with 360 degrees rotation. “Now I understand why it is called In- sanity. It is crazy but awesome,” See Orange County Fair on p. 3 By MATT SUN, LEO WU, and JINGYI WANG Language Academy tu- dents went to the famous Or- ange County Fair for their third Language Academy activity last Saturday. They were really excited because this was the first all-day-long activity. The OC Fair is a big event consisting of various elements, among which the rides must be ranked as the most thrilling ones. There is a variety of rides, and most of them will be beyond your expectation. If you want to challenge yourself, the OC Fair has the terrifying free-fall drop ma- chine which carries you to the top of a meters-high tower then suddenly drops down in free-falling speed. You can also try a ride named Insanity which revolves in high speed Third Street Promenade Friday, July 26, 2013 1:30PM-6:00PM If you signed up for this activity, meet in JEF Courtyard at 1:30pm. If you have not checked in by 1:45PM, we will give your place to someone on the waiting list. The Third Street Promenade is an upscale shopping, dining and entertainment sec- tion of downtown Santa Monica. Please bring cash if you plan on eating or shop- ping. Hawaiian Luau Party and Group Picture Friday, August 2, 2013 Come experience Hawai'i in our very own JEF Courtyard. Become a hula or Tahitian dance master, compete with your Lan- guage Academy friends in the hula hoop and limbo contests, enjoy Hawaiian per- formances, and feast on delicious Hawai- ian food! We will take a group picture after the performances. Sign-up at 12:00PM in JEF Courtyard ($5 payment). Fun at Orange County Fair INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Language Labs 2/ 3 Driving in Los Angeles 4 Kazakh Wedding 5 Sunday Brunch 6 Quiet Time on Mountaintop 6 Volunteer Work 7 Pics of the Week 8 U PCOMING A CTIVITIES The Academy News JULY 26, 2013 VOLUME 56, ISSUE 4 Check out The Academy News online: www.usc.edu /langacad.Go to “Student Information” and then click on “The Academy News.” Looking for a car. Here are some tips for getting a good deal on p. 4. Find out how to call home for the cheap- est rates . See p. 7. Students won minions at the game booths at the Orange County Fair.
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Transcript
with 360 degrees rotation. “Now
I understand why it is called In-
sanity. It is crazy but awesome,” See Orange County Fair on p. 3
By MATT SUN, LEO WU,
and JINGYI WANG
Language Academy tu-
dents went to the famous Or-
ange County Fair for their
third Language Academy
activity last Saturday. They
were really excited because
this was the first all-day-long
activity.
The OC Fair is a big
event consisting of various
elements, among which the
rides must be ranked as the
most thrilling ones. There is a
variety of rides, and most of
them will be beyond your
expectation.
If you want to challenge
yourself, the OC Fair has the
terrifying free-fall drop ma-
chine which carries you to the
top of a meters-high tower
then suddenly drops down in
free-falling speed. You can
also try a ride named Insanity
which revolves in high speed
Third Street Promenade Friday, July 26, 2013 1:30PM-6:00PM If you signed up for this activity, meet in JEF Courtyard at 1:30pm. If you have not checked in by 1:45PM, we will give your place to someone on the waiting list. The Third Street Promenade is an upscale shopping, dining and entertainment sec-tion of downtown Santa Monica. Please bring cash if you plan on eating or shop-ping.
Hawaiian Luau Party and Group Picture Friday, August 2, 2013 Come experience Hawai'i in our very own JEF Courtyard. Become a hula or Tahitian dance master, compete with your Lan-guage Academy friends in the hula hoop and limbo contests, enjoy Hawaiian per-formances, and feast on delicious Hawai-ian food! We will take a group picture after the performances. Sign-up at 12:00PM in JEF Courtyard ($5 payment).
Fun at Orange County Fair
I N S I D E
T H I S I S S U E :
Language
Labs
2/
3
Driving in Los
Angeles
4
Kazakh
Wedding
5
Sunday
Brunch
6
Quiet Time on
Mountaintop
6
Volunteer
Work
7
Pics of the
Week
8
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES
The Academy News J U L Y 2 6 , 2 0 1 3 V O L U M E 5 6 , I S S U E 4
Check out The Academy News online: www.usc.edu/langacad.Go to “Student Information” and then click on “The Academy News.”
Looking for a car. Here are some tips for getting a good deal on p. 4.
