us at info@langlink.com.  If you have problems with this format, please let us know.
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
Please, please, pretty please!
Courtesy is of supreme cultural importance when speaking Spanish, and this is particularly true in Latin America.  U.S. Americans often do not realize that the manner in which they make a request can sound abrupt and rude when the native speakers are used to more "flowers".  For that reason it's really worthwhile to cultivate some elegant variations of por favor.  Try these out:
        A very simple way for beginners to make a request without even conjugating a verb - Favor de + infinitive.  Favor de abrir la puerta.  Favor de marcar el número.  Favor de escribir su nombre.  This is really a shortened and simplified version, but still acceptable, of (formal) Hágame el favor de....or (informal) Hazme el favor de....You can always add those on before to sound a little more polished.
        Then if you want to sound even less demanding...the equivalent of would you do me the favor of, ¿Me haría(s) el favor de + infinitive?.  ¿Me haría el favor de regresar a las cinco?  ¿Me haría el favor de traer la cuenta?
        If you simply say the I want version, Quiero una cerveza, it sounds a little short.  At least, add the por favor.  Even more finished is to use the alternative of I would like, Me gustaría una cerveza.  Even more elegant is the I might like/I should like variety to sound like a very proper gentleman or lady - Quisiera una copa de vino.
Another easy way is to use the equivalent of would it be possible to ...¿Sería posible darme la información, por favor?
        To really lay on the big courtesy guns...If you were to be so kind as to...Si fuera tan amable de darme la información.  Sometimes this just sort of hangs in the air without a finish.  Other times, you will hear it finished with a use of the conditional tense, le agradecería mucho.  This is the old formula of Si + past subjunctive in a contrary to fact situation followed by the conditional.
        Another wrinkle is when you're asking if someone "will" do something.  This one has nothing to do with the future tense "will".  Will you do it?  ¿Quiere hacerlo?  If you used, ¿Puede hacerlo? that implies the meaning of the capacity to do something, not necessarily the willingness to do it.  Contrast these:
Pablo lo hará.  Pablo will do it. Pablo, ¿quieres hacerlo?  Pablo, will you do it?
Pablo, ¿puedes hacerlo?  Pablo, can (ability) you do it?
Cocina Cooking
A refreshing summer drink and a Mexican salad
Tequila Jade
1 ½ ounces of tequila, 2 ounces of Midori liqueur, ½ ounce of lime juice, kiwi garnish
Blend all the ingredients with crushed ice. Serve in cocktail glasses adorned with slices of kiwi fruit.
Ensalada de camarones - serves 4
For cilantro vinaigrette - 1/4 C. each of vegetable oil, chopped cilantro, orange juice, lime juice, 2 T. chili sauce, 1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp grated orange zest, 1/2 tsp salt, dash pepper. Make vinaigrette by mixing all in blender or processor.  Chill.
For salad - 1 lb. cooked shelled shrimp, 2 C. corn kernels (preferably fresh, about 3 ears), 1 large avocado peeled and diced, 8 C. sliced Romaine lettuce, 1/4 C. minced cilantro leaves. For salad combine shrimp and 1/4 C. vinaigrette in large plastic bag, season with salt and pepper.  Twist tie bag closed and marinate in refrigerator for 2 - 4 hours.  To serve, put corn and avocado in bowl.  Toss with 1/4 C. dressing.  Toss lettuce and cilantro with 1/2 C. dressing.  Arrange lettuce on plates.  Mound avocado-corn mixture on lettuce.  Drain shrimp from marinade and place on top.
Culture Clips
        One of the favorite adventures among our students is to include a week in the Amazon while studying in Ecuador...see the Ecuador section of www.langlink.com. Many people think that this area is found only in Brazil, but it extends to several other countries.  In 1942 Ecuador was forced to hand over three fourths of its Amazon region to Peru, but it still remains the most easily reached jungle area in South America. From Quito it’s a bus ride of many hours, but across beautiful Andean countryside.
