Language Link Online
Your Passport to Spanish Learning Adventures
www.langlink.com  Toll Free 800.552.2051   info@langlink.com
Full details of all programs on our website including fees and dates

July 2005 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 list, email us at info@langlink.com.
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

A Very Rich Word - Por

Para and por cannot simply be thought of as the English “for”, as they are both very rich in meaning.  To use them successfully you must think beyond the surface words.  Para is the easier, more limited one.  Think of it as handing something to someone, as destination of an object.  Este regalo es para ti.  Another use is for the purpose of – Este ejercicio es para aumentar (increase) el vocabulario.

 In a very broad sense you can think of por as being more inward and para with an arrow pointing outward.  A really frequent thing to say is Gracias por todo.  In this sense, it means in exchange for.  (Using para here is never correct, but it’s a common mistake we see frequently here in the office when people write us.)  Other uses with this exchange idea are in buying things.  ¿Cuánto por el libro?  Pagué 10 dólares por el regalo.

Think of por as having these extended meanings:

            By (times), per:  Dos por cuatro son ocho.  Voy a la clase dos veces por semana.  Prefiero viajar por tren.  Necesito hablar por teléfono con mi amigo.  El libro fue escrito por Carlos Fuentes.

            Through (along), throughout, during   Caminamos por el parque.  Voy a hacerlo por la mañana (an unspecified time).

            For the sake of, in favor of, on behalf of     Lo hice por el amor.  Voté por el mejor candidato.  Contrast the following:

Compré el regalo para ti.  (It’s going outward to you as a recipient.)  Compré el regalo por ti.  (I bought it on your behalf or for your sake.)  Trabajo para la compania, y trabajo por mi familia.  I work for the company, and I work for the sake of my family.

            For a period of time – Leí el libro por dos horas anoche.  But here be careful.  Para is used for a time deadline or specific time in the future.  Necesito el taxi para el lunes.  Te amo para siempre.

There are many idioms with por:  por cierto – certainly, por primera vez  - for the first time, por todas partes – everywhere, por fin – at last, por eso – therefore, por lo general – generally, as a rule, por dentro – inside, palabra por palabra – word for word, por supuesto – of course, por casualidad – by chance, por mi parte – as for me, por lo menos – at least, por allí– around there, that way, por adelantado – in advance

And don’t forget to distinguish between Por qué, meaning why and Para qué, meaning for what purpose.

Cocina Cooking

Grilled Fish Soft Tacos from Oaxaca – perfect for a summer evening.  Serves 4 to 6

            4 to 6 large firm fleshed white fish fillets (tilapia, orange roughy), juice from 3 limes, 8 cloves finely minced garlic, 2 T. chili powder, 1 T. sugar, salt and coarse pepper, 2 large onions cut into thick rings, 3 chopped tomatoes, 2 chopped avocados, 3 chopped green onions with green tops included, 1 red bell pepper seeded and chopped, 2 small jalapeno chiles seeded and minced, 3 canned chipotle chiles minced, chopped fresh cilantro, a selection of favorite salsas, 1 to 2 dozen warm soft corn tortillas, lime wedges for garnish.

            Rinse fish fillets and pat dry.  Squeeze lime juice over them and set aside.  Mix garlic, chili powder and sugar together and rub mixture onto fish, sprinkle with salt and pepper and let sit.   When other ingredients are chopped, put fish fillets under broiler or on a grill and cook until flesh is opaque.  While fish is cooking, place onion rings on grill or under broiler.  Cook until just beginning to brown.  Remove fish and pull meat apart with forks into loose flakes.  Place on a large platter.  Coarsely chop the onion rings.  Put all chopped vegetables in individual piles around edge of fish.  Scatter lime wedges and sprinkle cilantro for garnish.  Serve with several kinds of salsa of your choice and a basket of the warmed tortillas. 

