October 2015 - EC Los Angeles Blog

Student Spotlight – Federico from Italy!

October 30, 2015

Name: Federico Belli Nationality: Italian Why did you choose to study with EC? First, because it is near to sea, and second because I think it’s better than other schools. What do you like the most about EC teachers? They’re friendly and professional. What will be your most unforgettable memory of EC? The costume contest. *** editor’s note: Federico is the winner of ECLA’s Halloween Costume Contest 2015!!! Would you recommend EC to a friend? Why? Yes, for the same reason I chose this school. We chose Federico for the student spotlight because we have seen his skill and confidence with English grow. We are excited to have him study with us! Great job, Federico!!! Want to study English in the USA like Federico? Visit ECLA today!

ECLA’s Jack O’ Lantern Contest!

October 29, 2015

Category: Student Life

On Tuesday, October 27th, 2015, each Core class at EC Los Angeles had the chance to participate in a Jack O’ Lantern Contest. For many students, this was the first time they ever heard about this Halloween tradition! We decided to investigate the origins of Jack O Lanterns! The Legend of Stingy Jack The tradition of making Jack O’ Lanterns was brought to America by Irish and Scottish immigrants. In Ireland, there was a legend of Stingy Jack! The story goes, Stingy Jack wanted to buy a drink, but didn’t have any money. He tricked the devil into turning himself into a coin – instead of spending the money, he put the devil-coin in his pocket next to a cross and the devil was trapped. Stingy Jack made a deal with the devil – he would let the devil go if Jack would be safe for one year and also not go to hell if he died. The devil agreed. After one year, Stingy Jack yet again tricked the devil by asking the devil to get him some fruit from a tree, and trapping him in a tree with a cross. Soon after, Jack died of natural causes. The legend says, God wouldn’t allow someone like Jack into heaven, and the devil wouldn’t allow Jack into hell, so Jack was forced to wander the earth carrying burning coal for light. In Ireland and Scotland, people would carve lanterns into turnips and put candles in them to signify the coal carried by Stingy Jack. This is why we call them Jack O’ Lanterns. Over the years and across an ocean, the lanterns are now carved out of pumpkins! Now that we know the history of the Jack O’ Lantern, let’s take a look at some pictures of Tuesday’s activity! … Read more

Wednesday Word of the Day – Trick or Treat!

October 28, 2015

Category: EC Los Angeles

Trick or Treat? noun or verb Why do we say “trick or treat” around Halloween time? Trick-or-treating is a Halloween custom for children (and adults) in many countries. Children dress up in costumes and travel from house to house asking for treats such as candy and chocolate. When they ring the doorbell and the door is opened, the phrase “TRICK OR TREAT!” is yelled. A person who goes from house to house asking for candy is called a trick-or-treater. The origin of this phrase comes from a Scotland custom called guising. Guising involves dressing in costume and singing a rhyme, doing a card trick, or telling a story in exchange for a sweet. The Scottish and Irish brought the custom to America in the 19th century. Fast forward to the 21st century… the Halloween spirit is in full swing at EC Los Angeles! From spider webs around the school to a jack-o-lantern carving contest, we are undoubtedly excited about this popular holiday. Students are also excited to go trick-or-treating around the school. There are several “hot spots” where you can satisfy your sweet tooth cravings at EC Los Angeles: the 3rd floor front desk, Paul’s Centre Director office, the 3rd floor Academic Office, and the 2nd floor Academic Office. Stop by each of these locations and remember to say the magic words in exchange for a piece of candy! Happy trick-or-treating, everyone! Want to study English in the USA? Visit EC today!

