Welcome Mariana!

We are honored to welcome Mariana (picture, right) to our faculty.

Mariana is a lawyer and an accountant from Rio, Brazil.

Her students are already impressed by her dedication and fun approach to each lesson.

Andi, Ian, Valeria, and Mariana

TOEFL PREPARATION AND BUSINESS ENGLISH

Language Loop is here for YOU! We help you achieve your professional goals!

We are starting several sessions for Business English, Advanced English, and TOEFL Preparation soon.

Programs are offered at the right time, right price, and taught by the right teachers. :-)))

Fall colors in Wisconsin.. . A field trip with Rafa

Lots of pumkins. . .

. . . and lots of apples!!

Expecting a Brazilian-American girl. . .

Valerie, from Brazil, has been our angel for two and half years. Now, she is expecting a little angel that will be named Bella Sophia. We already have a nickname for the baby: Belinha! Pronounced be-lin-ya. :-)) It means little beauty. Can't wait to hear Valerie speaking Portuguese with her. . . Sweet!

RAFA: A NEW FRIEND FROM MEXICO

When Clara called us inquiring about English lessons for her 18-year old nephew coming from Guanajuato, Mexico, we knew that he would be joining our Language Loop family. We connected immediately.

Rafa (picture, right) has been taking intensive lessons in our center. Everyday he comes with a smile and everyday we see improvement in his language skills. What a great opportunity this is for him and for all of us!!

RUSSIAN

Can you believe that we are currently offering ALL levels for RUSSIAN in a small class setting? If you are intrigued by this language, do not hesitate to give us a call at 312-234-9835. We certainly have options for YOU! :-)

Oktoberfest Pictures

Desa

There are people that inspire us. Desa, from Serbia, is one of those people, without a doubt.

We met Desa two months ago and her story will be in our hearts forever. She lived in a hospital the first 20 years of her life. Nurses were her "teachers". She did not speak much in Serbian; her interactions were limited to her physical condition.

She came to Chicago twelve years ago and since then has been working for a wonderful family.

What is motivating her to learn English? There is a new baby in the family. She has the need to understand and to be understood. She wants to achieve a certain level of independence. . .

So, here we are! Desa and Joe, one of our English teacher, have been working together on that goal. Desa is trying to converse more and more everyday. It is nice to see her progress!!!

DESA, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY THAT YOU HAVE GIVEN US!

CLASSES BEGIN THE WEEKS OF NOVEMBER 3RD AND 10TH!

Two start dates: One the week of Election day and the other the week after? Yep! Why?! We really don't know if people will be willing to start lessons the week of the 3rd. :-))

Already have students enrolled in Beginner Italian, Arabic, and Spanish.

We will keep you posted, of course!

Feel free to contact us at info@languageloopllc.com.

In times of economical turmoil, invest in a new language

Listen to the news. Read newspapers. It is a GLOBAL economy! What we go through in the USA is reflected all over the world.

" Who can rescue the economy?" Is the question on the cover of TIME magazine. The options listed as answers are: "John McCain (Republican)", "Barack Obama (Democrat)", and "None of the above (Help!)".

When we ask around in our center, the answers are as diverse as the options. But, there is a common first reaction: "HELP!".

How can we assist? What can be our contribution to the solution of the economical situation?

If you wonder what could be a safe investment right now, we have an honest answer for you: INVEST IN A NEW LANGUAGE! It is LOW RISK and you have a lot to GAIN.

That is our contribution to the economy and to the world.

OKTOBERFEST!

OKTOBERFEST on Thursday, October 16th, from 5:30 pm-9 pm.

We will post pictures later, of course! :-))

ITALIAN, ARABIC, and RUSSIAN classes for BEGINNERS start NEXT WEEK!!!

It seems that we are starting beginner classes every week. . . WONDERFUL! :-))) After all, it is a SAFE INVESTMENT, right? :-)))

There is a very important detail that we always forget to mention: Our group classes are VERY SMALL!! 2-5 students only. You have the opportunity to practice and talk a lot during your lessons. NO other language center in Chicago offers small groups at a reasonable price.

Starting TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14TH:

ITALIAN and ARABIC- Meet on Tuesdays, 6-8 pm, for 10 weeks.