Culture Clips

Almost every region in Latin America or Spain has its own special festival, but the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, has a spectacular one called the Guelaguetza.  The term comes from a Zapotec word which means offering, and in ancient times this was the celebration held each year to honor the gods for rain and a bountiful harvest.  The gods and goddesses of corn and water were the focal point of the ceremonies, taking place in the rainy season and on the feast day of Xilonen, goddess of tender corn, July 16.

The modern celebration is always held on the two Mondays following July 16, and was adapted through the church and the colonialist Spaniards to include such things as parades with monigotes, giant puppets manipulated by people inside them.  The original location was a hill now known as the Cerro del Fortín, the site of an indigenous garrison in the 15^th century.  This became the traditional place for celebrating Guelaguetza, also known as the Monday on the Hill, Lunes del Cerro.  In 1974 an amphitheater seating about 11,000 was built to accommodate the festival, which has become a major spectacle in Mexico.

Several years ago I was privileged to attend the Guelaguetza with a group of students, and it is a remarkable memory.   We started out early in the morning, watching the seats fill up as the excitement built.  Ethnic groups from all seven regions of the state of Oaxaca had sent delegations, and it was a great honor to represent one’s own particular village.   Pageantry was everywhere, as the current winner of the Goddess Centeotl contest entered in pomp and style.  Giant balloons soared up into the sky, music was played, and color was everywhere.  Each delegation presented a dance with unique costumes, and what was most enjoyable for me was that these were not professional dancers, but rather everyday villagers.  There were mistakes, a few trips and stumbles, but all was done with such enthusiasm and honesty that the slipups were overlooked. This was not a “done for the tourist trade” performance, but an authentic representation of hometown pride.   The color and beauty, combined with the emotional reactions of the audience, was deeply moving. 

An additional element of unexpected fun was added when I realized that each group which danced threw things into the audience at the end of each dance.  Including such things as pineapples, bread, cheese, mescal, or straw hats, these were all representative products of each area.  Either those in my group were very avid catchers or our seats were strategically located, because we caught enough of these prizes to constitute an entire picnic lunch.  What an enjoyable way to participate in a cultural celebration, as later we enjoyed our “catch of the day” picnic, with tropical fruit juice drizzling down our chins.

 

The traveler is active; he goes strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience.  The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him.  He goes “sight-seeing.”                                         - Daniel J. Boorstin

 

Language Link’s Latest

     We will be offering a program in Mexico City in the fall.  The school is located in the trendiest area of the city, La Condesa, and all family stays will be in that same area.

      Lacunza of San Sebastian is offering the addition of a surfing course now available year round. 

      We already have two college groups planning trips to Ecuador next year.  We love seeing young people have these valuable growth experiences.  And remember that even if you’re not a college professor, you can still organize a group of your friends and receive many bonuses. 

      Due to many requests we are pleased to announce that there is a new Medical Spanish course at the Spanish Language Institute of Cuernavaca.  The program includes three private hours of classes emphasizing medical vocabulary and situations and another three hours of general conversation in a group.  The cost is $450 per week for the classes, and best of all, it can be started on any Monday throughout the year.

OJO (Special Deals)

     These are the last two months of our contest for free two weeks of study (3 hours daily) and stay with a Mexican host family (breakfast only included) at one of our most popular schools, Becari of Oaxaca, Mexico!   Check out Becari on our website.  Try your luck (the odds are great!) and go to the contest box on our website, enter your name, a brief comment, and dream of Oaxaca.

    ILISA of San José, Costa Rica and Panamaoffers a $100 discount when you combine study in both their locations.

    A great value to consider is the SuperIntensive Workshop Class at Becari of Oaxaca.  This combines Spanish classes with a series of two hour daily workshops (weaving and pottery, for example) in the afternoons.  Only $220 per week for a great combination of Spanish plus culture and handcrafts of Oaxaca.

     Keep an eye out as the euro weakens against the US dollar.  Each point that it drops means that your classes in all our locations in Spain will be cheaper.

