University of Minnesota
Congratulations to the new 2009-2010 HSDA club officers:
President Chris Metcalf
VPs Jeni Iburg and Christie Berkseth
Director Ashley Turrittin
Secretary Amy Vibeto
Treasurer Sylvia Cuellar
The officers were elected last Thursday at our lunchtime language class.
A couple posts ago, I mentioned that the Spanish Institute in Minneapolis offered Spanish language lessons for $480 + $55 for materials. Well, the bargain shopper found another opportunity for you!
The Resource Center of the Americas is a non-profit organization based in Minneapolis that ”informs, educates and organizes to promote human rights, economic justice, democratic participation, and cross cultural understanding in the context of globalization in the Americas.” They also offer Spanish language classes!
Classes run for 10 weeks and the spring session begins April 6th. The classes are divided into Beginner 1, 2, 3 and Intermediate 1,2,3. They are held once a week in the evenings or Saturdays. Tuition is $220 and that includes placement testing and learning materials. Classes are limited to 12 students so you’ll get lots of attention. For more information, check out their website or call (612) 276-0788 ext. 1 to reserve a spot today.
On a gorgeous spring day, some HSDA students took time off from their Spring Break to spread the gospel of oral hygiene to high school students at Broadway H.S. in north Minneapolis.
Broadway H.S. is a unique concept within the Minneapolis school system in that it is a school for pregnant and parenting teens. Schedules are a little more flexible, daycare is provided on-site, and staff are trained to provide support for these students.
Yes, we were skeptical too about their interest in what we had to say. After all, it was 69°F outside and the last period of the day. We were pleasantly surprised then, when the students were actually interested in what we had to say. They listened, asked us questions, and shared their own experiences. The teacher reported that we had some students who rarely participate asking us questions.
Some of the good questions they asked us:
We talked about the different professions within dentistry (dentist, dental assistant, and dental hygienist), the education and training involved, and skills utilized. We discussed oral hygiene, diet, and the importance of baby teeth in an informal presentation we titled “10 Things You Should Know About Your Teeth.”
It went really well and we have been invited back to speak to the entire school (about 80 students). Yay!
Thanks to HSDA volunteers: Sheena Eken, Alissa Hanson, Jill Sink, and Nancy Luong
If you’re really interested in learning or improving your Spanish language skills, consider classes at Spanish Institute in Minneapolis. They offer small group classes (limited to 12 students) and private one-on-one tutoring. You can choose to study for 3 hours per week for 10 weeks or a more intensive course of 6 hours per week for 5 weeks. These courses cost $480 + $55 for materials.
OR…you can apply for a language scholarship! From their website:
Spanish Institute Offers Two New Student Scholarships in 2009!
Applications Due April 27, 2009
For the third year, the Spanish Institute invites Twin Cities residents to apply for two full-tuition language scholarships. The awards cover an entire year of Spanish courses – 120 hours or four 10-week sessions – enabling recipients to make significant progress toward language fluency.
Scholarships are open to students at any level of proficiency. Applicants must demonstrate a sense of commitment to the learning process, discuss their interest in Hispanic language and culture, and describe how they plan to utilize their new skills.
All applications must be received in the SI office by April 27, 2009. Winners will be notified after May 15 2009. Each scholarship is valued at $1,920.
To apply for an SI scholarship, call 952-933-9940 or email dialogos@spanishin.us.
This photo was not staged. D3 Brett Moore was really checking out the new bulletin board.
Last Thursday the HSDA made a stunning debut in the 4th floor Moos Tower locker room. Located on the wall between the men’s loo and the lady’s loo (hey, that is prime real estate), the bulletin board is just another way for the HSDA to promote its activities and attract new members.
The beautifully decorated board was put together by Jeni Iburg, who is apparently a scrapper in her personal hours. Every letter of “Hispanic Student Dental Assoc” was hung up on a string and held by a teeny colored clothespin. Check it out!
