by Phoebe Zhang

Music, chocolates, laughter,

gifts and cards, here comes our

Valentine’s Day Party. Last

Friday, February 10, the Lan-

guage Academy held a romantic

party in Marks Hall. Lots of

students joined the gathering.

Valentine’s Day is a special

day in which people express

their love not only to lovers but

to teachers, families and

friends. We come from different

countries with different cultures

and languages.

We meet at Language Acad-

emy where we fight for our fu-

ture. No matter how well we know each

other, saying hello with a smiling face can

break the ice and make us closer. What are

you going to do to express your love?

At 1 pm, when we entered the Marks

Hall, music was floating in the air, candies

and chocolates were piled on the plates, See Love Party on p. 3

Disneyland Saturday, February 25th 9:00am—Midnight Come with the USC Language Academy to the happiest place on earth! This is the trip you've been waiting for, so don't miss out! There will be a $40 cash payment for this ac-tivity, and you must take the provided trans-portation to attend. Students may only sign up for themselves - one ticket per student. Please bring your USC ID for identification when you sign up. The last day to sign up for this activity is Wednesday, February 22nd.

USC Basketball Game Thursday, March 1st 6:30pm—10:00pm Ready to Fight On for USC? Come cheer the Men of Troy on at the Galen Center for one of the last basketball games of the regular season! See the Trojans beat the Washing-ton Huskies for FREE! Just sign up on Tues-day, February 21st after class. To get in to the game for free, you MUST bring your USC ID card. Remember to wear cardinal & gold!

Love Party in Language Academy

I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

Language

Labs

2

Announce-

ments

3

Women

Leaders

4

Chinese

Athlete

4

Presidents’

Day

5

Chinese Speed

Dating

6

Events

Calendar

8

UP C O M I N G AC T I V I T I E S

The Academy News F E B R U A R Y 1 7 , 2 0 1 2 V O L U M E 5 3 , I S S U E 5 More women

are taking on

leadership

roles. See p. 4

What do you

know about the

U.S. presidents?

Take the quiz

on p. 5

In these fast

times, is speed-

dating the an-

swer to finding

a partner? See

p. 6

Students, staff, and teachers created special cards for friends.

P A G E 2

Tuesday, Feburary 21st

Time Location Description Facilitator Levels

12:00—1:00 VKC 101 IELTS Test Preparation James Hutzell All Levels (Recommended

for 3-6)

12:00—1:00 VKC 111 Building English Skills

Diana Hiciu Levels Beginner, 1 & 2

12:00—1:00 VKC 160 Writing Skills

Jimenah Espinoza Levels 3, 4, 5, & 6

12:00—1:00 VKC 209 American Culture Natalie Reyes Levels 1, 2, 3, & 4

11:00—12:00

JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 1 Bella Narvaez Level 1

JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 2 Justin Chang Level 2

JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 3 Micala Mendoza Level 3

JEF Courtyard Conversation Levels 5, 6 & 7 Dorothy Chang Levels 5, 6 & 7

JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 4

Jemal Williams Level 4

JEF Courtyard Conversation Levels 2 Hannah Yoo Level 2 12:00—1:00

JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 3 Jemal Williams Level 3

Thursday, February 23rd

Time Location Description Facilitator Levels

11:00—12:00 THH 113 Statement of Purpose Prep Heather Robertson

Levels 3, 4, 5, & 6

12:00—1:00 VKC 111 Building English Skills

Diana Hiciu Levels Beginner, 1 & 2

12:00—1:00 VKC 101 GRE/GMAT Test Prep

James Hutzell All Levels (Recommended

for 3-6)

12:00—1:00 VKC 209 Life Skills Natalie Reyes Levels 1, 2, 3, & 4

11:00—12:00

JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 1 Bella Narvaez Level 1

JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 2 Justin Chang Level 2

JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 3 Micala Mendoza Level 3

JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 4 Dorothy Chang Level 4

JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 3 Jemal Williams Level 4

JEF Courtyard Conversation Levels 5, 6 & 7 Hannah Yoo Levels 5, 6 & 7 12:00—1:00

JEF Courtyard Conversation Level 4 Jemal Williams Level 3

Please remember to sign up for Language Labs starting TODAY at NOON until TUESDAY at 8:00am. Since there will be no classes on Monday due to the Presidents’ Day holiday, you will not be able to sign up with Sky on

Tuesday. If you have questions or problems signing up, please email Sky at schuyles@usc.edu.