Find out how to call home for the cheap-est rates . See p. 7.
Students won minions at the game booths at the Orange County Fair.
IELTS Preparation: Test Overview—In this lab, you’ll have the opportunity to learn tips and tricks on how to ace the IELTS test. This week we’ll discuss the overview of the test. Conversation Practice—Practice
speaking English by level with USC students. This is an interactive discussion in which you will participate in group discussions about several interesting topics. This is your opportunity to practice speaking and to ask questions.
Statement of Purpose
Workshop (Levels 4-6): Learn how to write an amazing SOP for graduate school. Grammar Q & A—Are
you confused by the rules of English grammar? Come to the Grammar Question and Answer lab for help with your grammar questions! GRE/GMAT
Preparation (Levels 4-6): Find out the best ways to succeed on the new exam
Tuesday, July 30th
Time Location Description Facilitator
12:30-1:30pm
KAP 150
IELTS Prep Lab (Levels 2-5)
James Hutzell Faculty
12:30pm-1:30pm
THH 107
Statement of Purpose (Levels 4, 5 & 6) Limited to 1 time per week
Next week is the last week for Language Labs! You must sign-up online this weekend in order to be
registered. In order to be eligible for an A in your oral skills class, you must attend at least one Language
Lab.
P A G E 3
Orange County Fair Continued from p. 1
Haoming Zhang said after he tried this ride
and being hung in the air for five minutes.
The terrifying rides are too challeng-
ing for you? Don’t worry. There are nu-
merous games worth a try. Buying ten
tickets with $5, you will get a chance to
win the cutest stuffed toy ever---the min-
ion in the famous cartoon film Despicable
Me. If none of the games attract you, then
what about the food? OC Fair collects the
most delicious food in the country: sau-
sages, mountain of curly fries, cakes,
baked corns, lemonade juice, you name it!
As for the shopaholics, there is also a big
mall selling high quality clothes and bags
for reasonable prices.
This is not all about the OC Fair.
There are more interesting activities wait-
ing ahead. Have you heard of All-Alaskan
Racing Pigs? They are a team of the fastest
and funniest athletes to serve up entertain-
ment in the OC Fair events. When the pigs
started to run, Mike yelled “Unbelievable!
They are really fast with their tiny limbs.”
More surprisingly, these little creatures
could jump over the hurdle which is two
times taller than themselves. “It is the fun-
niest race I have ever seen. I really enjoyed
it,” said Jingyi.
With a long history (since 1890), the
OC Fair is also a great chance for us to
experience American culture. “This fair
contains a little bit of everything” said
Elin, “It is great fun just to walk around
and soak up the atmosphere.”
Thursday, August 1st
Time Location Description Facilitator
12:30-1:30pm
GFS 104 GRE Prep Lab (Levels 4, 5 & 6)
Peter Guekguezian Faculty
12:30pm-1:30pm
THH 107 Statement of Purpose (Levels 4, 5 & 6) Limited to 1 time per week
Marisa Garcia-Crocker Faculty
12:30pm-1:30pm
VKC 204 Grammar Q & A (Levels 4, 5 & 6)
John Esposito Faculty
12:30pm-1:30pm
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 1
Liza USC Student
12:30pm-1:30pm
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 2
Belen USC Student
12:30pm-1:30pm
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 3 Jay
USC Student
12:30pm-1:30pm
JEF Courtyard
Conversation Level 4 Demetri
USC Student
12:30pm-1:30pm
JEF Courtyard
Conversation Level 5 Blaire
USC Student
12:30pm-1:30pm
JEF Courtyard Conversation Levels 6 Rachel
USC Student
1:30pm-2:30pm
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 1 Blaire
USC Student
1:30pm-2:30pm
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 2 Belen
USC Student
1:30pm-2:30pm
JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 3 Demetri
USC Student
1:30pm-2:30pm
JEF Courtyard
Conversation Level 4 Rachel
USC Student
1:30pm-2:30pm
JEF Courtyard
Conversation Level 5 Liza
USC Student
1:30pm-2:30pm
JEF Courtyard Conversation Levels 6 Jay
USC Student
IELTS Preparation: Test Overview—In this lab, you’ll have the opportunity to learn tips and tricks on how to ace the IELTS test. This week we’ll discuss the overview of the test. Conversation Practice—Practice
speaking English by level with USC students. This is an interactive discussion in which you will participate in group discussions about several interesting topics. This is your opportunity to practice speaking and to ask questions.
