Futsal Tournament

This year’s Futsal tournament was quite competitive and filled with drama from beginning to end.  

There were some dominant teams that showed they were there to display their abilities and add points to their lead.  

Students from every campus were enthusiastic and supportive of their teams and made every effort to keep their spirit alive. 

And although not everyone can win, we all won a good time and the opportunity to meet our fellow students from other campuses and use the English abilities students came to learn.  

Torrance and OC battled it out in the end with Torrance coming out victorious.  

After the tournament, everyone was ready to take down a couple of slices of pizza and refreshments, while taking advantage of the photo booth opportunities.  

We’re sure students had a great time and made some great memories with their friends.  

We look forward to next year’s Futsal tournament and hope it will be just as fun as this year.

 By Carlos Takashima, Program Coordinator at Pasadena Campus 

http://languagesystems.edu/ 

Korean BBQ night

With the term coming to an end, the Pasadena evening students decided to take a rest from test preparation and spent the evening enjoying a savory meal.

The students found an all-you-can-eat restaurant to eat as much as they could. After a couple of hours of eating KBBQ, they decided to go home and recover from all the delicious food. It was a great way to initiate the weekend.

By Marco Cervantes, Teacher at Northeast Campus 

http://languagesystems.edu/ 

Basketball Tournament Memories

The morning of March 10, 2017 was filled with the energy of the students arriving at our annual basketball tournament.  People were wearing smiles and their proud school colors to support their school’s team.  Their spirits were high and their voices even higher.  The court began to fill up with students and the fun began as the game whistles went off.  Program coordinators running around trying to keep things in order, Office Managers trying to organize staff, and our Marketing team doing their best to make sure everything was going as planned.

Nothing is easy about the tournament; some teams have trained for weeks.  There was some serious planning behind this entire event, but it’s worth it to see the students smiling and using their voices to show their happiness to watch their classmates try their best at basketball.  The games were packed with action and filled with drama.  Some games were so close that they had to be decided on free throws.  People were biting their nails, losing their voices, and some making new friends.  In the end the team from OC was the victor and proud champion for the year.  So congratulations to the Orange County Champions. That’s what the basketball tournament is about; interactions that help motivate students to use their English to build lifetime friendships. 

We are committed at Language Systems to making our events memorable experiences.  Language Systems is built from the efforts of people that care about student progress and their quality of life in the United States.  We are about inclusion, understanding, and respect.  We want our students to experience as much as possible and remember us for good times and learning experiences that help them become international ambassadors, even if it’s with a simple basketball tournament.  So don’t be shy and participate with all your classmates.  Who knows, you may surprise yourself with how much English and life skills you’ve learned.

 By Carlos Takashima, PC at NELA

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/

Bowling Night with DJ!!

We were a mixture of "old" pros and new new bowlers that met at AMF Bowl-O-Drome on Saturday.  After entering are names and waiting on a few late arrivals we played our the first game.  Johnny was able to get two strikes in a row to start us off. While Vanessa and Mariana needed a few tips to begin. 

Zihao started off strong but mentioned his arm got tired by the end.  Jesus started off a little slow but by the end became a real force to be reckoned with. He also was able to get two strike in a row. For the next game we chose teams. The girls choose me, and the guys were feeling pretty confident until Mariana got her first strike, then Vanessa, and then, our resident Russian dancer, Uliana knocked them all down as well.  

In the end our team won but there were no hurt feelings. We laughed about the game over sushi at Anza Sushi and finally it was time to call it a night.

http://languagesystems.edu/

Captain America: Civil War with DJ!!

We started off early on Saturday, meeting at 11:30 for brunch and a Movie instead of the usual afternoon routine.  Everyone seemed a little tired but was excited to see The Avengers go head to head; Team Captain America vs Team Iron Man.  

 

Team Iron Man included me (DJ), Jia Jia, and Nick both from China... Why: "We love his suit, cool technology, and arrogant humour"

Team Captain America was Andrea, Johnny, Zihao and Winaga.  Andrea and Johnny thought he was handsome. Zihao and Winaga liked that he always does the right thing and tries to protect his best friend.

Everyone agreed that our favorite hero was Spiderman! We had fun and the movie was really good... And we can't wait for the next big film!

http://languagesystems.edu/

Earth Day in OC!

During the month of April, each of our Language Systems International campuses has their own way to allow students the opportunity to do something positive for the environment.  

At the Language Systems International Orange County campus, each April international students have the opportunity to participate in a volunteer project called “Beach Cleanup.”  This activity takes place at the Huntington Beach pier, and it is a chance for international students to help keep California clean by roaming the beach in search for trash and debris.  It is truly sad how much trash and debris people just throw on the beach, especially since there are large trash cans about every 30 feet (10 meters) or so. 

 For students who want to do this kind of volunteer work on a regular basis, they can join the Huntington Beach Surfrider Foundation.  This organization is dedicated to keeping California beaches clean.  The next time you visit a beach in California, remember to throw all your trash in a trash can.  If you see any trash on the beach, maybe pick up a few pieces and throw it in the trash can, even if it’s not your trash.  Together we can keep California clean!

http://languagesystems.edu/

Batman vs Superman with DJ!

Saturday, we had a great time hanging out, eating, and watching Batman vs Superman!

First we headed to the food court so we could avoid the lines and snack prices at the theater.  Next we headed over to the theater early to make sure we could get good seats. Unfortunately we couldn't all sit together because it was super crowded even though it was 30 mins before the show. 

 The students were a little sleepy during the first half of the film, but when the big explosion happened, everyone woke up and was totally back into the action. After the film we all agreed that Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman was our favorite character. Lunch and a movie with friends is the best way to start any spring break.  

http://languagesystems.edu/

Party Night at the Museum with DJ in the South Bay!

We had a little drama getting tickets for the The Natural History Museum's, season's opener, First Fridays event. Because my students didn't heed my advice to buy your tickets early! 

First we needed a few more drivers, which luckily we found easily. Then we quickly navigated through L.A.'s wild jungle traffic to be first in line to get the tickets that would soon be released to the non-members of the museum.  Luckily we arrived with plenty of time. Actually an hour with chatting, and connecting with each other was perfect before we walked in the venue filled with DJ's and a live band. After leading an initial intro to the museum, namely the Los Angeles Begins Exhibit, I sent some of the students off to explore the history of the natural world, while others followed me to the dance floor to boogie to the always fantabulous Michael Jackson "ABC"  tune!

http://www.languagesystems.com/