P A G E 3

Tips for Success in Applying to a

Non-Professional Graduate School

A candid talk with current USC graduate students about how

to prepare for applying to graduate school as an

undergraduate. Presented by CET

Undergraduate Fellows When: Thursday, February 23

Where: ACB 238 Time: 4:30pm-6pm

Come have some delicious FREE food and

meet USC students! What:

International Student Assembly Food Fair

When: Thursday, February 23

11:30 – 2:00 pm Where: McCarthy Quad

Happy Presidents’ Day! Don’t forget, the USC Language Academy will be closed on

Monday, February 20th for the Presidents’ Day holiday and there will be NO CLASSES.

Love Party Continued from p. 1

and cards were waiting on

the tables. Everything was

ready for us to have fun. We

said “I love you” using the

many languages that we

know. We made cards for

our teachers to express our

appreciation.

We voted on the funniest,

the most romantic and crea-

tive cards. Everyone was

using their imagination to

make their cards special. At

the end of the party, the mail

box which was to be deliv-

ered to our teachers was

filled with cards. We

wanted teachers to get in a

good mood when they re-

ceived our cards.

Pictures and videos re-

corded our happy memories.

Thanks, Language Acad-

emy staff, for providing this

nice party. We all had a

pleasant time together to

celebrate the coming Valen-

tine’s Day. Wishing all of

Language Academy teachers

and students an everlasting

love.

P A G E 4

Famous Athletes

Yao Ming BY HOWARD WEN

As a Chinese sports fan, I'm so proud to introduce you to our best basketball player in his-tory—Yao Ming. He is one of the best-known athletes in China.

Yao Ming was selected by the Houston Rockets as the first overall pick in the 2002 NBA (National Basketball Association) Draft. He was the first foreign player to be the first overall pick in NBA Draft.

I still remember his rookie sea-son in 2002. Yao didn't play well at first. Many people started to doubt his ability. One funny an-ecdote is about Charles Barkley (famous basketball player and basketball commentator), He said he would "kiss (Kenny

Smith's) ass" if Yao scored more than 19 points in one of his rookie-season games on a sport TV show.

On November 17, 2002, Yao's eighth match, he scored 20

points against the Lakers. Barkley had to kiss the buttocks of a fake donkey purchased by Smith for his bet. This was one of the most memorable moments in Yao's career.

After he proved himself, he ac-complished many amazing things, both with the Houston Rockets and the Chinese Na-tional Basketball Team during his career. Even though he retired last year, he will be a legend for-ever.

Yao was also a good role model for English learners. Be-fore he joined the NBA, he knew almost nothing about English. He said, “You may not win even though you did your best. How-ever, you will definitely lose if you never try.

Fight on, guys! We may not beat Yao on the basketball court, but we can beat him in learning English.

By Sara AlShehri

There is a saying

“Behind every great man

is a great woman.”

Women’s leadership is the

major element of many

successful and powerful

men in the world. More-

over, their leadership

serves not only men. In

fact, they become leaders

whether in politics or busi-

ness. They can lead the

community according to

their point of view.

Women have been

leaders throughout history.

We can find many women

who led their countries.

Before 1458 BC, Hatshep-

sut was the first female

Pharaoh of Egypt. Typi-

cally, the position of

"Pharaoh" was only for

men, but Hatshepsut man-

aged to apply the power of

Pharaoh even though she

was a woman. She ex-

pressed her opinions, led

her community, and suc-

cessfully presented the

power of women.

Nowadays, the concept

of women’s leadership has

expanded around the

globe; we can see now

queens and female presi-

dents. For instance, there

are three queens in Den-

mark, The Netherlands

and the United Kingdom.

Moreover, there are ten

female presidents in Ar-

gentina, Brazil, Costa

Rica, Finland, India, Kos-

ovo, Liberia, Lithuania,

San Marino and Switzer-

land.

Finally, when it comes

to leadership, gender

doesn’t really matter.

I think there is nothing

that can stop women from

being good leaders in their

communities and in their

nations.

Women’s Leadership

Yao Ming, the first Chinese player in the NBA, joined the Houston Rockets in 2002.

P A G E 5

Are you excited about

the long weekend? I know

I am. Monday, February

20, is a federal holiday

honoring all the presidents

of the United States, but

mostly to celebrate Presi-

dent George Washington’s

and President Abraham

Lincoln’s birthday. Abra-

ham Lincoln’s birthday is

on February 12 and George

Washington’s is February

22.

Presidents’ Day is usu-

ally celebrated on the third

Monday of February, but

some schools celebrate

Presidents’ Day on the sec-

ond week of February.

Presidents’ Day became

official in the year 1880

when Congress declared

that George Washington’s

birthday would be ob-

served the third week of

February.