Statement of Purpose
Workshop (Levels 4-6): Learn how to write an amazing SOP for graduate school. Grammar Q & A—Are
you confused by the rules of English grammar? Come to the Grammar Question and Answer lab for help with your grammar questions! GRE/GMAT
Preparation (Levels 4-6): Find out the best ways to succeed on the new exam
Buying a Used Car – Tips & Scams to Avoid. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://
www.carbuyingtips.com/used.htm
Are You Ready to Explore L.A. by Car?
P A G E 5
By YERKANAT ZAITOV
Weddings in Kazakhstan are cele-
brated noisily, bright, and on a grand
scale often turning into a festival lasting
days, or even weeks, with more than a
dozen families, relatives and friends. In
August I will be lucky enough to attend
as a groomsman the fabulous wedding
of my brother. Before I arrive home let
me introduce some Kazakh wedding
traditions and customs.
Not many people know that Ka-
zakhs celebrate two ceremonies: one
from the bride’s family and another the
main wedding from groom’s family.
Before the first ceremony, the groom’s
family and closest relatives all together
visit the bride’s family for a matchmak-
ing custom with many gifts for each
member of her family. This custom is
called “Kuda Tuser,” a ritual courtship
of bride.
The bride hands a petition to her
parents. In agreement with the relatives
of the bride, a day shall be appointed
when the closest relatives of the groom
headed by the Chief matchmaker come
to ask the bride's hands.
Very interesting is the custom of
meeting matchmakers, who greet each
other with the words, "Who are you?
Who should go?" in the form of a half-
joking and they are sure to throw
"Shashu" - a candy and sweets.
"Shashu" - this is a mandatory attribute
of any celebration. This gesture means
hospitality and gives a sense of celebra-
tion and is accompanied by fun.
The candy is collected and given to
children with a wish in the future to
become a party to such a celebration (it
is said: "Zhugysty Bolsyn" – “Wish you
the same in the nearest future”).
Upon entering the house of the
bride, the groom meet Zhenge
(daughters-in-law, wives of elder broth-
ers), who jokingly question him, search
his pockets, coming up with different
tests. Usually in advance for them, the
groom places trinkets, coins, and more
recently - money. The matchmakers
meeting turns into a cheerful hubbub.
Music is played, especially the Dombra
(Kazakh national instrument).
Arriving guests are seated at the
place of honor at Dastarkhan (at the
table) and there begins the acquaintance
with representatives of both sides. At
the same time, a playful tone always
remains. The general merriment contin-
ues, passing in the beautiful songs and
games.
After the father of the bride pub-
licly agrees to the marriage of his
daughter, a special dish is served—
Kuyryk-Bauyr" with pieces of boiled
liver "- (bauyr) and slices of boiled
fatty tail (kuyryk) from the slaughtered
sheep. The bride's parents feed their
matchmakers, the parents of the bride,
and fasten a new sibling alliance be-
tween matchmakers. After the completion of the repre-
sentatives of the groom feast open
"Korzhyn" - a bag of gifts for the
matchmakers. Most often it is a beauti-
ful decoration for the female half of the
bride and gifts for others. The cousin of
the bride to the groom wears earrings -
"Syrga tagu", which confirms the status
of the bride. At the end of the feast,
before leaving, the groom's parents are
presented gifts to the response - "kyit."
In modern society, the gifts may be-
beautifully embroidered cha-
pans” (national coat with ornaments)
and hats with a national ornament.
Later, a ceremony is held in the
house of the After everything is done
in chronological order bride’s family
decides the correct date of first wedding
ceremony - seeing the bride from the
parental home – “Kiz Uzatu”. For this
celebration, traditionally the bride
chooses a national wedding dress - Toy
koylek, kamzol and saukele. Modern
girls can choose an evening dress. Sau-
kele - symbolic head dress for the Ka-
zakhs. The bride bids farewell to a care-
free life in the walls of his home.
Usually the ceremony takes place
in large restaurant with all of the bride’s
family, relatives, friends, coworkers,
and everyone who is very close to
bride’s family, and this ceremony tells
that everyone should walk her out to the
new family.