Around Los Angeles Oct 19 – 25

October 22, 2015

Category: Student Life

Hey All! Here is what is going to happen in the city of Angels during the week of 19-24: Halloween Activity: Halloween Horror Nights 2015 @ Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood in Universal City, Ca, is a bone-chilling, spooktastic Halloween event in the Los Angeles area. Based on the most frightening films, television series and music, this horrifying experience takes guests through intense mazes and scream zones that are sure to scare folks; socks off. This event is going to happen everyday until Nov 1st. Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors @ Honda Center Thursday, Oct 22, 2015 Time: 7Pm We Can Survive @ Hollywood Bowl Saturday, Oct 24, 2015 Some of the hottest names in music will take the same stage next month for CBS Radio’s third annual “We Can Survive” concert presented by the new Chrysler 200, Drive Proud. The show benefits Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which will be hosted by Carson Daly. Daly announced the lineup earlier today on CBS Radio’s 97.1 AMP Radio in Los Angeles/ The Weekend, Calvin Harris, Maroon 5, 5 Seconds of Summer, Demi Lovato, and Nick Jonas are all on the lineup; the show will take place Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, for every ticket sold, $2 will benefit Young Survival Coalition, the premier global organization dedicated to the critical issues unique to young women who are diagnosed with breast cancer. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide and the second most common cancer over all. Cazzette @ Sound Nightclub Saturday, Oct 24, 2015 And for those who love EDM, Soung Nightclub presents Cazzette. Cazzette is a Swedish DJ duo consisting of Sebastian Furrer & Alexander … Read more

Grain of Grammar: Prepositions!

October 20, 2015

Category: Academic

Here is some advice from ECLA’s Academic Director of Studies, Melanie! Language corner: Preposition secrets part I Many English language students find it difficult to learn how to use English prepositions correctly. On the one hand, it’s true that some rules for prepositions are easy. For example, prepositions of time (“I was born on Christmas Day,” “I will see you at 3pm”) have very easy rules to follow. Prepositions of space and movement (“The plane flew over the school,” “I put the keys on the table”) are also easy to memorize. But why do we say “I’m interested in politics”? Or “I’m looking at you?” I’m going to share a few secrets with you that should help you with prepositions. Unfortunately, my first secret is some bad news. You already know that using prepositions are difficult to learn. But guess what? Prepositions are also difficult to teach! Why? Because the rules for prepositions are not always clear! (As I described above!) Now for the good news, and my second secret. Although prepositions are difficult to use 100% correctly, they are also one of the easiest things to make mistakes with and still be understood. ********************************************************************************************************** For example, imagine that you are in class on Monday, and your teacher wants to know what you did on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Does she ask you: A) “What did you do in the weekend?” or B) “What did you do at the weekend?” The answer is B). But is it important to know that? The question is still clear, isn’t it? Now I have some advice to help you improve your preposition use. *** My first tip is to try to learn prepositions the way native speakers learn them. Native speakers learn a … Read more

ECLA Activities Oct 19 – Oct 16

October 19, 2015

Category: EC Los Angeles

Students looking for a Los Angeles language center come to EC Los Angeles to learn and have fun! Here are the ECLA activities for the week of Oct 19 – Oct 16! Monday, Octobr 19, 2015 Annenberg Beach House – enjoy a heated pool and lounge chairs on the beach at this community beach house in Santa Monica! Cost $1. Tuesday, October 20, 2015 Rock Climbing has been postponed! Stay tuned! Wednesday, October 21, 2015 Soccer in the Park – come make new friends and have a friendly game of soccer at Reed Park! Thursday, October 22, 2015 Beach Volleyball – ECLA’s popular Beach Volleyball activity is back! Enjoy the ocean view and the last of the summer heat! Friday, October 23, 2015 Join Expedition America at the season Halloween Event, Knott’s Scary Farm! Ride some roller coasters and have a fright! Want to learn more about the activities ECLA has to offer? Visit our Facebook page for daily updates!

Tamina shares her Los Angeles experience!

October 15, 2015

Category: Student Life, Testimonial

ECLA Student, Tamina, shares her experience… This is my sixth week in Los Angeles. So far it has been one of the greatest experiences I ever had. The food is delicious and the weather is perfect. Over those weeks I had a lot of Thai Food. One of the places I highly recommend is Thai Dishes near the Third Street Promenade on Broadway and Second Street. They are super friendly. However it is a little bit more expensive, but worth it. Another is near the Oakwood residence in the Washington Boulevard and is called Siamese Garden. On the terrace you have romantic atmosphere and a nice view. Enough from the food. Have you ever been to Venice or Santa Monica Beach? If you haven’t yet I just say this: You should! Up to now I’ve made two trips to San Francisco and Las Vegas. Those a Cities are worth to visit. They are both totally different, but will give you some good memories. On September 13th a friend and I saw a Street Show. It was really professional. The breakdance moves were incredible. They also included people form the audience. The kids were absolutely adorable. This one was near the Santa Monica Pier. Don’t worry things like this are almost everywhere in Los Angeles. This sum it basically up. There is just one thing left to talk about: EC Los Angeles. This school is awesome. The people are really nice and everyone tries to make your stay as cool as possible. There are some good activities for everyone and believe it or not in a long time I haven’t felt like I’m learning that much like I do here. Sounds cheesy I know, but it’s true. Oh wait there’s another one: Enjoy the LA life! Tamina Want to … Read more

Wednesday Word of the Day – Foliage!

