See You in the New Year

Have a great vacation! See you in the new year on January 2, 2012!

The Safest Cities

According to research done by CQ Press, the Provo/Orem metropolitan area ranks as one of the top 10 safest cities in the United States. The researchers looked at data collected from the F.B.I. on "murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault and the property crimes of burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson."

Out of 354 metropolitan areas in the United States, the Provo/Orem metropolitan area in Utah ranked as the number 7 safest city. Of the top 10 safest metropolitan areas, Utah metropolitan areas appear 3 times!

Take a look at some of these other popular destination cities. The rankings are out of 354 cities.

• New York, NY 115
• Austin, TX 138
• Seattle, WA 235
• Los Angeles, CA 281
• Baltimore, MD 319
• Detroit, MI 337
• Miami, FL 339

You can feel at ease when you study at Nomen Global knowing that the Provo/Orem metropolitan area is considerably safer than other cities in the United States.

If you are interested in seeing other metropolitan crime rate rankings, visit CQ Press. To learn more about Nomen Global and the exciting and safe programs we offer, visit our website or like us on Facebook.

Christmas Activities

In order to kick off the holiday season, Listening/Speaking Workshop classes wrote, performed, and laughed at some festive skits!

The beginning level sang the classic song "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" with hand-made posters and props.

We saw a clever skit about the true meaning of Christmas giving and a hilarious rendition of Rudolph's story from the intermediate level.

The advanced students taught us "The 12 Days of Christmas" and performed a skit showing us how Santa Claus really feels.

Last, but not least, the TOEFL level acted out their version of another classic story, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

After we sang and enjoyed each other's acting skills, we participated in a hilarious white elephant gift exchange. A white elephant gift exchange is a simple gift-giving game in which participants wrap a trifle or unusual gift. Most gifts cost less than $2 or are things that the giver already has. Example of the popular white elephant gifts this year are hot chocolate mugs, old and ornate jewelry boxes, back scratchers, candy, etc.

Upcoming Activities
Holiday Dance Party
You don't want to miss the last celebration of the year. Join us for our annual Holiday Dance Party, complete with DJ Manuel, dancing, food, and friends.

Nomen Global students have a lot of fun spending time together at school activities. If you want to know more about the types of activities we offer, visit us at our website or Facebook page.

Writing Strategy: Letters to Santa

In American tradition, during the weeks prior to Christmas Eve, children all over the world write letters to Santa Claus telling him what they want as gifts. In addition, children also list what good deeds they have done to merit a gift from Santa. As the holiday season is approaching, you can write your own letter to Santa using these guidelines for a standard letter.

1. Date
   The date is convenient for the recipient to know when you wrote the letter. The date is usually written in the top right corner of the letter. In the United States, it is common to write the date month day, year. Today's date would be written as follows:
   December 9, 2011
   
2. Greeting
   Choose an appropriate greeting, like Dear, followed by the recipient's name and a comma. If the recipient has a title, like Dr. or Mrs., the write that before the last name. The greeting should be written on the left side of the page.
   A greeting to Mrs. Smith might look like this:
   Dear Mrs. Smith,
   
3. Opening Paragraph
   The opening paragraph generally states the purpose of the letter. In a letter to Santa, you may want to tell him if you have been a good boy or girl. Then you may tell him that you are writing to ask for specific gifts for Christmas.
   
4. Body Paragraph
   The body of the paragraph adds details and examples that illustrate statements in the opening paragraph. For example, if you tell Santa in your opening paragraph that you have been a good boy or girl this year, give examples of your good deeds in the body. Additionally, you could list a few of the gifts you want for Christmas.
   
5. Closing Paragraph
   The closing paragraph generally calls the recipient to action. For example, in a letter to Santa, you may tell Santa that you look forward to his visit on Christmas Eve. Other types of letters may invite the recipient to write you back.
   
