English has borrowed a lot of words from different languages, and sometimes from languages you might not expect!

What languages do you think the following come from?

1. ALCATRAZ (The island prison off the coast of San Francisco)
2. SOIREE (A very elegant evening party)
3. SIESTA ( a short afternoon sleep or nap)
4. KINDERGARTEN (The first year of school for very small children)
5. ALCOHOL (Vodka, wine, whiskey, sake etcetera)
6. UMBRELLA (It’s what you hold above your head when it’s raining.)
7. GESUNDHEIT (Many Americans use this instead of “Bless you!” when someone sneezes.)
8. HIBACHI (A small, portable grill for barbequing)
9. RENDEZVOUS (A romantic meeting)
10. O.K. or OKAY (I think everyone knows what this means, but I bet you can’t guess where it probably comes from! – It was a surprise to me!)

I have been living in San Francisco for nine weeks. My purpose to be here is studying
English because I want to work abroad in the future. I finished Civil Engineering five
months ago in the city I was born and raised: Madrid, capital of Spain.
I chose San Francisco because I wanted to go to America for first time in my life, and
the East Coast of the U.S. didn’t attract me so much for living there. I was told that San
Francisco was one of the best cities for living in the U.S. and you could find a lot of
bridges and the headquarters of the biggest technological companies in the world. As a
Civil Engineer, I love everything related to infrastructure and transportation. I am crazy
about bridges, railways, trams and cable cars.. so, which is the best city to check them
out?

I arrived in San Francisco on March 19th. It was a rainy and windy day, but I felt
positive and settled in my homestay easily although the weather didn’t change for two
weeks.
I went to school the first Monday and I could check that there were people from all
over the world, so I thought it was a perfect chance to learn a lot about those different
cultures they have. Korea, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Germany… I love learning the
customs of people coming from other countries and I have enjoyed a lot doing this at
the same time that I have been learning English.

As a city, San Francisco is very special. The respect and politeness of the people are
awesome. They are very quiet here, even when the Muni has a delay in the morning
or when it’s so crowded that they have to push each other to outboard. That really
impressed me. In the neighbourhood I live, most of the inhabitants are Asian and there’s
no sign of discrimination in any place. Homeless can be seen in the downtown, there
are a lot of them hanging around Civic Center Station; but there’s no problem if you
ignore them. Actually I was told that most people think that they chose that way of life
and you have to respect them if they do the same. So this is the paradise for homeless
because the winter is not as cold as in the East Coast and they are accepted by most of
the population, including the government, that has created some institutions to aid them.

The peninsula where San Francisco is located makes the city beautiful and nice for
living (in spite of the windy, foggy and not very warm weather). Naturally, I visited the
bridges, parks, walked up the horrible slopes of some streets of the city, rode the cable
car… and I got fascinated. This city shines by itself. I love skyscrapers, and here you can
find a very cute central business district with all the highest buildings drawing the well
known skyline of San Francisco. Try to take a picture of it at night coming from the
other side of the bay, crossing the double-decker bridge originally called Bay Bridge…
just one word to describe it: charming.

I don’t know whether I will work here or not in the future. Nevertheless I can say that I
will come back, without doubt.

If there is one place where one could linger for several days, it’s here: the 490 acres of Balboa Park are home to fifteen museums, an art colony, theaters, restaurants, clubhouse botany, zoo A field of “petanque” on grass and a plethora of buildings with various architectures, which blends Spanish baroque, southwestern and traditional contemporary structures of glass and steel. Situated in the center of the city it is a place where people use to rest and pass good time. There is many thing to do like visiting, it is a good experience to discover the culture of California inspire by  Mexico’s traditions and architecture. This is the center historical of the city. There is also a nice zoo with touching animals. The environment is relaxing you can stay for read or discuss with friends around beautiful plants, palms… For the people who wants to do sport you can also find what you want. People use to meet for play soccer, basketball, volleyball… and others sports. Sunshine time encourages people to spend their time in this park.

Also the one thing still confusing me is the coins. Whenever I pay in cash, I forget which one I should give. So I spread the coins in my hand and then the cashier takes the money by himself. It makes me feel like being a baby. But I should use the coins because if I only pay with the paper money, my wallet gets heavier. Thus I love a debit card more. But whenever I have to pay in cash, I’m still a little nervous.

Before I came to San Francisco, I had decided to go to Boston to study English. Because I wanted to know how Americans study. But I didn’t go there. There were many reasons. One of them is that Boston is colder than San Francisco.

When I was flying over the San Francisco, I was surprised by the beautiful views. When the airplane was landing, I got excited and scared. Actually it was the first time out of my country. I thought many things like how to live, how to make friends, and what to do in emergency situation, but it was a good place to live and to study. Americans were very kind to me. After taking level test, I went to Bank of America to open my account. I didn’t know how to open an account in San Francisco. But it was so easy Because of the staff. They were kind and they helped me to understand about their account. After that, I took a walk for about 2 hours. There were many restaurants and cafés.  I was wondering about StarBucks. I went there and I ordered a caramel machiatto Grande, But it was the wrong choice. Because I hadn’t eaten anything, I got stomach ache. I had to go to my residence. I couldn’t do anything for a day.      I didn’t do many things in San Francisco, But I think I’ll get used to staying here. After one month, I will try to drink a caramel machiatto again.

Converse International School of Language.    –CISL-

Last Sunday I couldn’t help but go to CISL. I wanted exactly to know where it was. I had already seen it on Google. It was amazing that I see the road of the San Francisco on Google.