October 14, 2015

Category: Academic

It’s a season of colors and season of words. Here is today’s Wednesday Word of the Day! fo·li·age ˈfōl(ē)ij/ Noun The word “foliage” means the leaves or flowers of a plant or a tree. It is an uncountable noun, which means that it refers to the collection (or group) or leaves or flowers. There is no plural form of “foliage”. Some synonyms for the word are leaves, leafage, greenery, vegetation, verdure. The foliage on trees and bushes will change with the seasons. You will see a lot of autumn foliage this time of the year as the leaves start changing colors from green to vibrant red and orange colors. In the winter months, the foliage will start to wither and dry up until branches are left bare. When spring approaches, plants will start to blossom again, and we will see beautiful foliage in the form of green leaves and colorful plants and flowers. Here in sunny, southern California, the autumn season is not very distinct. In other parts of the United States, the trees will drastically change colors and colorful leaves will begin to fall to the ground. However, you may still start to see some leaves change their colors here in Los Angeles. So as you go through the city of Los Angeles, take a moment to look at the foliage around you! Want to study English in the USA? Come to EC today!

Former ECLA student Emanuele and his Crateful spread

Crateful comes to EC Los Angeles! – Let’s have Lunch!

October 7, 2015

Category: Student Life

EC Los Angeles is very excited to introduce our new lunch options, curated by Crateful – a company started by EC Los Angeles Alumni, Emanuele Ponzo. Emanuele studied at ECLA for 8 months, leveling-up from Beginner to Pre-Advanced! While studying at EC, Emanuele came up with an idea to create a healthy and delicious lunch alternative for EC students to use – then “Crateful” was born! Crateful is a company dedicated to delivering the highest quality of delicious and healthy food. Although Crateful is a subscription service (meaning you can sign-up online and pay a weekly or monthly fee to have meals automatically delivered), starting Wednesday, October 7th, 2015, EC Los Angeles students will now be able to purchase convenient, innovative, organic gourmet lunch, without having to spend lots of money in town! Emanuele has teamed up with Michilen Star Chef Cristina Bowerman and Licensed Nutritionist Alyse Levine to create healthy, delicious and affordable meals that students will be able to buy through a new-age kiosk vending machine (coming soon!) that will be refilled every day! “The Crateful team brings a passion to deliver the best healthy meal subscription plan in Los Angeles. Our difference is our focus on a meal plan that blends delicious meals and organic ingredients with beauty and style. We are redefining the way you eat by bringing restaurant-quality food to your door.” – Crateful The creative menu will feature an international scope of dishes form pasta, to falafel, to Asian-inspired cuisine! Take a look at Wednesday’s offering below! For more information, check out Crateful’s website! What will you be inspired to do at EC Los Angeles? Come EC’s Los Angeles English Center us today!

Yoo, from South Korea, is a Student Ambassador.

EC Welcomes Yoo, Student Ambassador from South Korea!

October 6, 2015

Category: EC Los Angeles

Fall is a season of Student Ambassadors! Meet Yoo, from South Korea! Hi guys! My name is Byungwook Yoo from South Korea. I am 25years old and I am still a university student in Korea. I am majoring Citi public administration and double-majoring Business administration. When I first considered studying in abroad, I was a little bit reluctant to choose the place. Because I am not that young and I had to choose the best place to improve my English significantly. After searching the information, I chose the EC Los Angeles. There is very few Korean students and always good weather all over Los Angeles. It was the best choice I have ever made! Good student ratio made me always speak English and I can easily get to beach and Los Angeles downtown. Also, Santa Monica has really good public transportation so I can reach to Koreatown anytime I want. That is why I don’t have any problem with my diet. I just want to improve my English as much as I can. Most because I want to get a good job. But, I would also like to feel a sense of accomplishment by speaking English fluently. I guess EC Los Angeles is highly recommended. You can improve English and enjoy your life at the same time! Thank you! Want to study English in the USA? Visit ECLA today! Check out EC Los Angeles today!