6. Closing
   Choose an appropriate closing, like Love, Sincerely, Your friend, Respectfully, or Best regards, depending on the formality of the letter. A letter to Santa might fall somewhere between formal and informal, so a closing like Sincerely may be the most appropriate. Place a comma after the closing, then sign your name under it.
   A letter from John Smith might look like this:
   Sincerely,
   John Smith
   
7. Address the Envelope
   In the United States, standard addresses use the following format:
   Name of recipient
   Address (number, then street)
   City, State Zip
   Country
   In a letter to Nomen Global, the address looks like this:
   Nomen Global Language Centers
   384 W Center Street
   Provo, UT 84601
   USA

The process for writing a letter is the generally the same for formal and informal letters, but the content will vary. Here is an example of a letter to Santa:

Santa Claus
1 Reindeer Lane
North Pole

December 9, 2011

Dear Santa,

This year has been difficult, but I have worked very hard and have been very good. Since I have been a good girl this year, I am writing to tell you about some of the gifts I would like for Christmas.

While I have been studying English at Nomen Global, I have spoken only English! I have done my homework every day and I have gotten As on all of my tests. I have made many friends this year because I have been very kind to everyone I have met. I invite my friends to my house often to serve them my favorite dishes from my country. This year, I would really like new books in English. I would also like more English music.

I am looking forward to your visit on Christmas Eve. I hope that you travel safely with the reindeer and that you have a chance to visit all of my friends. Thank you for always bringing me nice gifts.

Sincerely,
Jane Smith

To learn more about Nomen Global and our writing classes, visit our website.

Student Spotlight: Rafael Sanches

Rafael Sanches is one of our new students from Brazil. He has been studying at Nomen Global for one month and will continue to study for 7 more months. Rafael reports that Nomen Global has a great teaching method and that "the teachers always help you when you have problems understanding something."

Because English is the language of business, Rafael wants to study English so that he can obtain a job in a great company. He believes that English is one of the most important requirements for success in his future. Rafael is well on his way to success! He has plans to study music production, which is a field he is very interested in.

Rafael is a motivated, independent, and friendly person. Did you know that he saved money for three years in order to study English in the United States? In his free time, Rafael hangs out with his friends, works out, and listens to music. In fact, he loves music so much that he is a DJ! Rafael also loves his family and Brazilian barbecue. In the future, Rafael hopes to own his own house and open a nightclub in his country.

Meet Rafael and other independent students like him at Nomen Global!

Culture and Bowling

Culture Fair
At the end of each semester, Level 5 students research and present on a culture of their choice. The rest of the school attends their fair-style presentations to learn more about other cultures. Take a look at some of the pictures from the Culture Fair.

Bowling
Last week Nomen Global students got together for another round of one of our favorite activities: bowling! We had a great group of students show up: they certainly know how to take care of those pins. They had great scores, enjoyed good food, and competed well with each other. Here are a few of the photos from the activity.

Upcoming Activities
Holiday Dance Party
You don't want to miss the last celebration of the year. Join us for our annual Holiday Dance Party, complete with DJ Manuel, dancing, food, and friends.

Nomen Global students have a lot of fun spending time together at school activities. If you want to know more about the types of activities we offer, visit us at our website or Facebook page.

Grammar Guide: Subjunctive Mood

Once Thanksgiving is over, children all over the United States turn their thoughts toward Santa Claus. Santa Claus is the magical legend who brings good children gifts on Christmas Eve. In order to receive a gift from Santa, children must behave well all year. Before Christmas Eve, good children write letters to Santa, telling him what they wish to have. If the children are on Santa's "Good List," then Santa comes down their chimney to deliver their gifts.

Subjunctive Mood

In November, we discussed the other two moods in English: the indicative mood and the imperative mood. The subjunctive mood is the least common of the three. It expresses conditions that are untrue; it often follows the word if. The subjunctive also follows verbs that express doubt, requests, suggestions, and wishes (ask, command, demand, order, recommend, request, require, suggest, wish, etc.).

We form the subjunctive mood by using the simple form of the verb in the present and the regular indicative form in the past tense. The be verb in the past, however, is always were whether the subject is singular or plural.

• The little girl asked that Santa bring her a new doll. 
• Santa Claus requires that children be good.
• Billy wishes that he were on the Good List.

The following is an excerpt from a song by the Carpenters. Notice the subjunctive in the chorus of the song.