        Ecologically Amazonia is the richest area in the world.  It has at least ten million insect species alone, and there are about 1500 species of plants and animals.  You might imagine it to be a vast swath of green, but the jungle is inconstant, spattered here and there throughout the basin.  “The jungle,” wrote Mario Vargas Llosa, “is like a hot woman – always changing.”  As you travel down the Napo River tributary by canoe you will first notice the trees.  The sacred ceiba trees have giant muscled roots, and many others have remarkable defensive systems which are part of the complex pattern of mutually dependent species.  All the fertility lies above the ground, as there is a lack of soil.  What you are walking on is decomposing vegetation masquerading as solid earth.  There are butterflies bigger than monkeys, dragonflies which catch hummingbirds, and an immense variety of birds.  Most wildlife you will see are the amusing spider monkeys, but you may be fortunate enough to get a glimpse of a giant anaconda curled around a tree on the riverbank or a swimming crocodile.
        The Amazon Indians have been portrayed in many ways, but all agree that they are excellent ecologists.  Most who live on the edges of the Amazon are a mix of tradition and Western influence.  (Kay remembers an authentic, working shaman in tennis shoes, khaki pants and T shirt.  He and a group of college students from New York had a hilarious time swapping jokes.  Then that night he explained how he trained to become a shaman and gave a remarkable demonstration of how he diagnoses an ailment.)  Everything in the surrounding area is put to use, and the varieties of use for one single plant, from medicinal to nutritional, are extraordinary.
        Wet, noisy, and green, green, green!  When walking through the jungle, everyone wears high rubber boots, and these are provided by the lodges.  The jungle is quite marshy, and it would be impossible to navigate in sandals.  Long pants help protect your legs, but jeans aren’t a wise choice since they take a long time to dry.  Also, it’s a rain forest, so the question of the possibility of rain is redundant.  Yes!  It rains frequently and heavily.  The jungle will probably not be the way you have imagined it.  The sounds and whirrs of the insects seem almost electronic, so it is never quiet.  The birds at their afternoon cocktail party create an uproar which is unlike anything you may have ever heard.
        Apart from the physical sensations involved in a new and quite different surrounding, the lessons to be learned (in addition to more Spanish!) are deeply profound.  The first is to be reminded of our interdependence in this vast world.  We learn by cultural diversification, and often our eyes are opened to new realms of the spirit and insights into the very nature of existence.  Also, we are reminded of our use of natural resources.  To look at a giant flower and have its myriad uses described to you is an altering experience, when all you had appreciated prior to that point was its beauty.  As for natural resources, our students on their jungle adventures would not have been affected at all by the recent massive power outage.  It’s astonishing where a flashlight, candles, and a drink of rum without ice will get you.  (And if you really hanker for adventure, combine this with a Galapagos trip. That’s another subject for later, but we have provided a few resources.)
Spanish:  Bestow great attention on this and endeavor to acquire an accurate knowledge of it.  Our future connections with Spain and Spanish America will render that language a valuable acquisition.
                   - Thomas Jefferson, 1787
Language Link's Latest
        Our contest winner for two free weeks of tuition and host family stay in Córdoba, Spain,  is Tom Eagan of Friday Harbor, Washington.  He is a 53 year old who has worked in computer software.  Even though we had many new contacts enter the contest, the drawing turned up Tom, who studied with us once before in Guatemala. He commented, "Studying in Antigua was one of the high points of my education and life, and I have continued on with my study of Spanish.”  ¡Felicidades, Tomás!
        Intercultura of Costa Rica has extended the calendar for its beach campus in the beautiful Guanacaste region.  You can now combine study at Heredia with a beach week at Sámara Beach on any Monday of the year.