     If you are planning study for 2006, we will be posting new prices by October.  Note that in most Latin American schools, they will give you the 2005 prices if you register by Nov 1 for 2006 study dates.

Rhythm & Book Blurbs

Music – Chavela Vargas is a very renowned Mexican traditional singer with a deep heavy voice which has been described as an emotional rollercoaster.  Although some of the songs with great lyrics may make you want to cry in your tequila, do consider these two albums, Colección de Oro and Sentimiento de México, Vol. 2.  She will sing straight to your heart and to your senses.

Book –  Streetwise Spanish:  Speak and Understand Everyday Spanish, by Wegmann and McVey. This is the best of the “slang” books on the market.  There are some off-color words, but the main focus is on colloquial expressions that you can actually use.  Especially good is that colloquialisms are explained by region, making distinctions between those used, for example, in Argentina, Mexico or Spain.  It’s a fun read and a valuable educational resource,

Both the book and music albums are available through our Language Link Shop.

Been There, Loved That

Antigua , Guatemala

I honestly think that I learned more of the Spanish language in the two weeks that I attended PLFM and lived in Guatemala than I’ve learned in the 6 years that I’ve taken Spanish courses in the United States.  It helps so much that you are forced to use the language in your day-to-day functioning!  I wished I could have stayed and studied longer.  J. Berens, College Student, Iowa

Quito, Ecuador

         Instructor was the very accommodation of what I wanted.  J. Decker, Retired, California

Madrid, Spain

        The structure of the class is superb.  The instructors work together to coordinate the lessons.  The morning is spent on applied grammar and vocabulary and the late morning focuses on conversation.  Instructors for conversation rotate to enable students to hear different accents, styles, etc.  We learned a tremendous amount.  D. Larson, Asst. Vice President, Ohio.

Cuernavaca, Mexico

       The school is wonderful.  Very organized, lots of trips available, excellent teaching, friendly, helpful staff.  And of course, Cuernavaca is beautiful.  Sue and Paul Field, Teacher and Administrator, California

Oaxaca, Mexico 

       We had a wonderful and satisfying experience studying Spanish at Becari.   They arranged two teachers, Alfonso and Isis, for us who immediately started teaching at the advanced level that we both still needed after our many business and vacation trips to Latin America.  Yet Alfonso concentrated on the many uses of the subjunctive and Isis brought each day a new topic on politics or social issues that greatly interested us.  We ended up discussing, for example, all issues relating to legalizing divorce or how to curtail political corruption.  After finishing our studies, we went to the Pacific coast of Mexico and we felt quite comfortable fluently conversing in Spanish.  In short, we made miles of progress and felt quite comfortable with Spanish, thanks to the professional efforts of Becari.  The Marks, Consultants, Florida.

Heredia, Costa Rica

       My experience far surpassed anything I could have hoped for.  I had a wonderful family, great teachers and made really good friends from all over the world.  J. Bell, Engineer, Washington.

Likeable Links

Websites on the Guelaguetza, festivals and Oaxaca

http://oaxacalive.com/guelaguetza.htm

Information and pictures of the Guelaguetza

http://www.go-oaxaca.com/traditions/guelaguetza.html

Another informative site on the Guelaguetza

http://oaxaca-travel.com/

            A general site on Oaxaca

 

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 Time with office hours 9:00 to 5:00.  
Kay G. Rafool, Exec. Director/Christina Henderson, Asst. Director, Language Link, P.O.B. 3006, Peoria, Illinois 61612 USA, Fax 309.692.2926 Worldwide 309.692.2961 Toll free 800.552.2051
info@langlink.com        ¡Hasta luego!

Contact Language Link: Kay Godfrey, Director Latin American Office Meredith Butler, Director US Office 2008 W Kellogg Avenue West Peoria, IL 61604 USA

Toll free: 800.552.2051 World telephone: 309.673.9220 Fax: 309.673.9221 email: info@langlink.com

follow us on twitter , youtube or facebook