Merry Christmas darling 

We're apart that's true 

But I can dream and in my dreams 

I'm Christmas-ing with you 

Holidays are joyful 

There's always something new 

But every day's a holiday 

When I'm near to you 

The lights on my tree 

I wish you could see 

I wish it every day  

That I wish you Merry Christmas 

Happy New Year, too 

I've just one wish 

On this Christmas Eve 

I wish I were with you 

I wish I were with you

For more information about Nomen Global and the classes we teach, visit us at our website.

Student Spotlight: Imene Loussaief

Imene Loussaief is the only student at Nomen Global from France. She has been studying English at Nomen Global for 4 weeks and will continue to study for another 4 weeks. Imene is here for only a short time, but she is certainly improving her English by living in the United States.

Imene hopes to master English so that she can have a more successful career in marketing. She hopes to return to France to get a job. Imene mentions that she enjoys Nomen Global because of the quality of the classes. Imene received many honors at her graduation in France, which achievement is her greatest success so far. In addition to learning English and finding a job, Imene also wants to get married.

In her free time, Imene enjoys learning more about salsa dancing. Her favorite food is lasagna and she loves her family more than anything. One of Imene's greatest talents is that she is not easily discouraged, even if she is doing something difficult.

Learn more about Imene and other ambitious students like her at Nomen Global.

Basketball before Thanksgiving Break

Before we set off for our week-long Thanksgiving break, Nomen Global students got together for one last hurrah at Brigham Young University's Marriott Center for some basketball. We got a great deal on tickets (they cost only $3!) and we had a great time.

The Marriott Center at BYU is an impressive indoor arena that holds almost 23,000 fans. It is the largest arena in the state of Utah--even larger than the arena the Utah Jazz play in! In addition to the sight of the arena, the sight of the BYU Cougars was also thrilling. BYU scored 92 points, but the opponent scored only 60 points.You can visit the Official Site of BYU Athletics for a recap of the game.

Here are a few of the pictures we took at the basketball game!

To learn more about Nomen Global and the exciting activities we offer, visit our website and our Facebook page.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Nomen Global students get a whole week of vacation next week! Why? We are celebrating one of America's favorite holidays. Thanksgiving Day falls on the fourth Thursday of November. Are you ready for a week of traditions? Read about some of the popular Thanksgiving traditions.

Family
Many families make a special effort to gather together for this holiday. People fill cars and airplanes to travel long distances to celebrate with family. Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel times of the year!

Feast
When most people think of Thanksgiving, they think of the Thanksgiving feast! While each family plans a unique menu, most traditional feasts include roast turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, rolls, and a variety of pies (including the favorites, pumpkin and apple)!

Wishbone
When the turkey is carved, many families enjoy finding the wishbone. The wishbone is a bone in between the neck and the breast of the turkey. According to superstition, when two people pull on each side of the wishbone, whoever ends up with the longer piece is granted a wish!

Football
Friends and family often get together to play a fun game of American football before the Thanksgiving feast. November is a peak time in the football season, and Thanksgiving day is the perfect day to play a game.

Service
One of the purposes of Thanksgiving is to remember all of the things to be thankful for. When people stop to think about the things they are thankful for, many of them choose to give back. Doing service for other people who may not have as much is a popular tradition. Did you read about what Nomen Global students did to give back this year?

No matter where you are, you can enjoy the spirit of the Thanksgiving season by celebrating in your own way. What are some of your favorite Thanksgiving traditions?

Learn more about Nomen Global by visiting our website and our Facebook page.

Student Spotlight: Yichen Zhou

Yichen Zhou is one of our trilingual students (he speaks Chinese, Portuguese, and English!), who is enrolled in College Preparation. He is originally from China, but has also lived in Brazil for many years. Chen has been studying at Nomen Global for about one year, and although he enjoys studying English here, he will transfer to Utah Valley University very soon.

Chen is studying English in order to improve his career opportunities in the technology market. He works with video games and continues to be successful in this industry. He hopes to study both business administration (emphasis in accounting) and digital media (emphasis in gaming).

In his free time, Chen enjoys learning more about video games and building models. He even has his own show on the internet! He loves Chinese food and his family. Chen hopes to get a great job, make money, and marry a beautiful woman after he graduates from college.

