We are going to miss you, Peter

Working at Language Systems is a great way to meet awesome students from all over the world.  

Sometimes students just study English here for 2 weeks, while others stay 2 years. When it comes time to say goodbye, sometimes it is really hard. That is the hardest part about being a teacher and getting to build close relationships with your students. Well, today we had to say goodbye to a very popular student named "Peter." 

After just 3 months of studying English at our Orange County campus, he had to return to Thailand. Some fellow students took him to the airport to say goodbye. Some of his friends cried because they really became great friends over the past 3 months. We will miss you Peter! Good luck to you in Thailand and we wish you all the best for your life and future. Until we meet again...

 By Ty Mussack, Program Coordinator at OC

http://languagesystems.edu/

LSI's 30th Anniversary Party

Maria, the co-owner, giving a speech

On Friday, August 18^th, Language Systems had its 30th-anniversary party at the elegant Spanish-style Luminarias restaurant, located on a hilltop in Monterey Park and surrounded by breathtaking views of the San Gabriel Valley. The evening started off with appetizing hors d’oeuvres and refreshing drinks while a live band serenaded the crowd with beautifully played Spanish music. 

Current & Former Teachers

Since it was the 30^th anniversary, many current and former LSI employees attended, so there were a lot of people who had not seen each other in several years. Teachers who had worked at LSI from the beginning were there, along with new teachers and current students. Many people celebrated their reunions with pictures at the photo booth, some with crazy props and others more serious. All these pictures can be found on Language Systems’ Facebook page, so check them out!

PC Ligia  & AD Michelle

Maria Sarry, the co-owner of Language Systems, started the evening off by welcoming and thanking everyone for attending the celebration. She recalled how it was when Language Systems first started 30 years ago in Pasadena with just three classes, all of which were taught by Maria herself! She thanked all the employees and students for making Language Systems what it is today.

OC Teacher Bhumika

Next, Michelle Buell, the Academic Director, presented awards to the teachers and employees who had worked at Language Systems for more than a decade. There were many in the crowd and each one was honored for their dedication and commitment to making Language Systems an exciting place for students to learn and experience American culture. Each long-term employee in attendance received a trophy as a show of appreciation for the many years of hard work and effort.

Ernesto, winner of Las Vegas Trip

Finally, there was a raffle of several $25 gift cards and one grand prize (which was kept a secret until the very end). As luck would have it, LSI employees and students from each of the four schools won gift cards. Finally, the grand prize ticket was announced; it turned out that the photographer, Ernesto from the Marketing Department, won a trip to Las Vegas! Everyone cheered and wished Ernesto good luck on his Las Vegas trip.

The festivities continued when the DJ arrived, and everyone enjoyed dancing and socializing for the rest of the night!

August 21st Solar Eclipse

People all over the country have been looking forward to the solar eclipse taking place on Monday, August 21st. 

A solar eclipse happens when the sun and the moon are positioned in such a way that the sun's rays are blocked by the moon. 

In some parts of the US, the moon will entirely block out the light of the sun for a short time and there will be darkness. However, in Southern California, we expected only about 60% coverage of the sun. 

There was no way the South Bay students were going to miss it! Since it is extremely dangerous to look directly at the sun (and we didn't prepare by getting glasses!) Teacher Corey and Sylvia made pin-hole viewers with cereal and cardboard boxes. 

The sun's light goes through a tiny pin hole and creates a projection of the sun's shape onto a white paper. 

When looking through the pin-hole viewer at different times, you can easily see the progression of the eclipse. 

At the start of the eclipse, you could see the sun's shape with a tiny portion clearly being blocked by the sun. 

At 10:21 am, the sun was just at tiny little crescent. Some students said it looked like a tiny banana. 

Later, we met some people who let us borrow their eclipse viewing glasses. You could see the eclipse so clearly! 

It was an amazing chance for our students to experience this incredible natural phenomenon! ​​​

 By Sylvia Sunada, Program Coordinator at Language Systems International

http://languagesystems.edu/

OC Fair 2017

On Wednesday, August 10, 20 students and the program coordinator from our Orange County campus spend the afternoon and evening at the OC fair. 

This is a summer tradition in Orange County, and the fair comes to an end this Sunday, August 13. Most of us got a little wrist band for just $30 and this allowed us unlimited rides on all the roller coasters plus two free games.  

It was a bargain!  

Some of the rides were fast, and others went really high in the sky. I (the program coordinator) am actually afraid of heights, so for the ride that went super high in the air, I had to literally close my eyes.  

One big part of the fair is all the BBQ food, so one of our students tried the huge BBQ turkey leg.  It was so huge that we passed the thing around and shared it between 5 to 6 students.  We also tried the roasted corn on the cob.  

It was delicious too.  We all hung out the whole day and got to make new friends and practice English.  

At the end of the night, we got to see a few fireworks, and everyone made it home safely.  It really was an awesome trip!

For photos, please see the album I created on the LSI Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/LSIUSA/videos/1823709644313631/

Six Flags Magic Mountain trip

LSI South Bay's 2nd Annual Six Flags Magic Mountain trip was amazing! Unfortunately, there was a hold up at the van rental place that caused a delay in the morning.

"Mr. Analog", our rental agent, had to use 4 computers for one transaction: one to scan, one to charge, one to "push" print and another to actually print. But I digress. After picking up the excited students, we started our road trip while singing Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars, and Beyonce along the way. 

Even after our unplanned delay we still arrived 5 mins before the gates opened and started our adventurous day.  The first coaster we planned to ride was X2 but after waiting an hour, the park suddenly announced the ride would be closed until further notice. 

After sulking for 30 seconds, we were off to the next! The Viper, Tatsu, Green Lantern, Superman, Goliath, River Run and The Lex Luther Elevator Drop were all more than enough excitement for one day, not to mention we were finally able to ride X2, which we all agreed was the best. 

We planned to leave early, but ultimately we stayed until closing. We happily sang our way back home to the South Bay campus to end an exhausting but entertaining day!

 By Sylvia Sunada, Program Coordinator at Language Systems International

http://languagesystems.edu/ 

Taco Tuesday

Taco Tuesday. Arguably the two greatest words in the English Language. 

On a recent Tuesday afternoon, some LSI South Bay students and teachers headed to Hermosa Beach eatery American Junkie to experience the splendor of $8 all you can eat tacos. 

The sea air was fresh and the vibe was very relaxing. 

It was a great opportunity for teachers and students to truly let their hair down together outside the classroom. 

Hopefully this becomes a regular activity!

 By Sylvia Sunada, Program Coordinator at Language Systems International

http://languagesystems.edu/ 

Major League Baseball game at Dodger Stadium

Last Sunday, July 23rd, 13 students from LSI Downtown enjoyed a very exciting Major League Baseball game at Dodger Stadium with teacher John. 

It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day, and for many students, it was their first time to experience "America's favorite sport". 

The students also enjoyed ticket prices that were less than half of the price at the stadium, which gave them extra money for Dodger (hot) Dogs and drinks. 

It was a dramatic game, in which the Braves hit a home run in the 9th inning, tying the score. The 1st place Dodgers were finally able to ​w​in with a walk-off hit in the 10th. 

Way to go, Dodgers!! ​We love attending Dodger games! Make sure to join us next time!​

By John Bury, Teacher at Language Systems International

http://languagesystems.edu/