We are a growing and expanding our school, specializing in the learning and study of French and Italian. We are looking for energetic, enthusiastic and talented people to join our team.
*Please Note: There was a generic coupon attached to our Happy New Year card. Please disregard this, it is not our coupon. Sorry for any inconvenience. Thank you.
Dear Reader,
Happy New Year! May the best of health and happiness come your way in 2010!
We have been working on our January course offerings and have a nice line up in January for adults and for children as well. We are continuing to offer our free Mommy and Me classes for all to try. If you, a friend, or a loved one has children 4 years of age and younger, we encourage them to try this program. Studies have shown that the benefits of early language exposure are many and set the child up for success on many levels.
We look forward to seeing you in our classes and special seminars in 2010! Keep an eye on our site for our new offerings (www.LanguageLearningInstitute.com) and keep warm!
Best regards,
Nancy Scarselletta Owner/Developer The Language Learning Institute 518-346-7096
Thank you to the businesses which promote the Language Learning Institute!
Ultraviolet Café : Albany, NY (518) 434-0333 Delaware News: Albany, NY (518) 465-4232 Tool’s Restaurant: Delmar, NY (518) 439-9111 Java Jazz Café: Delmar, NY (518) 439-1727 Emack & Bolio’s : Albany, NY 333 Café: Delmar, NY (518) 439-9333 Stewarts: Delmar, NY corner of Elm and Delaware Ave
Stop by and get a good meal, gift, or check out our latest promotional material!
Eleonora’s Secret – Bolzano
The Christmas Capital – Bolzano, Italy
Region: Trentino-Alto Adige
Bolzano, or Bozen in German, is the capital of the Trentino-Alto Adige region of Italy. The city is full of many charms in this corner of northern Italy. Just south of the Austrian border, Bolzano was not always part of Italy, and the German-Austrian influences are apparent in the architecture and language. 25% of inhabitants speak German as their mother tongue, which is much higher in the non-urban parts of the province, making the city and province officially bi-lingual. So, don’t be surprised if you hear German spoken, or a local dialect that sounds German. Most residents are multi-lingual. Generally “Bozner” or “Bolzanini” are friendly and helpful.
It is also known as the Italian Capital of Christmas thanks to its characteristic Christkindlmarkt, or Christmas market, and all of the Christmas displays. The Christmas market, which takes place takes place every year from the last Friday of November to December 23rd in the Walther square, is similar to those in Germany and Austria, carrying hand-crafted and locally-produced goods. If you can’t visit at Christmas, don’t worry. A visit at any time of the year will be memorable; Bolzano is constantly among the top-ranked cities in Italy when it comes to quality of life. It has one of Europe’s lowest unemployment rates, excellent services and a wonderful landscape.
Bolzano has been a trading point since its foundation, due to its location in between the two major cities of Venice and Augsburg. In 1262 it was elevated to a Stadt (city). In 1363 Bolzano became part of the Habsburg monarchy as part of the county of Tyrol. Four times a year a market was held and traders came from the south and the north. After World War I in 1919 Bolzano was annexed by Italy against the will of the native population who had opted to join the new German Republic of Austria. After World War II, Bolzano was once again assigned to Italy and the German-speaking population demanded self-determination and afterwards accepted the autonomy statute which is ensured internationally. After decades of tension particularly in the 1950s and the 1980s, Bolzano now is a multilingual European city open to the future which hosts students from all over the world and therefore has a lot of interesting cultural events. For this reason Bolzano is ready to become a candidate as European Capital of Culture in 2019.
South Tyrolean cuisine is typically Austrian with Mediterranean influences but also Italian and other international specialties have to be found. Typical South Tyrolean products include Speck (a kind of smoked ham), breads, strudel, apples and many pastries. During Christmas typical cakes are Bozner Zelten and Christstollen.
Entrées include specialties such as Herrengröstl (potatoes, beef, onions, speck), Kaiserschmarrn (omelette with raisin and sugar), Gulaschsuppe, Schlutzkrapfen (a kind of dumpling with spinach or other ingredients), Spätzle (a kind of spinach dumpling), Knödel (bread balls with speck or other ingredients), pork roast with sauerkraut.
Georgia is our destination for this month. Georgia is a country in the Caucasus. It lays at the eastern end of the Black Sea, with Turkey and Armenia to the south, Azerbaijan to the east, and Russia to the north. Georgia is a member of OIF (Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie) since 2004.
Georgia is a land filled with magnificent history and unparalleled natural beauty. Archeologists found the oldest traces of wine production (7000-5000 BC) in Georgia. For those of us in the West, we unfortunately get precious little exposure to this stretch of land between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea. However, this is changing drastically.
