DTLA Tour!

The field trip to downtown Los Angeles was a great time. Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves.

We started out by eating sausages at a traditional German style sausage making restaurant.  After enjoying some of this cuisine in the arts District, just south of Little Tokyo, we went to the Disney concert hall to tour the property.We explored the building and the architecture, as well as the beautiful gardens above.

We ended our trip, unexpectedly, at the Broad museum, which at the time had no line.

The museum was awesome, and we enjoyed works by Andy Warhol and Mike Kelly.

The students also really loved the big furniture and the giant balloon animals. We hope to go again!!

By Jason Hardwick, Teacher at NELA 

http://languagesystems.edu/

US Open of Surfing!!

Every summer, student from our OC campus visit Huntington Beach for the US Open of Surfing. This is the oldest and biggest surfing competition in the United States. 

For the past few years it has been sponsored by Vans, and the two together make up a very good example of true California beach culture. This event is not just about surfing, this year our students seemed pretty blown away at the insane skateboarding that we saw. It is truly amazing to see how crazy skaters can get these days.

The weather was perfect, and the surfing and skating made the day a perfect taste of California beach culture. This event will wrap up on Sunday July 31 with the finals of the men's and women's surfing competion. If you are in Southern California this weekend, get down to Huntington Beach!

Ty Mussack, Program Coordinator at OC

http://languagesystems.edu/

Basketball Tournament 2016!!

On Friday, March 11^th, students, staff, and teachers from all 4 Language Systems campuses got together in San Pedro for the annual Basketball Tournament! LSI-LA was decked out in yellow, NELA was looking strong in green, OC was intimidating in red, and South Bay rode in on a calm blue wave. Each team brought a cohort of supporters and cheerleaders which provided an energetic and colorful atmosphere inside the Peck Park gym.

After enjoying some early morning muffins, brownies, and juice, the games got underway! SB’s first match was against LA. OC’s first match was against NELA. LA put up a good fight, but SB was ultimately the winner of this matchup. The next opponent for SB was OC. This was a very exciting competition, as both teams appeared to be equally matched! OC and SB were virtually neck and neck for a good portion of the game, but SB once again finished strong for the win. The third and final match of the tournament saw OC and LA competing for 3^rd place, and SB and NELA fighting for 1^st and 2^nd places. At the start of this game, NELA held a solid lead of 5-0, leaving the SB Sharks hungry for points! NELA’s team was very talented and showed no signs of weakness. Both teams were playing strong, maybe a little too strong! There were several fouls on both sides! In the second part of this match, SB found their rhythm and took out NELA 7-15 to take the trophy.

The South Bay Sharks did several victory laps around the gym, showing off their well deserved trophy. The team took celebratory shots with their cheering section and took the party outside for pizza.

All of the LSI teams made a great showing at the 2016 Basketball Tournament. The teams were very well practiced and showed a great deal of skill and preparation.

Thank you to all the players, fans, staff, and teachers for making this another great Language Systems event! We can’t wait for soccer next term!

http://www.languagesystems.com/

How to play pool with DJ!

On Saturday the students and I met to play and learn to play pool.  I was surprised to see that our new Chinese student, Lisa, was actually a pretty good player and very competitive, like a mini version of me! 

The other students took instruction very well and after playing against each other on teams (South/North America vs Asia, Girls vs Boys, Older vs Young)  for a couple of hours we decided it was time to eat!  

After a little restaurant debate, we finally decided walk on over to Hamburger Habit and wow was it ever so delicious! I think we all developed a habit after this and look forward to enjoying each others company again soon!

http://www.languagesystems.com/

Movie time with DJ!

We met for lunch a little later than usual. The students and I were all starving before our afternoon matinee.  We decided to fill our bellies at Stack'd.   The coolest thing about eating there is not only can customize your pizza, burger, or salad on your private iPad in the middle of each table but you can also pay your bill separately at the end of your meal. Did I mention filling our bellies? Boy oh boy did we ever!

We slowly carried our overstuffed bellies to the theater for Kung Fu Panda 3. Everyone was excited and hopeful they could understand what they were about to see.  Unfortunately, because we all were in a food coma, and the theater was cold and dark, two students were treated to a premium nap time which cost only $12! The rest of us were treated to a few laughs AND tears. The movie was funny and quite touching but not quite as good as the first two installments. 

All in all, we all had a good time having lunch and a movie.

http://www.languagesystems.com/

Wine tour with John!

