LPI Blog

THE SHANGHAI ZOO

ecerza — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 16:49:01 +0000

The Shanghai Zoo has one of the biggest gardens I have ever visited. It also has over 6,000 animals and 600 of them are rare animals. I wanted to see all of them but my major goal was to get to see the Giant Panda and the South China Tiger, and I saw both.
First we went to the aquarium section where we saw fish, turtles, and mini sharks; they were a little creepy with spiky backs. After that we went through the reptile section where we saw a huge black and red striped snake that almost took up half of the whole aquarium. The only animals that were very different from animals in the U.S were the reptiles, especially the lizards. Then we saw all the types of birds. I was surprised that they had a Mexican parrot, flamingos and ostriches.
The best section of the zoo was the rare animals section. I was so excited to see a panda. I have never seen one before other than on TV. I also saw the zebras and the wild horses, my two favorite animals. I also got the chance to see funny looking gorillas. I still can’t believe I saw a 142 year old mother gorilla; she was the oldest rare animal in the Shanghai Zoo. They also have elephants, giraffes, kangaroos, lions, cheetahs, monkeys, deer, goats, wolves and many more.
Finally, I saw the South China Tiger. I don’t have a lot to say about him because when we saw him, he was asleep but he was a big boy. A while later we took a little rest, and I saw how little kids were feeding the animals human food and nobody told them not to even though there were signs that said you shouldn’t feed the animals. I mean I don’t know much about animals but I don’t think that’s good for them. This is another way that China is different from the U.S. The zoo rules in both countries are different. There were various other animals that we didn’t get to see, but I think seeing a panda was enough. The Shanghai Zoo is really worth it! It’s big, so I recommend you buy a map at the tourist center because you can get lost. Directions are really tricky, believe me. They also have many cool rides like a ferris wheel and bumper boats. I’m glad to say I had fun. Looking at all these animals reminded me of my little brother. He’s obsessed with animals, and I’m sure when I go back to Austin he’s going to be excited when I tell him I saw a panda for the first time.

Nancy Alvarado
Shanghai 6-Week, 2011
Austin, TX

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MANDARIN CLASS

ecerza — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 16:43:41 +0000

Our Chinese class has helped me and the other students improve our Mandarin. I have learned so many things. We have learned things about each other like how many family members we have, how old they are and what our parents do for a living. We have also learned how to say cool, lovely, handsome , beautiful , very smart , great job , birthday, caution signs , jobs , fruit , vegetables , time , money , sports , different types of transportation, phone conversations, animals , types of drinks and more. We also learned how to count all the way to 100 and each other’s Chinese names. ALL OF THIS IN CHINESE!! This Mandarin class has taught me a lot, and I’m really thankful that I have a great Chinese teacher
We have also done reports, taken vocabulary tests, listened to audio tapes and answered questions about them. We also memorized dialogues and presented them the following day without looking at our notes.
We played many games to help us practice what we have learned, for example, the -1 game. In this game, the teacher will repeat a new vocabulary word a certain number of times. We then have to repeat that word one less time than the teacher or the other team will gain a point. In another game, the teacher writes our new vocabulary words all over the board. She calls out a word and two people have to find the word and slap it. The first person who slaps it gets a point for their team. It gets very competitive! My favorite game is The Killing Game. Each person is assigned a role like killers, doctor, police or citizen. Then, using basic Chinese phrases, vocabulary and numbers in Chinese, you have to figure out what role each person has.
In the last class, we took a lot of pictures with the Chinese teacher. I guess she will miss us. I’d like to thank her for teaching us so many things and giving us a lot of fun.