RUSSIAN- You meet on Tuesdays, 6:30 pm-8:30 pm, for 10 weeks.

** Other languages and levels available. Please contact us at 312-234-9835.**

FRENCH and SPANISH classes start SOON!

Oui! ¡Sí! Join us in October!!!

FRENCH for beginners- STARTS THIS THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2nd!! You meet once a week, 6-8 pm, for 10 weeks.

SPANISH for beginners- STARTS TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7th! You meet once a week, 6-8 pm, for 10 weeks.

¡Clase pequeña! Petite classe!

For more information, please call 312-234-9835 or email us at info@languageloopllc.com.

THANKS TO THE ITALIAN AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE!

We had lots of fun and our Italian teacher, Nino, was the star of the Italian Style 2008!! This convention took place at Navy Pier last weekend and will be followed by the Italian Expo next weekend.

We saw the latest Ferrari and Lamborghini models. BEAUTIFUL! They are so amazing! We tasted the best Italian honey, biscotti, Parmesano Reggiano. . . SO GOOD! Equally impressive was the reaction from the audience to Language Loop's presentation. We were THE BEST. :-)

**THANK YOU Silvia Raffa (IACC), Nino, Vikenty, and to our manager Linda Diaz.** GRAZIE!

When our teachers move abroad. . .

Language Loop is a global connection, no doubt. Our students and teachers come from all over the world and they relocate all over the world as well.

Five years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting a brilliant student that later on became one of our Spanish teachers and a very good friend for all of us. Esteban Guerrero, originally from Mexico, holds two masters from MIT and is fluent in Chinese. Can you imagine? :-)

Esteban decided to move to China earlier this year to fulfill a dream of learning more Chinese and eventually opening a business in this country.

Looking at his picture, we can say that everything is going as planned for our friend.

:-))))

Meet some of our students and teachers!

Our two new friends from Spain:

Francisco (left, from Segovia) and Carlos (middle, from Madrid)

are super advanced English students.

Néstor Bordon has been challenging them

and pushing them to a higher level!! :-)

Sonia and Kristen. When students smile during

and after class, it is always a good sign. :-)))

From left to right: Ed, César, and Cristina. (Tim and Stacey were not in that day. We will take a picture of them later on).




Una clase de español muy bonita. :-)

Learning English with Presidential candidates PART II

Didn't I tell you that we would have a part two for our post on "Learning English with Presidential Candidates? Well, here we are:

"Lipstick on a pig" is the talk of the day! Radio stations, newspapers, TV. . . I mean, everywhere. Obama used it, McCain used it, I guess Americans use this idiom. (?)

Once again, all of us, English students at Language Loop started doing a little research because we had never heard it before and because we wanted to know what was so wrong or so good about saying " lipstick on a pig".

We won't go into politics here, but we can say that it has a negative connotation as well as a general one. After all, pigs are not the sexiest of animals. The general meaning is that we can't say something is new or different by just making "little" adjustments.

SEPTEMBER class schedule *** CHANGED to WEEK of the 15th !!!

Yes, classes start the week of September 15th!!

~~ We have received specific requests and we adjusted the offerings accordingly . ~~

BEGINNER

French- Monday and Wednesday, 6-8 pm, for 5 weeks

Arabic- Monday , 6-8 pm, f0r 10 weeks

Spanish- Monday, 6-8 pm, for 10 weeks OR Saturday. 9:30 am -12:30 pm, for 7 weeks

Chinese- Monday, 6-8 pm, for 10 weeks OR Tuesday and Thursday, 6-8 pm, for 5 weeks

Italian- Wednesday, 6-8 pm, for 10 weeks

Russian- Tuesday and Thursday, 6-8 pm, for 5 weeks

Polish- Monday and Wednesday, 6-8 pm, for 5 weeks

Interested in other levels or times? Please contact us at 312-234-9835. We will be happy to assist YOU!

An Arabic adventure. . .

Arabic is an interesting and very rich language! All our office team has taken at least 12 hours of Arabic lessons. WE LOVE THIS LANGUAGE and the culture that surrounds it.