On President's Day, Feb. 15th, 10 students and guests visited Santa Barbara for breakfast, wine tasting, sightseeing in Solvang, and trying their luck at Chumash Casino. Breakfast was at Summerland Beach Cafe, and was an instant hit...eating delicious food on the outdoor veranda enjoying the beautiful weather.

 After wine tasting at Koehler Winery & Vineyards and Rusack Winery and Vineyards, the students went sightseeing in Solvang, a cute little European-style village, before trying their luck at Chumash Casino.

Several students won some money with the $50 they received as free-play for signing up as player's club members. Everyone commented on how much they enjoyed the trip!!

- John Bury, LSI teacher / tour leader

http://www.languagesystems.com/

Valentine’s Day Celebration at the Downtown Los Angeles Campus

Valentine’s Day Celebration at our Downtown Campus

Valentine’s Day is such a popular holiday in the U.S.A!

Last week we had an awesome Valentine’s Day celebration! Students, teachers, and staff gathered at the front desk to take some romantic pictures and enjoy some chocolate fondue…

                 

The chocolate fountain was very popular! There is nothing better than chocolate covered strawberries on Valentine’s Day!

                           

                                     

While students enjoyed the chocolate fountain, some of them shared their countries’ Valentine’s Day traditions. It was a lot of fun!

In the United States it is very common for couples to exchange gifts. Chocolate and flowers are definitely the top gifts on that day. It is also very common for children to exchange valentines at school. They are little notes with romantic messages and drawings given along with candy!

                                                                                                                      

                                       Happy Valentine’s Day!

http://www.languagesystems.com/

Loyola Marymount University visit!

Last night we went to Loyola Marymount University.  We arrived at 6 and the lecture started at 6.15 . 

The lecture was on Modern Day Slavery.  LMU Professor Jody Finkle gave a lecture for an hour and thirty minutes.  After the lecture students were encouraged to ask questions.  Although the main purpose of this event was to gain new information about modern day slavery,  another important  purpose was to give Language Systems International students an opportunity to get a feel of what it's like to be a university student.  

The purpose was also to test their English proficiency level,  and use that as motivation to work harder and learn English even better.  After the lecture the students had a university tour.  We visited the library,  a few departments and classrooms. It was a huge success. 

http://www.languagesystems.com/

Bowling time with Teacher Caroline!

On Friday, January 29th, Language Systems International students joined Teacher Caroline for another fun night of bowling at Shatto 39 Lanes. 

It's become a favorite outing among students. All had a wonderful time. 

They enjoyed great conversations and laughs all evening.

http://www.languagesystems.com/

A Taste of Orange County with Ty

 

Today we visited "little Arabia" off the 5 freeway and Brookhurst in the city of Anaheim. We had lunch at a Lebanese hole-in-the-wall called Zait & Zataar.  The food was amazing! We had shawarma, hummus, and some amazing pastries and bread items that I have no idea how to say.

  Some of our students were from Saudi Arabia, and they even said the food was delicious.  It was only about 10 minutes from our Language Systems - Orange County campus.  Our Taste of OC activity takes place each month and it is designed to give our students a chance to eat some of the amazing international food we have here in California. 

 If you love food, you are really lucky to be studying English in California because we have authentic food from all over the world!  

Until next time, thanks everybody for coming out to lunch today!

http://www.languagesystems.com/

Bowling Night With Scott

The South Bay students gathered together for a fun night of bowling. Omar 's smashed finger didn't stop him from cracking some pins. Masashi and Takuya provided plenty of energetic dancing and other entertaining moves. Best bowler award should probably go to Gerson for his nearly flawless technique. Tucked together closely and comfortably on three lanes, we all made the best of another great activity.

http://www.languagesystems.com/

Arabic Culture Night in the South Bay with Brandon!

Many students attended Arabic Culture Night, ready to smoke hookah, drink tea and engage in discussions in a relaxed environment with Brandon Monahan, a teacher from LSI's South Bay Campus.

Although most of the students were from Saudi Arabia, there were two Japanese students and one Chilean student in attendance. Questions were asked of the Arabic students about their culture, including what is normally eaten while smoking hookah, how often this practice is done in any given week and why they think hookah has become so popular in the United States.

It was a great time to practice English, learn a few key Arabic phrases and revel in the camaraderie that bridges cultural and geographic borders.

It was an exciting night that extended late into the evening, leaving everyone breathless (and not just because of the hookah).