Selina Segura
Shanghai 6-Week, 2011
Austin, TX

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CHINESE BRUSH PAINTING

ecerza — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 16:37:50 +0000

This past Saturday we had a Chinese Brush Painting class. It was really fun! We got to use the four treasures of study which are the writing brush, ink stick, ink stone, and rice paper. There are three types of brushes that could be used for brush painting like the soft writing brush which is often made of goat hair, and sometimes of bird feathers. The hard writing brush is made of wolf and goat hair. The other type of brush is the hard yet soft writing brush which combines hard hair and soft hair. The brush we used was a medium sized Baiyun brush which is a hard yet soft brush. The teacher showed us how to make some ink using the ink stick and the ink stone. That was cool because she just poured a little bit of water onto the ink stone and scrubbed it with the ink stick and the ink was ready for us to use. We already had the rice paper and we were anxious to paint. As soon as our materials were ready, she did a quick demonstration. When I saw her painting I thought it was easy but as soon as I started practicing I realized it wasn’t easy at all. Chinese Brush Painting is hard and takes time. You shouldn’t look at the object you’re painting. You should just try to see it in your mind and paint what you feel in your heart. It was hard at first but after practicing I kind of got a little better at it. I started by trying to paint bamboo. When you paint bamboo stalks, you start by painting the lowest section from dark to light. The lowest section of the stalk should be short, and then the middle sections should be longer, and then the last sections at the top should be short again.
I tried to paint bamboo, but I wasn’t very good at it, so I decide to do characters for my final painting instead. We each painted a final piece while the teacher walked around and helped us make our paintings better. While we were all painting, the teacher was playing the Guzheng (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument that sits flat on a stand). It’s kind of like a harp. It was nice of her to do that for us, and it was relaxing and sounded beautiful. In the end all the final pieces turned out nice. We learned about Chinese brush painting and most importantly we enjoyed it.

Marlyn Zapata
Shanghai 6-Week, 2011
Austin, TX

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SEGOVIA

Brian Pirttima — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 17:33:09 +0000

On August 7, we went to Segovia and saw the castle of Alcázar, the famous Aqueduct, and the Casa de Los Picos. People say that Walt Disney got his inspiration from the castle of Alcázar; which is why the Disney castle looks similar to the castle of Alcázar. There was a legend about the famous Aqueduct. People believed that a young girl sold her soul to the devil so that the devil would build the aqueduct in one night for her town. The Aqueduct was to help the water flow. Once the deal was made, the girl realized what she had gotten herself into and so she went to the Virgin Mary and asked for help. The Virgin Mary then made the sun rise earlier than usual. The devil was about to put in the last stone to finish the Aqueduct but the sun rose earlier that day, he didn’t win the deal that he could finished the aqueduct in one night. So the girl was saved from giving her soul to the devil. Besides seeing the Aqueduct, we walked around to explore the streets in Segovia. Segovia is also known for their delicious Conchinillo. I didn’t want to try this dish because of the fact that it was a baby pig, but I had to know how the famous dish tasted and it was pretty good. Segovia is just over all an amazing and beautiful place.

Julia Castro
Salamanca 2-Week August, 2011
Simsbury, CT

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REFLECTIONS ON SALAMANCA

Brian Pirttima — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:29:02 +0000

In my humble opinion, Salamanca has been a phenomenal place to study Spanish. As an LPI student, I have been so privileged as to study at the city’s famed university. The Spanish classes here are dedicated not only to improving my comprehension of the language, but also the Spanish way of life. Speaking of the Spanish way of life, as an American, it was initially difficult to adjust to the country’s culture. I say this because in America, our lifestyles are rather fast-paced; in Spain, the exact opposite is true. Now that I have adjusted, however, the slower pace of life here is quite nice. During my free time, I am able to spend it either in the Plaza Mayor, a popular place to meet up with people, or the beautiful parks a mere two minute walk from my house. Not to mention, the food of Salamanca is amazing! When I don’t eat at home, I find time to eat a pincho (Salamanca’s term for tapa) or gelato for dessert. There is so much more I could write about how amazing Salamanca is, but I don’t think I could quite do this awesome city justice. All I can say is that everyone who reads this should definitely check out Salamanca!

Margaret Kelly
Salamanca 2-Week August, 2011
Houston, Texas

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CATEDRAL GLORIOSA

Brian Pirttima — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:25:35 +0000

First of all, Salamanca is the only city in the whole world to have two cathedrals! The cathedral used to be classrooms. The noble men that studied took exams that make our tests look like child’s play. There was no paper or books for students, so a year’s worth of information had to be memorized. The exam consisted of 20 professors each asking one question. If the student answered the question correctly, the professor held up a white ball, if wrong, a black ball. A passing grade was more white balls than black balls. A passing student received a party and a failing student had vegetables thrown at him. It was basically pass or be ostracized! We were able to walk through the old and new cathedral, since they are now connected.