On this holiday week-

end, you can find amazing

vacation deals and sales

throughout the stores. Sales

will come about after Val-

entine’s Day, clearing all

the items with amazing

deals. So do not forget to

visit the mall this weekend

and do some great shop-

ping.

What do you

know about the

U.S. presidents? YARA HADI

Here is a quiz about the presidents.

The first one to send the correct an-

swers to Yara will receive a Starbuck’s

coffee card. Her email is yara-

hadi93@gmail.com

1. Who was the youngest president

in the United States?

a) Bill Clinton

b)b) John F. Kennedy

c) c) John Quincy Adams

2. Which president was in a wheel

chair?

a) Ronald Reagan

b)Theodore Roosevelt

c) Franklin D. Roosevelt

3. Which state is nicknamed “Mother

of Presidents” because 8 presidents

were from there?

a) Virginia

b) Ohio

c) Washington

4. How many U.S presidents in total

have there been?

a) 50

b) 43

c) 44

5. Who was the oldest president in

the United States?

a) George Washington

b) Ronald Reagan

c) Abraham Lincoln

6. Which president ran the country

for a third term (12 years)?

a) Franklin D. Roosevelt

b) Abraham Lincoln

c) James Madison

7. Who was the first president of the

United States?

a) Thomas Jefferson

b) George Washington

c) Abraham Lincoln

8. Who was the first and only presi-

dent to get marries in the White

House?

a) James Monroe

b) Franklin Peirce

c) Grover Cleveland

Presidents’ Day by Yara Hadi

Barak Obama,

president of the

United States,

was elected in

2008 and will run

for a second term

in November.

Federal and State

offices, the Post

Office, and DMV will

be closed on Monday,

February 20

P A G E 6

Vidayla (Lilly) Sabajan

This is a traditional plate

from Guatemala. This dish is

served at weddings and also on

Valentines Day.

INGREDIENTS

4 whole sweet bananas

4 tablets of chocolate

1 cinnamon stick

4 red tomatoes

3 tablespoons of sugar

Sesame seeds(small packet)

Cup of oil.

PREPARATIONS (STEPS) Place your frying pan on

the stove at medium fire

and pour a cup of oil into

the pan.

Cut the bananas into slices

Boil the red tomatoes in a

small pot with enough

water at medium fire.

When oil from the pan is

completely hot, place the

banana slices in the pan.

Once the banana slices are

fried, place them on a

plate/tray.

When tomatoes are ready

and look wrinkled, place

them in the blender to be

liquefied . After that, place

them in a pan (different) at

a medium fire. Add choco-

late, cinnamon, and sugar

to it , and wait until the

chocolate is melting.

Once the chocolate has

become chocolate syrup,

place the fried banana

slices into it, and leave

them cooking for 10 min-

utes.

After the 10 minutes are

up, turn fire off and leave

the dessert to cool down

for 15 minutes. After the

time is up, gather your

plate and serve it with

your spoon. And Enjoy.

OPTIONAL

Once it’s ready to be served, you can add strawberry slices and sesame seeds to com-plete your dish.

ENJOY OUR GUATE-

MALAN DESSERT!!!

Lifestyle Trends

Speed dating, on-line dating and

TV dating shows are growing in

popularity in China. Many young

Chinese — living in a fast-paced

world and facing globalization and

heightened expectations — are turn-

ing to unconventional, even previ-

ously unheard of, dating methods.

People are expecting more from

a relationship or marriage than in the

old days. In the past (our parents'

generation), people may just have

wanted someone to spend time with

them. But now, we want a charming

personality, common interests, hu-

mor or more. So, it's very difficult to

find the right one.

Speed dating provides a great

opportunity for the large number of

men and women who are born in the

seventies, and still haven’t gotten

married. The standards and expecta-

tions continue to rise when they

choose a mate. They believe it may

depend on destiny whether they can

fall in love at first sight.

Speed dating means getting to

know your partner as fast as possible,

when on a date. We Chinese call it

“lightning date”. It’s used as a meta-

phor to depict how sudden something

is happening. Moreover, young

adults in China are busier than ever;

they often have little free time out-

side of their studies or work for net-

working, socializing or dating.

I think there is too much pres-

sure on young people these days. We

don't have much time for social ac-

tivities. Therefore TV, on-line and

speed dating are getting popular, be-

cause all of these methods are effi-

cient.

There will be a speed dating

activity for Chinese students held on

campus on Feb.24. If you are single

and looking for an ideal partner,

come on and join the activity! (See p. 8 for details of this event)

FRIED BANANAS WITH CHOCOLATE

SPEED DATING BY Yining Wei

Welcome Velkommen

Bienvenue Bienvenidos

Benvenuti Bem-vindo 歡迎 환영

ようこそ

ยนิดต้ีอนรับ Қош келдіңіз!