Georgians are not Russians, Turks nor Persians, nor do they have any ethnic connection with other nationalities. However, there are theories which link Georgians to Basque, Corsican and North Caucasian people. Georgian language is in its own language group, completely unrelated to Indo-European or Semitic languages.
Georgians have been embroiled in struggles against the world’s biggest empires (Mongols, Persian, Ottoman, Russian, etc) for centuries. This little country was invaded many times and destroyed as many. However, Georgians have managed to preserve their cultural and traditional identity for 2,000 years.
This proud nation is still in transition after the fall of the Soviet Union. These tense relations with Russia, has led Russia to close its markets to Georgia exports, devastating the Georgian economy.
Next month, New Year; new beginning, we will continue to travel around the Francophone world. For now, I want to wish you a happy and a healthy 2010. Bonne annee et bonne santé pour 2010!!
The French, like Americans, have many holiday and New Years traditions. The holiday season in France lasts much longer than ours. The season lasts almost a month, beginning with St. Nicolas Day on December 6, and ending with Epiphany on January 6. The season is scattered with many nights of feasts and extravagant desserts. The night before the New Year, or le jour de l’an, there are many different traditions which vary by regions of France. Most nights begin with a large feast, which usually consists of the region’s specialty dishes. This feast is called le Réveillon de Saint- Sylvestre, and the holiday itself is called La Saint-Sylvestre. Saint Sylvestre was a pope from 313-344, although there is no connection between the New Year and this particular pope.
In France, the mistletoe is considered a New Year’s tradition rather than a Christmas tradition. At midnight, everyone is supposed to kiss under the mistletoe. In Paris, many Parisians and their families watch fireworks behind the Eiffel Tower. In the South of France, there are many traditions involving the vineyards, which include picking twelve grapes at midnight to represent good luck for the upcoming twelve months. On the day of Epiphany, the holiday season is culminated with a cake called la galette des rois.
Here at the Language Learning Institute, we wish you a happy and prosperous new year!
Thank you for your interest in our school. Please feel free to pass this newsletter on to anyone who might be interested in learning about the Language Learning Institute and our programs and events.
Best regards,
Nancy Scarselletta The Language Learning Institute, LLC
“The Language Learning Institute is the only venue which teaches more than just conversational Italian, other than enrolling in a college course. I had tried a few Italian language classes from other continuing education places but it was always the same: the class was dominated by those planning a trip to Italy and wanting to have travel vocabulary and phrases under their belts.
The Language Learning Institute teaches Italian as a true language-you learn by listening to Italian, speaking it, reading it and writing it. We have a text book and a workbook, and are tackling all the basics of a language-alphabet, grammar, idioms, the way the Italians think. The price is reasonable, the pace is great for working people, and the staff is extremely knowledgeable.”
Bolzano, or Bozen in German, is the capital of the Trentino-Alto Adige region of Italy. The city is full of many charms in this corner of northern Italy. Just south of the Austrian border, Bolzano was not always part of Italy, and the German-Austrian influences are apparent in the architecture and language. 25% of inhabitants speak German as their mother tongue, which is much higher in the non-urban parts of the province, making the city and province officially bi-lingual. So, don’t be surprised if you hear German spoken, or a local dialect that sounds German. Most residents are multi-lingual. Generally “Bozner” or “Bolzanini” are friendly and helpful.
place every year from the last Friday of November to December 23rd in the Walther square, is similar to those in Germany and Austria, carrying hand-crafted and locally-produced goods. If you can’t visit at Christmas, don’t worry. A visit at any time of the year will be memorable; Bolzano is constantly among the top-ranked cities in Italy when it comes to quality of life. It has one of Europe’s lowest unemployment rates, excellent services and a wonderful landscape. 
Bolzano has been a trading point since its foundation, due to its location in between the two major cities of Venice and Augsburg. In 1262 it was elevated to a Stadt (city). In 1363 Bolzano became part of the Habsburg monarchy as part of the county of Tyrol. Four times a year a market was held and traders came from the south and the north. After World War I in 1919 Bolzano was annexed by Italy against the will of the native population who had opted to join the new German Republic of Austria. After World War II, Bolzano was once again assigned to Italy and the German-speaking population demanded self-determination and afterwards accepted the autonomy statute which is ensured internationally. After decades of tension particularly in the 1950s and the 1980s, Bolzano now is a multilingual European city open to the future which hosts students from all over the world and therefore has a lot of interesting cultural events. For this reason Bolzano is ready to become a candidate as European Capital of Culture in 2019.