        Please do consider studying in the fall or winter.  These are delightful times to travel.  There's sunshine everywhere, with moderate temperatures in many parts of Spain, and warm days in Latin America.  Holidays are a great time for trips.  U.S. American Thanksgiving isn't a holiday, of course, and most Latin American programs are open during December holidays.  Our small village school, La Janda,  in Vejer de la Frontera, Spain, has a special Christmas cultural program.  See Spain at www.langlink.com
OJO (Special Deals)
    ANNOUNCING YET ANOTHER CONTEST FOR A FREE STUDY TRIP TO SPAIN!  Even though we have our first winner for a two week trip to Córdoba, we are offering a second one!  If you entered the first Córdoba round, we will still keep your name in for the second drawing.  If you passed it by the first time, do enter by hitting the Register Here for Free Trip box on the right side of our website.  www.langlink.com
All you are responsible for is your airfare to Spain, as two weeks of classes and homestay with meals are included in the free trip.  We have about 400 entries so far.
        If you can move quickly, Taca Airlines at www.taca.com has some incredibly low airfares to Latin America, to be purchased by Aug 22.  RT Chicago to Quito $299 or RT Miami to Quito $249.  As in all really low fares, you must have great flexibility with dates, but even their fall regular fares are quite good.
Rhythm & Book Blurbs
        "Mambo Sinuendo", produced by Ry Cooder of Buena Vista Social Club, is a new album of bluesy rumbas and mambos with Cuban guitarist Manuel Galban.
        It’s been out for several years, but is so enjoyable that we’re recommending it in case you missed it. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel is a delicious, original and funny novel set in turn of the century Mexico.  If you’re a cook, it’s especially pleasurable, and your challenge for the culinary year may be to prepare the stellar dish of Quail in Rose Petal Sauce (and Kay’s done it!).  There was also a movie made of this amusing book.  The title comes from the Mexican expression of someone being so angry that they are “como agua para chocolate”, or boiling hot.
Been There, Loved That
Our students are so helpful to us in sending in evaluations of the schools they visit. We usually share them with you here, but in this issue we're including various comments which people made when they entered our contest...
You have helped me begin a journey that I hope will never end for me.  Thanks. - James Urlacher (studied in Peru)
I love to look at the site to bring back wonderful memories of my stay in Antigua and to fantasize about studying in other parts of the globe.  I am so grateful for my time at your school; it has opened the world to me. - Elizabeth Newman (studied in Guatemala)
The website reflects how organized and straightforward you have always been.  Not just a bunch of glitz and fluff, but true quality and dependability...very important in a business coordinating foreign language programs! - Rita Dodge (studied in Oaxaca, Mexico)
I have studied Spanish in Costa Rica and Mexico, both with the help of Language Link.  I was nervous the first time and was wondering like my friends if I was losing some screws.  The first trip made me decide that this was something I needed to do to improve my quality of life.  My desire to learn Spanish has fueled my passion to learn about other cultures. - Jean Smith (studied in Costa Rica and Mexico)
I love your website and newsletter almost as much as I loved traveling to your school in Costa Rica.  Normally when companies send me their newsletters, it's boring and just a bunch of advertising.  However, your newsletter is always full of interesting cultural bits and helpful language tips.  I absolutely love it! - Susan Mann (studied in Costa Rica)
I want to pack my bags tonight and head off immediately to one of your language immersion adventures. - Jo Tyler (studied in Ecuador)
Likeable Links
AMAZON
http://gosouthamerica.about.com/cs/ecuador/ - A general Ecuador resource site
http://www.eduweb.com/amazon.html  - Very educational website on the Amazon
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/shaman/
http://www.pbs.org/journeyintoamazonia/ - A very good PBS program on the Amazon, with special teacher resources
GALAPAGOS
http://www.darwinfoundation.org/ - Very informative, has link to site for children
http://www.galapagos.org/ - General Galapagos site
http://www.saexplorers.org/galinks.htm - Run by South American Explorers club
http://pubs.nsta.org/galapagos/ - National Science Teachers Association

    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 with office hours 9:00 to 5:00.
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!