It is the first school of language for me to study English out of country. Everything was awkward. I couldn’t speak English when I got to class. Pronunciation that is not familiar is hard to listen to. But I think it will get better. I think it is the last chance to improve my speaking skills, writing and pronunciation. After studying in here, I have to prepare to get a job. I’ll really study English hard for 1 year. I want teacher to help me to achieve my goal. I thought it was lucky to come here. Because I met good teacher and friends.

Speaking of English, I don’t regret my choice. In Converse, I met a lot of people who came from different countries. I believe that you can’t master English only by books or lessons. Fortunately, the people who I met in Converse are funny. They know how to enjoy their own life. I always go out with them. I can feel that my speaking skill is pretty improved because of that. At the same time, I have unforgettable memories of San Francisco. (Also, I now know some fabulous clubs.) I live in my second home with my second family, whom I really love. I’m not sure the city feels the same way I do. But San Francisco, I love you!

- You are walking through a forest; describe it.
- Through this forest is a path; describe it.
- Along the path you come upon a key; what does it look like; what condition is it in? Do you pick it up?
- Farther along the path you find a cup; what does it look like; what is it made of; what condition is it in? Do you pick it up?
- As you continue walking, you come to an obstacle; describe it.
- What do you do? If you go around it or past it, then how?
- Next you happen upon a body of water; describe it. Do you get in it? How fast is it flowing?
- As you walk along, you come to a shelter of some sort; what does it look like? Do you spend the night?
- Finally, you’re walking along when you reach a fence; what does this fence look like; what is it made of; what condition is it in?
- Beyond the fence is a field; describe that. Do you go over the fence into the field?

Here are some of their answers. What do you think that their interpretations say about their personalities?

“It’s dark and the moon is lighting up the forest. There are tall trees everywhere, on which I can see a lot of different animals, from birds to monkeys. The forest is pretty silent, and I can hear the sound of a snake coming towards me!

In front of me I can see a small lake. I would like to wash my toes in it. I’m entering the lake when I suddenly see a big crocodil swimming in my direction ready to eat me!

I’m running as far as I can from the lake when I accidentally see something shining on a stone: it is a key! On it can read: ‘Follow the path and you will reach a cavern.’ I’m running fast and silently as I’m entering the cavern. In front of me there is a locked box: should I open it?

I’m too scared to open it, so I decide to look for the way out of the forest. However, a huge wall prevents me from escaping! I’m trying to climb it, and when I reach the top, I’m able to see the sea. Where am I?

I’m jumping off the wall when I finally wake up: it was just a dream.”

“I’m walking through a forest. I see many trees. They’re everywhere. It’s very humid and cold. I see a river. There’s a bear trying to catch a fish for his lunch. It’s near midday. I have walked all morning, and I have no food. I have no water. I was with my friends, but I got lots when I tried to take a picture of a beautiful lanscape. I’m thirsty. I need water. The bear is gone, so I go the river to drink. It seems clean… I don’t know… but I need it. What is that near the water? It’s bright. Let me check it out… a key? Here? Hey wait! Maybe there is a house near here and I can find clean water. How am I going to find it? I have been walking since morning and I haven’t seen anything. What is that near that giant tree? It looks like a good that does to somwhere underground. The key! It works! SHall I go in? I have no food, no water. What can be worse than this? I’m going in.

It looks like a long and dark corridor. I just see one light at the end of it. I’m walking for 5 minutes, and here I am. A barrier? Maybe if I cross it then I can find someone to help me. It’s difficult to cross and it’s so high. Wait! There’s a hole here. Maybe I can pass through it. Yes! Wow! It looks like paradise. It’s a resort! I see my friends now. Everything is ok.”

“It’s a warm summer day. The bright sun flahsed through the tops of the trees. I’m walking on a path of pebbles. The birds are singing and a soft breeze blows on my face. I hear the soft sounds of a little stream. I pass over a little bridge: the stream is surrounded by thousands of beautiful little white flowers.

Suddenly, I come to a shrine that holds a golden key. An old fashioned one with teeth, about 4 inches long. I was wondering to which door this key might belong. I took it in my hand and it felt very light, though it looked rather heavy.

As I walked on I came to a huge white gate. It was built out of white bricks and had a wide arrow on it. The bars of the gate were golden and the lock looked like my key would fit in it. I tried the key in the lock and as I turned it, the gate opened itself. I looked at this quiet, peaceful place and realized that this must be paradise… I must be dead. Deep in the back of my mind I found that memory, two headlights of a train rushing toward me…”

What do these stories tell about the student’s personalities? Here are the interpretations of the different parts of the story, and what these parts represent:

- The forest represents your outlook on life; how you feel (overall) about life.

- The path represents your plan in life, and is generally more current; i.e. how your life is being lived, or how you see it going.

- The key represents knowledge. If you pick it up, then education is important to you.

- The cup represents your view of love. Was it broken or fragile? Was it solid and complete, pretty, clean or covered with dirt?

- The obstacle represents the challenges in your life; how you normally handle them or deal with them.

- The water represents your sensual side. If you get in it, this means that you basically feel good about it. If not, perhaps you avoid it, or it’s not particularly important to you, or enjoyable.

- The shelter is your view of home life. Again, if you spend the night, it’s likely you feel comfortable about your present home situation.

- The fence represents religion. Does it have hard lines, or broken ones? Is it imposing, or easy to jump over?

- The field represents your view of heaven. Is it pleasant, or threatening? Do you go over the fence and into the field? If so, you’re probably not afraid of death.

This is a great activity to do with friends or with your classmates. Thanks to Denise and her students for sharing!