Russian Maslenitsa at the Language House

The Russian equivalent of Carnival is called Maslenitsa. It is the week before the Russian Orthodox Lent. Maslenitsa is one of the best Russian holidays and something that everyone can appreciate. It is a fun filled week of games and eating “blini”, Russian crepes.

At the Language House, we the Russian Cluster hosted a day of Maslenitsa in the beginning of February. Katya and Rachel, the Russian Cluster devoted chefs, woke up at the crack of dawn and started cooking hundreds (literally) of delicious, mouth-watering, buttery, golden crepes. Leysan, Misha, and Amanda beautifully decorated the Language House’s multipurpose room with Russian paraphernalia including brightly patterned scarves and a an authentic 19th century

samovar. Bliny, caviar along with other many other fillings, tea, music (thanks to Harry) - everything ready for the party to begin. After helping themselves to the delicious blini, the guests seated themselves to watch a series of entertaining performances. First, Hannah gave a colorful and informative presentation on the history and meaning behind Maslenitsa. Next, one of the Russian classes sang a Russian folk song.

And finally, a different Russian class sang, danced, and acted out an entertaining skit.

Meanwhile, the guests continued to eat, drink, and enjoy the fabulousness of the holiday known as Maslenitsa. Overall, the day was a wonderful, blini-filled success!

Russian Cluster

Hannah Silverman for the Russian Cluster

Language House Spring Showcase

The Showcase:

The annual language house showcase is a wonderful opportunity to view the different cultural aspects from each of the 10 languages represented in the house. Each of the clusters comes up with a unique, educational, and entertaining performance that exhibits the diverse talents that our students have to offer. Family members are sent invitations to show the progress that their child has learned within the immersion program – but other members of the community are welcome to attend as well! In addition to the performances, attendees end the night with an assortment of home-made cultural dished pertaining to each language.

La exhibición anual de la Casa de Idiomas es una oportunidad fantástica para ver los distintos aspectos culturales de cada una de las diez lenguas representadas en la casa. Cada grupo diseña su propia presentación, baile o canción que sea único, educativo y divertido para mostrar los talentos diversos de nuestros estudiantes. Padres y familia reciben invitaciones al evento para compartir con ellos el progreso de los estudiantes y lo que han aprendido ya en el programa de inmersión… ¡pero otros miembros de la comunidad también pueden asistir! Además de las actuaciones, el evento termina con una merienda de varios platos de comida preparado por los estudiantes y representando cada lengua de la casa. Mucha cultura en la Language House de la Universidad de Maryland.

SPANISH CLUSTER

The importance of studying abroad!

La Importancia de estudiar en el extranjero
A nosotros nos encanta aprender idiomas y aquí en la casa nos preparamos en la esperanza de estudiar en el extranjero. Aún si tomas muchas clases de español, o de otro idioma, no se puede reemplazar ciertas experiencias como:
La comida (jamón serrano o croquetas)
La gente que se conoce (amigos, estudiantes y profesores)
La cultura (el arte, la música, la arquitectura, el baile, las ferias y las costumbres)
Las oportunidades escolares y profesionales (obtener créditos para la universidad, conocer a otros jóvenes profesionales o conseguir otro tipo de aprendizajes)
Las oportunidades culturales (aprender una apreciación profunda de culturas diferentes, aprender a cocinar, a bailar, a cantar, y manejarse en una sociedad distinta)
El lenguaje (palabrotas, jerga, gramática y usos específicos al país, como el lenguaje y su uso representa al país y su historia)
Todo super interesante…

The Importance of Study Abroad
Here in the language house, we love to learn languages and are preparing ourselves to one day study abroad in another country. Even if you are taking many Spanish classes, or any languages for that matter, there are some experiences that life on UMD’s campus that can’t replace.
The food (jamón Serrano, croquettes)
The people that you meet (friends, students, professors)
The culture (art, music, architecture, dance, celebrations, customs)
The academic and professional opportunities (receiving credit for classes, meeting other young professionals, getting internships)
The cultural opportunities (learning to appreciate a different culture, learning to cook foreign foods, dance, sing, and living in a different society)
The language (jargon, grammar, slang, idioms, how the language reflects the culture and history of the country)

SPANISH CLUSTER

This blog has moved

This blog is now located at http://umdlanguagehouse.blogspot.com/.
You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here.

For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to
http://umdlanguagehouse.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default.