Language Link Online
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May 2007 Online Newsletter...sent every other month
Tips and information about learning Spanish and about the people who speak it.  Personal attention is what has made Language Link grow, and we value your contributions.  Please send an email if you want to remove your name or add a friend to our newsletter list.
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 
How to Get a Handle on To Get
The English verb to get is one of those all purpose, catch all verbs which can be problematic when trying to find an equivalent in Spanish.  Just think how often you use this verb in English, and it's rampant in slang expressions.  When you want to use an equivalent in Spanish, you really have to look underneath the expression to see what you're really trying to express, as word for word equivalents for "get" are rare.  The easiest and most straightforward one is to think of it as "to obtain".  The verbs obtener and conseguir are direct translations.  Necesito obtener el precio.  ¿Dónde puedo conseguir un taxi?  However, consider the following "underneath" usages:
To get ready, in the sense of to dress, put on makeup, etc. - arreglarse    Necesito arreglarme para la fiesta.
To get lucky - tocarle la suerte    Me tocó la suerte ayer porque gané la lotería.
To get out of - escapar    Escapé de una situación muy mala.
To get sick - enfermarse   No quiero enfermarme. 
To get red - ponerse rojo  Debo moverme del sol porque no quiero ponerme rojo.
To get up (arise) - levantarse   Tengo que levantarme temprano.
To get along - llevarse bien    Mi amiga y yo nos llevamos muy bien.
To get together - reunirse  Tenemos que reunirnos pronto.
To get through - pasar   ¿Me permite pasar, por favor?
To get down, off - bajar(se)   Quiero bajarme aquí.
To get away - escapar  Los ladrones escaparon por la otra calle.
To get married - casarse   Mis amigos se casaron en la playa.
To get back - regresar   Necesitamos regresar a casa a las seis.
To get in the habit of - acostumbrarse  No quiero acostumbrarme a esta comida.
To get fat - engordarse  El se engordó mucho de su trabajo en el restaurante.
To get hurt - lastimarse   ¡Cuidado!  No quiero que te lastimes.
To get yours - salir con la tuya.  Espero que salgas con la tuya un dÍa.
To get it - comprender     No comprendo la relación entre ellos.
And there are many, many more.  Get moving, and get them all!
Cocina Cooking
Spiced Shrimp & Mango Salad  - Serves 4 - 6
An example of the new fusion Mexican cuisine
     1 head red leaf lettuce, 1 small cucumber peeled and sliced, 1 large Manila mango, peeled and sliced, 6 T. plain yogurt, 1 1/2 T. lime juice, 1 1/2 T. olive oil, 2 T. butter, 1 clove garlic peeled and minced, 1 T. curry powder, 1 1/2 lb. medium size raw shrimp peeled, salt and ground pepper to taste, 3 T. chopped cilantro
     Place lettuce leaves on flat serving platter.  Scatter over them cucumber slices.  Arrange mango slices on top and chill until ready to serve.  For dressing whisk together yogurt, lime juice and olive oil.  Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat and add garlic.  Cook for two minutes.  Stir in curry powder and cook 2 - 3 mins.  Add shrimp and stir fry until pink and tender (5-6 mins).  Season with salt and pepper.  Let cool.  Spoon shrimp over the salad.  Drizzle the dressing over all and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.
Culture Clips 
Fireworks in Costa Rica
       Was it a secret desire engendered by my children’s science project of building a volcano in the basement, an experience equally shared by 99% of parents?  Or was it a reaction to reading that only ten people of each three millions of world inhabitants have the opportunity to see, during their lifetime, some volcanic eruption.  Whatever the reason, I find myself in Costa Rica, on the way to see an active volcano erupt.  Accompanying a group of Spanish students at Intercultura of Heredia, a bus is taking us to the Arenal Volcano.  Even though this country is filled with volcanoes, Arenal is without doubt the most picturesque of them all.  Since bursting into the sky in 1968, this volcano has been constantly active, glowing in the night and sending lava flowing down its sides.  It’s one of the most exciting ecotourist opportunities of this amazingly diverse country.  We arrive during daylight and at a hotel around the volcano. I have the opportunity to dive into a geothermal pool, warmed by hot streams which flow from the base of the volcano.  It’s amazing that I am able to relax in the naturally heated water, as my mind ponders the fact that I am quite near an erupting volcano.  However, the area is carefully monitored so that no catastrophes occur. 