Get to know Chen and other great students like him at Nomen Global.

Give Cards, Give Service, Give Thanks

Do you know anyone who is struggling? Do you know anyone who is lonely? Do you know anyone who just wants someone to talk to? The seniors (elderly people) at Trinity Mission Health and Rehab are struggling with old age, battling health problems, and waiting for visitors. Today Nomen Global students made it a beautiful day for these wonderful people.

Meet Lois. She is an elderly woman who has never traveled outside of the United States. She has few family members who live in Provo that visit her on a regular basis. When our students introduced themselves to her, her face lit up with wonder and delight! "You are from China? What are you doing here?" she exclaimed with excitement!

As we told her more about where we are from and what we are doing, we gave her hand-made cards wishing her a happy Thanksgiving. "Is today Thanksgiving?" she asked.

"No," we answered. "Thanksgiving is next week, but we wanted you to know that we will be thinking of you."

"What a nice card. I will keep this for the rest of my life." She was sincerely grateful for our visit and our words.

Over 60 residents live at Trinity Mission Health and Rehab. Nomen Global students had the chance to converse in English, distribute Thanksgiving cards, play games, and make friends. Most of all, we were reminded of some of the things we are thankful for: friendship and love.

To learn more about Nomen Global and the activities we offer, visit us our website and our Facebook page.

Grammar Guide: Indicative Mood

Can you imagine a world without peace? No matter which country you come from, you probably have a military that promises to protect its people in both times of peace and war. In the United States, we try to remember all of the people, past and present, who have served or are serving in the military. We call someone who has served in the military a "veteran." Veterans Day is celebrated in many countries throughout the world. In the United States, today is Veterans Day (November 11).

Indicative Mood
Last week we discussed how the imperative mood is used to express requests or commands (particularly in those delicious Thanksgiving recipes). The indicative mood is used to make statements, express facts, or pose questions. We often see the indicative mood when we talk about history or stories in the news.

We form the indicative mood by using a subject plus a verb (in any tense). We can use the indicative mood to express statements, facts, or questions.

• Veterans Day commemorates all of those people who have served in the military.
• World War I ended on November 11, 1918.
• Who is a veteran?

The following is a quote from Anthony J. Principi. Notice the indicative mood in his explanation of veterans.

• "Who is a Veteran?
  "They are men and women who, for many reasons, donned the uniform of our country [the United States] to stand between freedom and tyranny; to take up the sword of justice in defense of the liberties we hold dear; to preserve peace and to calm the winds of war. . . .
  "By their example of courage under fire, they raised up a new nation, inspired by the dignity of the common man -- a nation blessed with heroes and heroes' dreams. That is leadership of the highest quality. That is America's leadership legacy."
  -VA Secretary Anthony J. Prinicipi, July 2, 2003
  www.va.gov

To learn more about Veterans Day, visit the website to the US Department of Veterans Affairs.

To learn more about Nomen Global and what we teach, visit our website.

Staff Spotlight: Keith Savage

Keith Savage has been working with Nomen Global for four months as an International Recruiter for the Middle East and South Asia. He works primarily with Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Nepal, and India. Keith is from Hamer, Idaho, but has traveled extensively throughout the world.

Keith's first experience abroad was a London Study Abroad with BYU for 2 months where he studied European history. He then served as a missionary for the LDS church for 2 years in the Philippines. In the Philippines, he became fluent in Tagalog and Illongo. After his mission, Keith spent a summer in Nepal teaching English in rural areas of the Himalayas. There he had the opportunity to climb the highest mountain pass in the world (Thorung La - 17,769 ft)!

This summer, Keith plans on studying Turkish in Turkey. After that, he plans on volunteering with a group in Palestine for a couple of weeks before he completes a mandatory Arabic study abroad with BYU in Amman, Jordan.

In addition to Tagalog and Illongo, Keith speaks Arabic and Turkish. Evident by his past international experiences, Keith loved the diversity at Nomen Global. He has the chance to meet students from all countries. In the future, Keith hopes to become Fluent in both Arabic and Turkish, complete a master's degree in policy studies at Stanford University, get married, and have a long, successful career as a foreign service officer. 
 
