Conversa News - May, 2009

Welcome to MSU

Here in May, we are happy to welcome our very first group from Michigan State University. One of the professors accompanying the group is Scot Yoder, who participated in a Goshen College (Indiana) program at Conversa twenty-three years ago (that's right - 23!). It’s good to have you back with us. We look forward to a continuing relationship with MSU. Bienvenidos!

Flatter Patter

They say that man does not live by bread alone... sometimes ya gotta toss in a few tortillas. At Conversa, we're taking a 'hands on' approach to make Spanish come alive for our students. Here we see Tyler Loomis of Asheville, NC and David Nelson of Westminster, CO learning how it's done from Amparo, Nancy and Ligia.

Sabía usted? (Did you know?)

ConversaConmigo continues to shine! We have now uploaded 60 workshops to ConversaConmigo.com! You heard right - there are around 60 hours of fantastic material available for you to download and watch within Marratech (Marratech is the free download available at ConversaConmigo.com).

This service is available at no additional cost to all former Conversa students as well as any students who are registered for future programs at Conversa. If you haven't done so already, click here to complete the ConversaConmigo registration form (super simple), and we'll help you get the ball rolling! You'll have access to a great number of resources and you'll also be able to attend the lectures LIVE!

What's New on Campus?

Out in Santa Ana, we feel fortunate to have such a great setting for our Intensive Spanish Programs. We continue to explore ways to make the learning environment more stimulating and beneficial for our students.

A few years ago, we created Pulpería Doña Anita to help familiarize our students with a variety of fruits and vegetables and other items available in convenience stores - all in Spanish. This summer we are adding La Enfermería and Viajes Conversa to include vocabulary and situations relating to personal health and tourism.

Don't go away... we've got more! To help students fully explore our six-acre campus, we've put in four 'senderos' (trails). As you traverse each one, you can pause and read the bilingual signs about our flora and fauna, our history and yes, there are even mini-lessons to help you conjugate those pesky irregular verbs. To go along with this same theme, we're planting several different types of trees. We hope our students enjoy these innovations, and we look forward to their feedback.

It's Raining Again!

This dry season was a tough one! Our campus got virtually no rainfall from late December through late April, making this one of the longest dry spells in recent years. Thankfully, the rain is back! It didn't take more than two afternoon showers to brighten up the green around campus! The grass is looking great, and the campus has come back to life again. Here's to a great summer!

Conversa.COM is finally here!
It's been a long time in the making, but we've finally done it! Conversa.com is... More...

Not-so-news:
April 2009