Zar (picture) decided to enroll at Language Loop during his senior year in high school. He spent six months learning Arabic with Maha. Right at the end of his program, he said to us: "I am going to Egypt for two months and I am going by myself". We all thought he was kidding. :-) But, he was not.

Zar lived in a very nice apartment, loved the food, the people, learned even more Arabic and practiced it. What a great experience!! All of us are a little envious. :-)))

Classes in SEPTEMBER start the week of the 8th.

Start planning your Fall! Oh, oh! Did we say Fall?

September classes begin soon!! Mark your calendar, choose a language, and go for the adventure. :-))))

Call 312-234-9835 or email us at info@languageloopllc.com.

See you soon????

ENGLISH lessons at Language Loop: YOU ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL!

We can honestly say that we have taught ALL levels. When we say all levels, we mean ALL levels. For example: We have taught students living in the US for over 10 years, with limited English skills. In most instances, the students had to start from learning the ABC; how to read and write; how to pronounce the letters. . . On the other hand, we have guided students that are absolutely fluent in English, but that for some reason had difficulties being understood at their workplace. "My accent" or "my emails are not concise", or "I get lost during meetings because they use expressions that I don't understand" are the main reasons to take their skills to a higher level. We know it is a challenge, but we strive to give our best in each lesson to help our students ACHIEVE THEIR GOAL!!!!

Join us! English classes and private lessons are available for ALL LEVELS.

** Absolute Beginners Class- starts Tuesday, August 26th. Meets on Tuesday and Thursday, 11 am-1 pm, for 5 weeks

** Upper Intermediate Class- starts Tuesday, August 26th. You meet on Tuesday and Thursday, 6-8 pm, for 5 weeks

** Advanced Class- starts next Monday, August 25th. Meets Monday-Friday, 10 am-12n, for 5 weeks.

Did you know that Kobe Bryant speaks Italian and Spanish????

Mama mia! I was pleasantly surprise to hear Kobe speaking Italian during an interview shown during the NBC Olympics coverage. But, things got even more interesting when he said that he speaks Spanish and that "he likes learning new languages". From all of us at Language Loop, that comment deserves a "gold medal". :-)))

J.

Brazilian Portuguese, Korean, and Vietnamese teachers needed!

The semester is about to start and the demand for these languages is greater than expected. It is a good thing, but we need to find the BEST teachers for Portuguese, Korean, and Vietnamese ASAP!!!!

Requirements: Bachelor's degree (minimum). Experience a plus, but not necessary. We offer training.

If interested, please email us at info@languageloopllc.com.

Chinese for LOVE and WORK?

Joseph and Lili

What is motivating people to learn Mandarin Chinese? Is it the booming Chinese economy? Is it a visit to Beijing? Are companies really expanding operations all over China? Or, is it love for the food, the culture, and maybe someone very special?

The answer typically is: " a combination". :-))))

Congratulations to our dear student Joseph and Lili on their engagement!!!!!

NEW CLASS SESSION STARTS NEXT WEEK!!!!

We are starting several classes NEXT week!! THE ROOF TOP IS LOOKING SOOOOOOO BEAUTIFUL. :-)

BEGINNER:

Arabic- Tuesday, 6-8 pm, for 10 weeks

Chinese- Monday and Wednesday, 6:30-8:30 pm, for 5 weeks (*starts Wed. 8/20) OR meet on Thursday, 6-8 pm, for 10 weeks

Japanese- Saturday, 9:30 am-12;30 pm, for 7 weeks

Spanish- TBA** Might start the week after next**

French- Tuesday and Thursday, 6-8 pm, for 5 weeks

Italian- Monday, 6-8 pm, for 10 weeks **just changed to once a week**

Polish- Tuesday and Thursday, 6-8 pm, for 5 weeks

Russian- Wednesday, 6-8 pm, for 10 weeks

English- different options, always.

**OTHER LEVELS/SCHEDULES AVAILABLE**

Please contact us for details at 312-234-9835 or go to our website http://languageloopllc.com/ and send us your inquiry.