         As the day darkens, the show begins.  It’s like having a front row seat in the ultimate fireworks display.  There is something uniquely thrilling about seeing the fiery red glow in the deepening blue skies of the tropical dusk. On an average, there are about twenty two small explosions daily, and some can even be heard.  Wow! 
       This is not the only volcano I have ever seen in my travels with Language Link.  I learned the Spanish word fumarola watching smoke plumes arise from a smoking volcano near Antigua, Guatemala.  In Quito I traveled in an area called the Avenue of the Volcanoes.  Many times I have passed the two volcanoes commonly called the Popo and the Ixta on the drive from the Mexico City airport to Cuernavaca. None of those, however, had actually bright red lava spilling down their sides, what I am seeing now.  
       It’s impossible not to think of geology as I ponder what is causing the fireworks.  Volcanoes are awesome manifestations of the fiery power contained deep within the earth. These formations are essentially vents on the earth's surface where molten rock, debris, and gases from the flows of searing lava, which can reach 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, are released.  The mountain-like mounds that we associate with volcanoes are what remain after the material spewed during eruptions has collected and hardened around the vent. This can happen over a period of weeks or many millions of years.  A NASA archaeological sensing project discovered old footpaths around the Arenal Volcano from 2,500 years ago.  Archaeologists indicate that a wandering people lived around Arenal as early as 10,000 B.C., finally settling permanently on the nearby lakeshore around 2,000 B.C. The people raised corn and beans and ate also from wild crops. The small population allowed them to survive the eruptions of the volcano, as after an eruption, the people would move a short distance away, and return once crops began to grow again.  Their doomed disappearance in the early sixteenth century wasn’t due to an eruption, but was most likely caused by a disease epidemic.
       My trivia memory kicks in as I remember that the name volcano has its origin from Vulcan, a god of fire in Roman mythology.  From Rome to Costa Rica is quite a journey, and although I have visited both, I am quite happy to be in Costa Rica at this moment.  At the risk of using a tired cliché, I have to say that to see an active volcano erupt is an experience which rocks you to your very core! 

The world in which you were born is just one model of reality.  Other cultures are not failed attempts at being you.  They are unique manifestations of the human spirit. - Wade Davis

Language Link's Latest 
     We always dislike announcing that some schools are already filled for the summer, but so it goes with very popular programs.  PLFM of Antigua, Guatemala is filled the entire month of June, and July spots are limited.  Lacunza of San Sebastián, Spain, has closed some weeks for their teen program.  The teen residence at Sámara Beach, Costa Rica, is filled, but family stays are still available.  At this point all dates in all our other programs are still open.  Please don't delay your summer registrations!
OJO (Special Deals)
    A contest continuing for several months!  We are now offering a free two week study trip to charming Antigua, Guatemala.  The winner will study at PLFM with a private instructor for six hours daily and will have a private room and three meals daily (except Sundays) with a local Guatemalan family.  Click on the contest box on our website, enter your name and a brief comment, and dream of Antigua!
     Last February some Language Link students took advantage of the tuition discount offered by the International Guide Academy.  The IGA tuition discount for our prior students is normally $100, but sign up by June 30, 2007 for the September 15 - 27 International Tour Manager Certification Program (taught in English) being held in Cuernavaca, Mexico, and receive a $200 discount.  Just include with your registration that you have been a student at any Language Link school and receive this discount.  This is also a perfect opportunity to combine Spanish classes by taking a week or more of the Spanish Language Institute program in Cuernavaca prior to or following the IGA class.  Take a look at http://www.bepaidtotravel.com/mexico
Rhythm & Book Blurbs
Purchase these items through our Language Link Shop.
     Music - Rodrigo y Gabriela – Although we usually recommend albums with sung lyrics, this one is receiving so much attention that we want to feature it.  The story of these two Mexican artists is fascinating, as out of desperation, they went to Dublin, working as freezing street performers.  From that start they ended up at the top of the Irish charts.  Their virtuoso duo-guitar instrumentals garnered them a following, and they play an eruptive mixture of rock rhythms, although their genre is impossible to classify.  If you enjoy Latin guitar, this is a must buy.