In 1755, a man climbed one of the towers without ropes after an earthquake that devastated the city. The man had a drum and a flute on his back. When he got to the top, he played a song to God to beg for no more earthquakes. This became a tradition and every October 30 the great-great-grandson of that man climbs the tower and plays a song. The cathedral is beautiful and glorious part of Salamanca.

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AMIGOS EN SALAMANCA

Brian Pirttima — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:16:14 +0000

These past weeks has provided me with many opportunities to meet people from all around the world. Each classroom includes a diverse group of cultures and nationalities. This part of the trip has enriched me with information on how others live outside of the United States. I have made very good friends that are from the United Kingdom. This has given me a chance to learn about how others speak English and how they are taught Spanish back in their school. I have also made friends with students from Africa in my conversation class. These students, however, only speak French. Thus forcing each of us to communicate with one another by our only means of communication, Spanish. It is a beautiful thing to see students from around the world being able to relate to one another through language and the desire to learn Spanish.

Claudia Rios
Salamanca 2-Week August, 2011
San Antonio, Texas

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UNIVERSIDAD DE SALAMANCA

Brian Pirttima — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:13:03 +0000

Yesterday we went to visit the original university building which is home to the infamous frog, the library, Fray (VI) De Leon, a chapel and much more. University of Salamanca was built in 1218, and was one of the first secular universities in Europe.

During our tour we heard so many interesting stories about the different events that had taken place throughout the campus. My favorite story was about Miguel de Unamuno. Unamuno was born in Bibao Spain in 1864 and had worked in all major genres of literature (essay, novel, poetry and theatre). Unamuno worked as a professor at the University from 1900 - 1924 and 1930-1936, during the reign of Franco. Franco had imposed censorship into all of the schooling systems including the University; however these new rules were ignored by Unamuno. One day, some of Franco’s men, and his wife came to hear a lecture. Unamuno continued his classes like he would any other day- with his own ideas. When he presented an idea that didn’t agree with Franco, his soldiers attacked. Franco’s wife jumped in front of the guns and saved his life.

The library was also spectacular- it holds over 32,000 volumes that are over 300 years old. Everything about the campus held an aspect of mystique and history- even the chapel had a deep secret: behind the main painting is a room that Franco used to hide in!

We all really enjoyed the tour and uncovering all of the stories of the University of Salamanca!

Alana Weisberg
Salamanca 2-Week August, 2011
Toronto, Ontario

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LA ALCAZABA

Brian Pirttima — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 12:29:12 +0000

The Alcazaba is a marvel of what man can achieve. I thought it was really cool that this huge fortress was built entirely by hand. The size and strength of the fortress still stands today. I thought it was very unique how there was a whole village inside. The most impressive thing is the size of it. How it was able to hold Christians out for so long shows that it was very well designed and proved itself. I thought that the Muslims making wine was also very smart. They couldn’t drink it but it was a good source of income.

Lucas Albert
Málaga 2-Week August, 2011
Evergreen, CO

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REFLECTIONS ON MÁLAGA

Brian Pirttima — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 12:26:34 +0000

From the moment I got to Málaga, I loved it. From my host parents, to the food, to the University of Málaga, to the topless beaches, I couldn’t find a single flaw in the city. The weather has been awesome every day and except for the occasional sunburn, we have been enjoying it. We have walked around the city and spent hours at the beach swimming in the warm Mediterranean water. We took a tour of the port, getting to see what Málaga looks like from the water. We visited the Alcazaba, the Muslim fort and palace at the top of the hill behind Málaga and we have done many other activities in Málaga. Unfortunately, we only have a few days left, but I know that I will miss the easy-going life here in Málaga.

Mark McKenna
Málaga 2-Week August, 2011
Cohasset, MA

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