A Declaration of Immigration at the National Museum of Mexican Art

Since Language Loop opened its doors in 2006, our center has exhibited the art of one of the most promising Hispanic artists living in Chicago: Eduardo de Soignie (former Spanish teacher and a good friend). :-)

Eduardo's art is now part of A Declaration of Immigration, an exhibition at the National Museum of Mexican Art, "that depicts many of the experiences and viewpoints within U.S. immigrant communities. The work of over 70 artists will help visitors increase their understanding of this complex issue by providing immigrant perspectives that are seldom included in the national debate."

The exhibition continues through September 7th. www.nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org
312-738-1503

You can learn more about Eduardo at www.eduardodesoignie.com.

Bueno, bonito y barato

En Chicago hay de todo para todos. :-) A veces los alumnos me piden sugerencias para practicar sus nuevas destrezas en español y yo, con mucho gusto, les digo que vayan a Pilsen para que escuchen a la comunidad mexicana y a la vez se tomen el mejor chocolate caliente del mundo o se coman un buen tamal en La Cebollita. Siempre les pido que pasen por la avenida Devon y paren en La Unica para un cafecito bien rico y un buen "sandwich cubano". Para oír el acento argentino, es muy sencillo: Pueden ir al colmadito al lado del restaurante Tango Sur , en la Southport, y comprar unas deliciosas empanadas argentinas. Si quieren pasar un rato "en Perú", también se puede: Restaurante Machu Pichu en la Ashland.

Arroz con gandules, jibaritos y más español están disponible en la Division; entre las banderas de Puerto Rico. :-)

Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia y Ecuador tienen también sus riconcitos sabrosos. (Se me olvidan los nombres. Le preguntaré a C'esar el lunes). Comida, música y voces colombianas en Pueblito Viejo.

Además, pueden ir a la Pupusería Las Delicias y hablar con salvadoreños, guatemaltecos y hondureños. Una pupusa de chicharrón es una cosa tan y tan rica.

Si sienten que quieren escuchar algo más cercano a la "Madre Patria", me encanta que vayan a Café Ibérico. Manchego, crema catalana, serrano. . .

Todo esto es muy bueno, bonito y barato. :-))))


Johanna

YOU MUST SEE THIS 2008 CANNES-WINNER SHORT FILM!!!

Look at it and post your comments!!! :-) Four minutes of pure and simple art. Enjoy!

http://en.zappinternet.com/video/nilSqaMboM/HISTORIA-DE-UN-LETRERO-THE-STORY

Thank you, Galina for sharing it with us in the first place!

Maki and Aya

Ogenki desu ka? We feel kashikoi today! Last month, we welcomed two excellent Japanese teachers to our team. As part of their training, instructors are asked to put together a lesson based on some vocabulary units and grammar structures that we select in random order for them.

Wowi! Japanese is super fun. During our 30-minute "sample" lesson, we learned so much! It feels good to be able to say more than arigato!! :-)

The Bogeyman

The dark, imaginary creature that scares disobedient children so much that they don't even dare to open a closet door after hearing its name exists in many languages!! Hey, you might think this is silly, but we found a very interesting list of names and stories behind the monster in several languages. Actually, it would be nice if all you could add to our list. How would it be called in Arabic? Russian? Urdu? Chinese??!!

In USA is the "bogeyman". It sounds funny. In Latin America is called "el cuco" o "el coco". Yes, coco means coconut in English.

Things got even more interesting when we asked our Italian teacher if children in Italy go through the same agony. When he said: "spauracchio", we all laughed. It sounds so elegant and harmless; almost like Spiderman. :-)) Oh, we love Italian!

RUSSIAN CLASSES IN AUGUST

If you love blinis as much as we do, then you are the perfect student to join one of our Russian classes.

Beginner Russian starts NEXT TUESDAY, AUGUST 5th. You meet from 6-8 pm, for 10 weeks.

We have one student at an advanced level waiting for someone to join her in a small class. Can anyone please call us with good news???? How often are you able to find an Advanced Russian class in Chicago? :-)))

SUMMER PARTY PICTURES!!

A gorgeous group of Russian speakers and students!

Jia and Linda. No, they are not sisters.

Hiromi and Juan

Margaret, Jahiro, Michael, Catherine, and Jonathan

Nicole. Always smiling!!

