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/

Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens

On Saturday, April 29^th, a group of us headed to Pasadena to explore the beautiful Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. 

Our first stop was the Library Exhibition Hall where we saw rare manuscripts, original works of Shakespeare, the Gutenberg bible and several other works from renowned writers. 

Across the way, we took a mini-tour of the Huntington mansion which had a massive art collection. 

We then had lunch at one of the cafes and had great chats all around.

The biggest attraction was, of course, the Botanical gardens. The Rose, Japanese, Chinese and Desert gardens were all breathtaking. 

Each garden boasted its own unique look and style. 

There were several gardens we didn't get to see due to time but we'll definitely come back there again. 

What an amazing time!

By Teacher Caroline (DTLA)

http://lifestyle.languagesystems.edu/

Sriracha Factory Tour

Last February 17, NELA students took a tour of the famous Sriracha sauce factory.  I’m sure you have seen, or heard, of the famous sauce in most restaurants, as it has become quite popular in recent years.  It’s difficult to miss with its distinctive bright red color and green top.

We were very lucky to see the inside operations and workings of such a popular item.  The tour guide gave us some history about the owner and how kind he is to all his workers.  She guided us through their shipping warehouse and the processing machines.  The machines were loud and had many moving parts and processes.  It was fascinating to see how much work and effort is placed to provide the public with something we often take for granted.  The students were curious and excited to see everything put together from simple elements and ingredients. 

At the end of the tour, we were taken to their merchandise store and we were given a free, small bottle, of Sriracha.  

They were very kind and helpful to us, even though we had a torrential downpour that day.  We hope we can visit again to get the full tour, as we were given a limited one due to the rain.  It was a great experience and students enjoyed it.

 By Carlos Takashima, PC at NELA

http://languagesystems.edu/