     Book – Gabriel García Márquez, the Colombian Nobel prize winning writer, recently turned 80 and was honored by a special edition of his famed novel One Hundred Years of Solitude.  He said that, while writing the novel, he could never have imagined in his “wildest dreams” attending a ceremony marking a multimillion copy of the saga of the Buendías.
"That a million people would read a story written in the solitude of my room, with the mere arsenal of the 28 letters of the alphabet and my two fingers, would have seemed crazy.
The Language Academies have published this new edition to pay tribute to a novel that has passed through the hands of more than 50 million people and to honor an insomniac artist like myself, who has been unable to shake the enormous sense of shock over everything that has happened,” said Gabo, as he is affectionately known.
     Another novel by García Márquez, Love in the Time of Cholera was voted the most popular novel in Latin America.  In November, 2007, a movie based on this book will be released, adapted for the screen by an Academy Award winner Ronald Harwood (The Pianist) and directed by Mike Newell of a recent Harry Potter film.  It will start Javier Bardém and Giovanna Mezzogiorno.  It tells the epic love story of a man who waits over fifty years for the love of his life amid the lush, romantic backdrop of early 20th century South America. 
     If you have never read either of these books, now is the time.  Because of the rich vocabulary, they are challenging to read in Spanish, but it would make a great project to read a Spanish version and an English version simultaneously.
Been There, Loved That
          PLFM of Antigua, Guatemala    I recently spent four weeks studying at PLFM.  This adventure was my second in six months and both were equally amazing.  Everything
about the school, from its beautiful setting in a ruin-lined garden to the friendly and dedicated instructors, made the normally arduous and awkward process of learning a second language thoroughly enjoyable.  It was well worth my effort as, after just 8 total weeks of instruction, I was able to earn a score of 3 on the Foreign Service Exam equivalent.  Additionally, Antigua is an enchanting colonial city, riddled with history and beauty.  However, beware.  The city (some would say the entire country) is addicting and you will most certainly find it difficult to leave! - Nathan MacKenzie, U.S. Coast Guard Officer, San Juan, Puerto Rico
       Intercultura of Heredia and Sámara Beach, Costa Rica   I would rate my experience as Superior.  María, my host mother, was so lovely, so easy to get along with and super accommodating, and she was also a very good cook, especially the sopas. The teachers at the school and all the admin staff were also excellent.  I only went for 2 weeks but I really enjoyed the whole experience.  I wish I could have stayed longer, that is for sure.  The weekend trips were well organized and lots of fun.  It was a great school and a wonderful experience completely. - Heather McDonald, Registered Nurse, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
     Academia de Español Quito, Ecuador - (from a leader of a high school group who combined Quito study with a Galápagos trip) Overall I would rate our experience as superior. The school in Quito did everything to ensure that we were comfortable, well-fed, and well taken care of.  We received very much attention and they were always available for whatever we needed.  Students were pleased with their instructors, and mine taught me about Ecuadorian history/economics and briefed me on the places we would visit as a group in the afternoon so that I could guide students myself.  – Valerie Silva, Spanish Teacher, Dalton, Georgia (already planning another Language Link group trip in 2008)
Likeable Links
More about Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica, including pictures
http://www.arenal.net/photo-gallery.htm
http://www.fortunawelcome.com/costa-rica/en/arenal_volcano/
http://www.cocori.com/photo/imaren/index.htm
http://www.ovsicori.una.ac.cr/
http://www.arenal.net/arenal-volcano-overview.htm

We hope you enjoyed our news.  Visit us at www.langlink.com
If you like a real voice, call us at 800.552.2051, Central Time, office hours 9 to 5.
Kay Godfrey, Director Latin America Office / Meredith Butler, Director U.S. Office
Language Link, P.O.B. 3006, Peoria, Illinois 61612 USA, Fax 309.673.9221, Worldwide Telephone 309.673.9220, Toll Free 800.552.2051  info@langlink.com
¡Hasta luego!

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