Hope, Edgar, and friends

Maki , Julia, and Jessica

Jessica (Brazil) and Ikseung (Korea)

Carlos (right side) , from Panamá, gave a "salsa"

lesson during the party. :-)

August classes and special offers

Can you believe that AUGUST is almost here???? Wow!

We are receiving inquiries to form the following BEGINNER classes:

Russian -any day, but not on Thursday evening
Spanish -Tuesday evening
Italian- Tuesday evening
French- Tuesday and Thursday evening
Polish- Monday and Wednesday evening
Chinese- Tuesday and Thursday evening
English- everyday in the mornings

Intermediate classes:

Spanish- Monday at 5:30 pm-7:30 pm OR Thursday 6:00 pm-8:00 pm
Arabic- Tuesday evening
Chinese- Wednesday evening OR Saturday morning
German- crazy schedule!
English- everyday in the morning

Advanced classes:

English- Monday and Wednesday, 6:30 pm-8:30 pm
Russian- Wednesday, 6:30 pm-8:30 pm

We have decided to have two start dates in August- for YOUR convenience. We want to give everyone the time to look at their pocket and schedule. :-))))) So, we are planning on the week of AUGUST 4th and the week of AUGUST 18th. What do you think?

SPECIAL OFFER: ENROLL A FRIEND, PARTNER, OR CO-WORKER AND RECEIVE A 15% DISCOUNT IN ANY LANGUAGE PROGRAM!!! VALID ONLY IN AUGUST.

Send your inquiry! Please go to our CONTACT page . http://www.languageloopllc.com

Advanced English class starts tonight!

Is your English really good, but not really, really good? :-)

This is a very nice opportunity to learn in a small class setting. Two students enrolled so far. Both of them are young professionals, working in Chicago. One is from Spain and the other from Brazil.

The schedule is Monday and Wednesday, 6:45 pm-8:45 pm, for 5 weeks.

Free level evaluation is offered at our center before joining this group.

Update on Arabic Classes in July

We are starting two sessions for beginners NEXT week: Saturdays (7/19), 1-3 pm, for 10 weeks AND an evening class (7/24), meeting on Tuesday and Thursday, 6-8 pm, for 5 weeks.

Ahmad , from Jordan, will be teaching the Saturday group. Donald Giyo, from Iraq, will be instructing the evening class.

DON'T FORGET that we start with the introduction of the Arabic alphabet. Sooooooo interesting to read and write from right to left!!!! :-)))

Learning English with Presidential Candidates. Part I.

Do you think that learning English is easy? Here is an example on how things can get really complicated if you a) don't pronounce words correctly and b) you only know one meaning to a word.

One of my goals as a student learning English as a second language is to add a new word or expression per day to my own little dictionary. (I recommend this exercise to every single student learning a new language).

Not so long ago, as I was reading The Wall Street Journal, my eyes went in circles trying to understand what Presidential Candidate, Barack H. Obama was trying to say. Here is the quote : "I would have to hire the vetter to vet the vetters."

Oh, my! First , I thought there was a "typo" in "vetter". Shouldn't it be "better"? And, what is a "vet" doing in this sentence? Isn't it an animal doctor? Are the "vetters" some kind of people that veto a proposal or something?

Since I like immediate answers, I went straight to one of our English teachers and read the sentence out loud with my "Hispanic accent". I guess I pronounced the "v" as "b" because it is the way we pronounce it in Spanish. So, I read: "I would have to hire the better to bet the betters". Do you see where I am going here? Totally different story.

We are lucky to have very patient and educated English teachers! :-) Both César and Michael explained to me what Obama was trying to say. Michael said to me: Don't forget your V's!!

Just for the record, to vet means to appraise, verify, or check for accuracy, authenticity, etc.

This story will have a Part II. I am sure!!

Have a nice day.

Johanna

Beautiful energy. . .

After spending a couple of months with us, Vaida's last English lesson with Catherine was today.

:'-( It is so hard to say good-bye to someone with such a beautiful energy and positive attitude.

When she came in at 11 am, the sun was shining and the sky had this perfect blue color. By the time her class ended, a huge dark cloud was approaching the Loop area. How meaningful!