Stress levels at school are pretty high now as D4s get ready for their patient board exams this weekend. All around clinic, you’ll see the students sharpening their instruments, checking and re-checking their x-rays, and making frantic phone calls to their patients. Oh, and then this snowstorm decides to dump 8″ on us today.
The last language class was more than entertaining. After running us through handy phrases for restorative appointments (sorry, it was not oral surgery as previously reported), President-in-Waiting Chris Metcalf decided that he wanted to run through Spanish song lyrics for some cultural fun. Those in attendance were treated to a half-singing rendition and translation of “La Bamba.”
Mexican-American Hipster Ritchie Valens
It’s the rock and roll Ritchie Valens version of “La Bamba” that everybody knows…but did you know that it existed in another form before that? Ahhh…you don’t spend enough time on the internet. Straight from Wikipedia, the most accurate reflection of our fuzzy collective history:
“The traditional “La Bamba” was often played during weddings in Veracruz, where the bride and groom performed the accompanying dance. Today this wedding tradition is mostly lost, but the dance survives through the popularity of ballet folklórico. The dance is performed in much the same way, displaying the newlywed couple’s unity through the performance of complicated, delicate steps in unison as well as through creation of a bow from a listón, a long red ribbon, using only their feet.
The “arriba” (literally “up”) part of the song suggests the nature of the dance, in which the footwork, called “zapateado“, is done faster and faster as the music tempo accelerates. The repeated lyric, “Yo no soy marinero, soy capitán” (lit: “I am not a sailor, I am a captain”), refers to Veracruz’s marine locale and the husband’s promise that he will remain faithful to his wife.
At many gatherings, including the youth conventions of Esperanto (IJK, Internacia Seminario), one traditionally dances to La Bamba in a circle. People dance in the circle and people dance out of it. The people within the circle can take a place in the outer circle by kissing one of the people dancing in it, after this ritual one swaps place.”
Interested in seeing the real La Bamba? Here’s a clip from YouTube posted by shrekalicious2000 featuring the Ballet Folklorico de Jose Mendoza:
Learn how to communicate oral surgery basics to your Spanish-speaking patient. Fellow students Sara Duenes and Chris Metcalf will lead tomorrow’s lunchtime presentation in Moos 2-520.
First of all, Guayaquil is a city in Ecuador. Second of all, it is Ecuador’s largest city. Thirdly, its nickname is La Perla del Pacifico, which is important because that gives us a clue about what kind of food they might be serving at Guayaquil Restaurant in Minneapolis. Like encebollado, ceviche, and mariscos?
Join the Spanish Conversation Table at Guayaquil Restaurant this Friday, February 6th at 6:30 pm.
Guayaquil Restaurant
1526 E. Lake Street
(cross street is Bloomington Ave S)
Minneapolis, MN 55407
Nominations are now being taken for next year’s HSDA officers. The following positions are open:
1. Vice-President (must be a D3 during the 2009-2010 school year)
2. Secretary
3. Treasurer
4. Director
Vice-presidents automatically assume the President role in the following year. Thus, Chris Metcalf is our Barack Obama for the 2009-2010 school year.
If you or somebody you know is interested in taking on an active role within the HSDA, send an email to our current president, Katie Cargill at sher0158(at)umn.edu by February 4. Yes, you can nominate yourself!
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Thanks to Julio and Michelle today for leading us through another Spanish language class! Today’s topic was “Medical History” and it included some common questions that we use when conversing with patients about their medical history.
If you missed today’s class, you can find the handout on the Learning Spanish link.
Extra! Extra! The HDA (our parent organization) has just announced the dates and location for the 2009 17th Annual Meeting: October 23-24 in Houston, Texas.
Did you know that you are invited to attend? Yes, you! Some of our HSDA members attended the 2008 conference in Carefree, AZ and learned a lot about the outreach activities that other schools were doing through the HSDA. That’s why we have so many activities lined up this semester.
Check back for more information on the 2009 Annual Meeting and how to attend.