Keith lives by his favorite quote by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama: "We should not only cease our negative activities, but also the motivation that gives rise to them." Keith also enjoys playing the guitar and watching documentaries (He recommends "Sun Behind the Clouds")!

Get to know Keith and other ambitious recruiters at Nomen Global.

DI Fashion Show

Have you ever purchased an entire outfit for less than $6 USD? Last week, Nomen Global students had a chance to do just that. We walked into Deseret Industries, Provo's favorite thrift store, where you can find clothing items for as low as 50 cents! We challenged groups of students to find and purchase a Halloween costume for less than $6; some groups even spent less!

After our DI adventure, we headed back to the school for Nomen Global's very own fashion show. The groups presented their costumes, featuring each item that the group purchased. The costumes were judged by the teachers: scariest costume, funniest costume, and most creative costume. Take a look at some of the pictures we took!

To learn more about Nomen Global and the activities we have, visit our website and our Facebook page.

Grammar Guide: Imperative Mood

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. This month many Americans make a list of all the things they are grateful for. Food is somewhere on that list! Turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie . . . these traditional Thanksgiving dishes are all around us.

Many Americans start looking for their favorite old recipes; others look for new recipes to satisfy their friends and family at the end of this month. No matter which recipe you find, you will see the imperative mood. What is the imperative mood?

Imperative Mood
The imperative mood is the mood in English that expresses orders, commands, directions, instructions, and informal advice.

We form the imperative mood by using the simple form of the verb without a subject.

• Rinse and wash turkey.
• Place turkey in a roasting pan.
• Bake turkey for 4 hours.

The following is a simple recipe to cook Thanksgiving turkey. Notice the imperative verbs in the directions.

Ingredients

• 1 (12 pound) whole turkey
• 6 tablespoons butter, divided
• 4 cups warm water
• 3 tablespoons chicken bouillon
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 2 tablespoons dried minced onion
• 2 tablespoons seasoning salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Rinse and wash turkey. Discard the giblets or add to pan if you like them.
2. Place turkey in a roasting pan. Separate the skin over the breast to make little pockets. Put 3 tablespoons of the butter on both sides between the skin and breast meat. The butter makes the turkey meat very juicy.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the water with the bouillon. Sprinkle in the parsley and minced onion. Pour over the top of the turkey. Sprinkle seasoning salt over the turkey.
4. Cover the turkey with foil and bake it in the preheated oven 3 1/2 to 4 hours until the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 180 degrees F (80 degrees C). For the last 45 minutes, remove the foil so that the turkey will brown nicely.

For more turkey and other Thanksgiving recipes, visit AllRecipes.com.

To learn more about Nomen Global and what we teach, visit our website.

Student Spotlight: Violeta Arce

Violeta Arce is from Mexico. She has been studying English at Nomen Global for one month and plans to study in the United States for one year. She chose to study at Nomen Global to help her improve her English and to help her find a better job.

Although Violeta had not been in school for 15 years, she decided to return. Coming back to school has been one of her goals for a long time. Even though school can be challenging, Violeta says that she is "confident and committed to it." Way to go!

Now Violeta enjoys meeting new people and making friends from other countries. After she finishes studying in Utah, she will find a job or continue to study English somewhere else. Violeta hopes to own her own business as a dentist.

In her free time, Violeta likes to dance or play volleyball. She loves to eat Mexican food (especially green enchiladas). She loves being a mother and taking care of her daughter.

Meet Violeta and more committed students like her at Nomen Global.

Halloween Dance Party

While the little children go trick-or-treating, Nomen Global students have treats of their own! We had a great evening last Thursday with tons of food, great costumes, and competitive dancing!

We started the evening with Dance Dance Revolution for Xbox. We laughed as we watched fellow students (and teachers!) tried to lay their moves on the dance floor in some very elaborate costumes! Then we stormed the common room and danced the night away with DJ Manuel. The best part of the night, however, was seeing each other dressed up for Halloween. Take a look at some of the pictures we took. Which costume do you think is the best?

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To learn more about Nomen Global and the activities we offer, visit us on our website or on Facebook.