Vaida was on CNN and showed the world her beautiful smile, intelligence, and her improved English skills!!

She promised us that we will see her again. . . She will be here for our next party! :-)))

See you soon!

Stephanie started our entries with what we all have in common: A LOVE FOR FOOD!
American, French, Chinese, Italian, Middle Eastern, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Russian, African. . . You name it!

I had a slice of Eloise's cheesecake and it was DEEEELICIOUS! Believe it or not, as I am writing these lines, Ed, un gran amigo y estudiante de español en nuestro centro, just brought us BBQ sauce made by his mother. IT IS AMAZING!!!

If you want that recipe, good luck to you because I don't think Ed's mom is going to share it yet. :-)

Eloise and Stephanie are on their way back to Paris after spending three weeks in Chicago. They went everywhere: The Sears Tower, The John Hancock Observatory, Michigan Avenue, and took a nice boat tour of the Chicago River. They did not waste one minute in the city! Eloise enjoyed the Field Museum and, of course, her English lessons with Catherine. :) Stephanie dined in A'linea, "one of the best restaurants in the world", and found the best croissants in Chicago in a little French bakery called Vanille.

Now, my brain is starting to put together a similar schedule, but in Paris. I can't wait to see Eloise and Stephanie again and to experience France with their guidance. That is what Language Loop is all about! It is a GLOBAL CONNECTION!

Enjoy,

Johanna

Eloise's "pure folie" cheesecake

Hello Folks ! Ready for a French cooking lesson?
While Eloise and I were in Chicago ("I" = Eloise's Aunt Stephanie), we decided that she should learn how to cook a real cheesecake. So we had a cooking lesson. The only problem that we faced is that there is no food processor at home so we had to do it manually or with a blender ! So you'll discover our efficient "blender processed" cheesecake.

Blend Graham Crakers to have 1 cup of crumbs. Pour in a large bowl.
Add 3 tbsp of melted butter (I highly recommend you try with salted butter !) and 3 tbsp of sugar. Mix with a fork until you have a beautiful sand.
Press in the cheesecake pan.
Bake for 10 minutes at 375 deg F in pre-heated oven.
Meanwhile, blend together 5 eggs, 1/2 cup of milk, 1 cup of sugar, 1 tbsp of vanilla extract and 3 tbsp of flour. Remove half of this liquid mix.
In the blender, while you are processing, add, tbsp per tbsp, 2,5 packs of creamcheese.
Pour in the large bowl you have used to make the sand (without cleaning it - it is useless so let's be lazy).
In the blender, set the other half of liquid mixture and process to add another 2,5 packs of cream cheese.
Pour in the bowl too and whisk to have a large quantity of creamcheesy cream.
Remove the pan from the oven. Pour the creamcheesy cream on the crust and bake again for 1 hour. The cheesecake is ready when the surface doesn't tremble if you shake the pan.
Let the cake in the oven while it cools down to prevent it from ... cracking?.... You see what I mean... The let it set in the fridge for few hours before you finally unmold the cake.
Decorate with vanilla frosting, meringues and caramel topping and... BON APPETIT !!

Here is our beautiful "pure folie" cheesecake....

And if you think it is not a "pure folie" enough, then add some meringue crumbs and some caramel on your piece !!!!

If you have any questions, send me an email : stephanie@cookcooning.com. I'd be more than happy to help you guys!... And if you are wondering where is the French part of this French cooking lesson then come here and you should find some to train your French :-)

I AM SOOOOOOOOO HAPPY !

Hey Folks !
My name is Stephanie from France and I am happy to introduce you the Language loop new blog! It will be a great resource of information about how to learn any language thanks to a great team leaded by Johanna, a wonderful Director - who definitly does not look like a language school Director ;-).
You will also find pictures, ideas, recipes - I promise i'll post Eloise's cheesecake recipe soon - and friends ! Sounds great, no? Beleive me. As soon as you'll get connected to this blog, you won't be able to leave it and you'll feel like posting comments and joining LLCllc family.

So, read/see you soon and, as we say in France,
Bisous a tous!



Want to know more about this crazy French woman who posted this? http://www.cookcooning.canalblog.com/