Hike in Rancho Palos Verdes

On Sunday, January 18, Language Systems - South Bay Los Angeles enjoyed a rugged outdoor hike in Rancho Palos Verdes. It was a two and a half hour hike with an incline of 1,300 feet and covered five miles of trails. 

Students had the opportunity to meet local residents of the South Bay and practice their English, and saw a breathtaking sunset on the way back.  It was a great way to keep our New Year's resolutions to get more exercise! 

www.languagesystems.edu

Ugly Sweater Contest

Colorful Christmas sweaters have been part of the holiday tradition in the United States for almost a century, but they weren't always considered "ugly." Sweaters that were brightly colored in mostly reds and greens and decorated with winter scenes, snowmen, Santa Claus, reindeer, Christmas trees, and everything related to the holiday were a common sight at holiday parties. It was often "grandmas" and  "aunties" who would give these sweaters as gifts that were often unappreciated. One might say that the sweaters have always been ugly, but only until recently have the ugliest sweaters become most popular. Younger generations are enjoying overly decorated holiday sweaters as more of a novelty than in the past by hosting "Ugly SweaterParties," where guests wear the ugliest holiday sweater they can find. 

At the end of last term, Language Systems hosted Ugly Sweater Contests at each of its campuses. Students, staff, and teachers were encouraged to wear ugly holiday sweaters for a chance to win a prize. There were lots of shiny bows, snowmen, snowflakes, and even some 3-D elements! It was very difficult to choose the best, but the winners definitely deserved it!

                             

www.languagesystems.edu

Ice Skating at Pershing Square - Downtown L.A.

Last Saturday, December 13, evening teacher Martin took 10 students to go ice skating Downtown at Pershing Square.

   

Every November the City of Los Angeles erects an ice rink at Pershing Square where people can ice skate for just $12.

Students from Brazil, Japan, Mongolia, Taiwan and Venezuela enjoyed the activity immensely.  

Martin Mazloom - Teacher at the DTLA campus 

www.languagesystems.edu

Hike at the Donald Trump Golf Course

            

On Sunday, December 14th the South Bay LA Campus went on a hike at the Donald Trump Golf Course in Rancho Palos Verdes. This hike has sweeping ocean views and a picnic area.  

             

Students joined TOEFL teacher Katie and ESL teacher Kurt on this outdoor, rugged adventure. At the end, we had coffee at the indoor cafe and watched the sun go down. It was a great day for outdoor exercise on the coast of California.

#SBLAcampus

www.languagesystems.edu

The Hotel Café in Hollywood, CA

Last Saturday night, students from Language Systems - LA Campus ventured to one of Hollywood’s premier music venues – The Hotel Café. Despite the name, it is neither a hotel nor a café, but instead a restaurant and bar which features some of LA’s top talent playing in a comfortable, ambient lounge setting. 

On this particular evening, the students came to the Hotel Café to hear the musical stylings of Smithfield Bargain, an LA-based jazz-folk band, as well as the music of an amazing group of three girls called The Honey Whiskey Trio.  

Situated in one of Hollywood’s best walkable areas near Cahuenga and Hollywood Blvd, it’s easy to find something to suit your fancy. Bonus: it's close to a metro stop, so no need to worry about traffic or parking!

Daniel- Downtown LA teacher

www.languagesystems.edu

The Midnight Mission (TMM)

On Saturday November 22nd & Sunday November 23rd, 35 LSI students & friends joined me at The Midnight Mission (TMM) to help with their Thanksgiving prep. Thanksgiving is the busiest day of the year for them, serving over 2,300 meals on that day alone. The mission needed dedicated volunteers to help them with the food preparation. We were more than happy to lend them a hand!

On Saturday, we peeled and chopped yams from 10am-1pm. Harris, one of the volunteer coordinators, gave us a personal tour of the mission before we got started. We learned about the history and purpose of TMM, how they've been helping people get off the streets and build their lives back again. TMM has been operating for 100 years now and they've only missed one day of serving meals! Later, our group enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Urth Caffe minutes from TMM.

On Sunday, we helped chop vegetables & prepare lots of turkey! One of the TMM assistants took us on a tour after we finished. It was a wonderful experience overall. It inspired many to continue with volunteer work and also appreciate the little things in life we often take for granted. We had such fun and positive energy throughout the two days we volunteered. Looking forward to scheduling more volunteer events the next coming months.

Caroline - LSILA Teacher

LSI Halloween Party 2014

Every year LSI throws a Halloween Party for hundreds of international students, and it is always so much fun to see how creative the students can get with their costumes.  

                   

                                                           

This year, there were 4 categories for the costume contest: Most Creative, Funniest, Scariest, and Best Couple/Group. The Best Couple Costume went to a male and female student who dressed up as a kind of zombie couple in wedding outfits. They were both really scary looking. I think they even freaked out a couple of the judges when they did their walk in front of the judging panel. It was a lot of fun! 

         

During the party, students had many chances to win prizes like one-of-a-kind LSI Halloween t-shirts and gift cards.  We also had a special performance from a Japanese student representing the LSI-Los Angeles campus. He did a dance impersonation of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” The audience cheered and clapped in response to this student’s cool performance.  
                 

                                                      

Of course, we all enjoyed the all-you-can-eat buffet of delicious Japanese food. After dinner, the performance, and the costume contest, it was time to dance the night away as the DJ played hits for LSI students gathered on the dance floor. For our international students, Halloween is always a special opportunity to experience one of the most interesting holidays in American culture.

www.languagesystems.edu