Xush kelibsiz

مرحبا بكم

Добро пожаловать

Courtesy of Google Translate

P A G E 7

Energy—An Ideal Place for Your Weekends

Happy Birthday!

February Sign

Aquarius Mohammed Alshuwirekh 20

Wen (Cloudy) Chen 21

SISI LIN

After a week’s study, do you

always think about doing some-

thing special during your week-

ends? Having a good dinner with

your friends? Watching a new film

with your girlfriend or boyfriend?

Shopping with your sisters? Hav-

ing a party in your family? Those

are all regular options. If you want

to have an exciting weekend,

“Energy” will be a good choice for

you.

Energy is a karaoke club lo-

cated in Alhambra, where people

can sing songs with friends. It is

very close to many shopping cen-

ters, restaurants, and Asian super

markets. Although it is a karaoke

club owned by Chinese, the variety

of the songs is very broad. You can

find songs in many languages,

such as English, Chinese, Canton-

ese, Korean, Japanese. The most

important thing is that the songs

here are always up to date.

Compared with other karaoke

clubs, Energy is very clean and

fancy. Whether you are good at

singing or not, it is a good place

for showing your personality and

having fun with friends. The price

in Energy is a little bit higher com-

pared with other karaoke clubs, but

still affordable. It is $25 an hour

for one to four people, $35 an hour

for five to eight people, and $45 an

hour for more than eight (+8.75%

Tax + 15% Service Charge).

Since Karaoke is very popular, it

is always a good idea to make res-

ervations before you come. Energy

has strict “no alcohol, no smoking,

no outside food or drink” policy.

All work and no play makes Jack

a dull boy. Don’t always study

during weekends, and try some-

thing new and fun. Energy is an

ideal place for your exciting week-

ends.

Energy’s Location

33 E Valley Blvd Suite 206-210

Alhambra, CA 91801

(626) 570-8118

L.A. Nights

SOCIAL EVENT

Speed Dating Chinese Style

The USC Chinese Student Organiza-

tion is sponsoring a speed dating

event. For more information, visit

the CSO webpage (in Chinese):

http://www.facebook.com/#!/

events/289545937775613/

Where: THH 101

When: Friday, Feb. 24, 7:30-11

p.m.

RSVP Requested. To RSVP, visit

the website above.

THEATER

The Tempest

Friday, Febru-

ary 17, 2012;

Saturday, Feb-

ruary 18,

2012; Thurs-

day, February

23, 2012; Sun-

day, February

26, 2012; Wednesday, February 29,

2012; Saturday, March 3, 2012

Scene Dock Theatre

Tickets purchased in person at the

USC Ticket Office: students, $5;

faculty and staff, $8; general public,

$10. Tickets purchased by phone or

online: $12.

PUBLIC LECTURE

Designated Driver: State Capital-

ism in China’s Automotive Industry

Wednesday, February 22, 2012 :

4:00pm to 6:00pm

Annenberg School for Communica-

tion & Journalism

207

Free. RSVP requested.

Author Greg

Anderson dis-

cusses his book

about the Chinese

car industry and

the delicate nature

of China’s planned

economy.

USC Language

Academy

Rossier School of

Education

Phone: 213-740-0080

Fax: 213-740-0088

Web: www.usc.edu/

langacad

ATTENTION

LANGUAGE

ACADEMY

STUDENTS

Do you have a story to tell?

Do you have an inspiration?

The TAN Staff invites all

students to write stories for

the newsletter. Send your

stories to Editor Sisi Lin at

sisilin044@gmail.com or

Assistant EditorYara Hadi at

yarahadi93@gmail.com

and we’ll publish them!

Events Calendar: February 17-24

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 slove-lac@usc.edu.

Check out The Academy News online at www.usc.edu/langacad.Go to “Student Informa-

tion” and then click on “The Academy News.”

P A G E 8 F E B R U A R Y 1 7 , 2 0 1 2

FREE EVENTS Many events on campus are

free. Please go to the Arts and Events Calendar for more de-

tails at http://web-app.usc.edu/ws/eo2/calendar/32/

feature/2819

Editor

Sisi Lin

Assistant Editor

Yara Hadi

Reporters

SaraAlshehri

Tzekwan (Catherine)Cheung

Lilly Sabajan

Yining (Yvoon) Wei

Haoyang (Howard) Wen

Fengyi (Phoebe) Zhang

Advisor

Sonja Lovelace

THE TAN STAFF