After the first ceremony, the main
party takes place. The groom’s family
invites all their relatives, friends and
everyone close to them and usually the
approximate number of guests is from
200 to over 500. By the evening they
are arriving to the restaurant where all
guests are gathering already and waiting
for the main celebration. Every guest
will get chance to wish them a tons of
warm words and all of them will have
unforgettable memory because Kazakh
ceremonies are always passing very
colorful, memorable, wonderful and all
of invited people are participating in it.
I hope this description helps you to
imagine how Kazakh wedding ceremo-
nies take place.
Welcome to Kazakh Wedding Ceremony
The Kazakh bride and groom wear traditional clothes for their wedding ceremonies.
P A G E 6
By FITSUM FANTA
The Alpine Camp and Conference
Center is a tranquil campground full of wonders and adventure that take you away from the bustling city of L.A. Es-tablished in 1930’s, the campground started its roots in an L.A. like lifestyle, a vacation getaway for the Hollywood stars, like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
After almost a decade of closure, Alpine reopened through a ministry service in 1957. This weekend it was home to the Ethiopian Young Adult Ministry yearly retreat.
Alpine Camp, located in the moun-tains of Blue Jay, above 5000 ft high, Alpine can serve almost year round, for campers to take advantage of the natural resources of California. Adding new ways to seek adventure, Alpine
now has a high ropes course with a zip-line and climbing tower that reaches over 35 feet into the trees, the highest natural climb in the western hemi-sphere.
The program called “Higher Ground” is designed for small groups to enhance teamwork and problem-solving skills all while gaining trust,
imagination, and understanding risk taking. “Higher Ground” is used for groups ranging from corporate adults to at risk teenagers hoping to gain self-confidence. There are also basketball courts, swimming pool and soccer field to enjoy activities. For those who love hiking, the mountain gives ideal topog-raphical views. Still so much more with meeting rooms, a chapel, and food service for all three meals for group activities.
Thanks to the beautiful and silent environment, you will forget you are only 90 minutes from Los Angeles when you are at Alpine. Whenever you want to breath air instead of smog or hear nothing instead of traffic, think about Alpine camp retreat which could a smart choice.
By ZHAKA SHULENBAYEVA
Omelets, Egg’s Benedict, Pan-
cakes, French Toasts, Bacon, Mi-mosas, Bloody Mary’s. All these meals you can find in the special Sunday Brunch menu in many res-taurants in Los Angeles.
Sunday Brunch is the perfect de-cision for those who like to sleep longer on the weekend and miss the breakfast time but could not wait until lunch. The word “brunch” is made from “breakfast” and “lunch,” and it takes the best parts of each of them. The hit dish of the brunch menu is Egg’s Benedict, which is the muffins topped with ham or ba-con, poached eggs and Hollandaise sauce. A legend says that Mr. Le-muel Benedict requested the combi-nation of poached eggs, Canadian bacon, English muffins, and Hollan-daise sauce in order to recover from a hangover. Therefore, the chef rec-ognized the dish’s delicious poten-tial,and it’s been a brunch classic ever since.
Here are some places close to USC where I usually have Sunday brunch.
The nice and cute café Jack and Joe, which is located on Figue-roa and Adams can make your Sun-day special because you can make your own omelet and actually watch how it is going to be cooked.
The second place that you probably should visit is Original Pantry Café, which is on Figueroa and Ninth street, next to LA Live. This place was opened a long time
ago; when you are there, you can feel the old traditional American spirit while you are enjoying fresh-made pancakes with maple syrup.
If you are interested in the French cuisine, the origin of brunch, which I believe so, you should stop by Gourmet Crepe X-press Café on Grand street and Sixth Street. The chef is a cheerful person who not only loves USC students, but also cooks amazing crepes.
The next place is well known, IHOP, where you can find different kinds of pancakes. The nearest IHOP is located on Flower Street and Street.
In case you have a sweet tooth, you might love the place on the Spring Street and Seventh Street. “Syrup” is the café where you can always eat fresh blubbery sand-wiches or Belgian waffles with nutella and strawberry.
So, my next Sunday is going to start with the smell of fresh brewed coffee and the taste of topped muf-fins in eggs. What about you?
The Academy News is a weekly newsletter pro-duced by students in the Journalism Elective of the USC Language Academy. All students in the Lan-guage Academy Program are encouraged to send news stories and photos to Sonja Lovelace at [email protected].
Check out The Academy News online at www.usc.edu/langacad.Go to “Student Informa-