2006 American Language and Culture Session 2 (ALC2) Calendar

July 30 STUDENTS ARRIVE! Host group orientation & Dorm tour Welcome & Icebreaker Weekly Theme: DIVERSITY	31 9am: English Placement Tests & Orientation PM: Campus tour & Bike rental 5:30pm: Intro to VIA Host group meetings after dinner	August 1 9am-12pm: English Class 2pm: Stanford Landmark Tour 7pm: Host group meetings/ Icebreakers 9pm: ALC2 Game of Capture the flag	2 9am-12pm: English Class 2pm: Scavenger Hunt 2pm: Exploratorium/ Broadway Musical "RENT" (8pm) 9:30pm-11pm: Study Hour with hosts	3 9am-12pm: English Class 11am-12pm: Sociology lecture 1:15-2:05 or 2:15-3:05pm: Group discussion 6-7:30pm: Jazz at Stanford Shopping Center 8pm: Broadway Musical "RENT" 9:30pm-11pm: Study Hour with hosts	4 9am-12pm: English Class (Due: Project proposal) 2pm: Tour of Yahoo 6:30pm: Host Presentations 8pm: Movie night "Crash"	5 Day in San Francisco
6 9am-4pm: Volunteer with Silicon Valley Habitat for Humanity 11am: Glide Memorial Church in SF 2pm: Stern Grove Festival pm: Obon Festival 9:30pm-11pm: Study Hour with hosts Weekly Theme: IMMIGRATION	7 9am-12pm: English Class 1--2:30pm: Host Presentations 3-7pm: Volunteer at Urban Ministry 7:30: Host Group Activity 9:30pm-11pm: Study Hour with hosts	8 9am-12pm: English Class 1-3:30pm: Tour Filoli House and Garden 1:15-5pm: Japantown Tour and Taiko Workshop 2pm: Tour of Microsoft 2pm: Visit Green Citizen 7pm: Panel Discussion on Inter-cultural Marriages 9:30pm-11pm: Study Hour with hosts	9 8:30am: Group photo 9am-12pm: English Class 1:30: Go Hiking 1:30-3:30pm: Volunteer at Lytton Gardens 4:30-5:30pm: Talk about volunteerism and service learning 9:30pm-11pm: Study Hour with hosts	10 9am-12pm: English Class 11am-12pm: Sociology lecture 1:15-2:05 or 2:15-3:05pm: Group discussion 4pm: Picnic with ALC1 and AUSL students 9:30pm-11pm: Study Hour with hosts	11 9am-12pm: English Class (Due: First draft) 12-2pm: Event with Japanese learners 4-6pm: Stay Safe Youth Coalition 7:30pm: Dance Workshops and Party	12 9-12pm: Volunteer at the Pacific Free clinic 7pm: Death Cab for Cutie Concert at Berkeley. 7:30pm: Shakespeare in the Park: "The Tempest"
13 10am: Volunteer with Half Moon Bay State Beach 2pm: Stern Grove Festival 9:30pm-11pm: Study Hour with hosts Weekly Theme: GLOBAL POP CULTURE	14 9am-12pm: English Class 1:30pm: Visit Alcatraz Island 3-5:30pm: Hip Hop Forum and Workshops 3:30-5:30pm: Evening at Dwight's 7:30: Host Group Activity 9:30pm-11pm: Study Hour with hosts	15 9am-12pm: English Class 2pm: Tour of the Jelly Belly Factory 2pm: Volunteer with children at the YMCA 2pm: visit the Stanford recording studio 7-9pm: Evening at Dwight's 7pm: Beach Bonfire 8pm: Movie night 9:30pm-11pm: Study Hour with hosts	16 9am-12pm: English Class 1:30-3pm: Host Presentations 3:30-4:30pm: The American Job Search Process 7:05pm: Major League Baseball game: Oakland Athletics vs. Seattle Mariners	17 9am-12pm: English Class 11am-12pm: Sociology lecture 1:15-2:05 or 2:15-3:05pm: Group discussion 7-9pm: Graduate Study Panel 9:30pm-11pm: Study Hour with hosts	18 9am-12pm: English Class 1:30-3pm: Host Presentations 4pm: Tour of Intel 4pm-9pm: San Jose Jazz Festival 7-9pm: Job Panel	19 10am-5pm: Great America
20 9am-2pm: Visit to St. Anthony Foundation 10am-5pm: Trip to Monterey 2pm: Stern Grove Festival 9:30pm-11pm: Study Hour with hosts Weekly Theme: VOLUNTEERISM	21 9am-12pm: English Class (Due: Final draft) 1pm: Shopping at Valley Fair 7:30: Host Group Activity	22 9am-12pm: English Class (Oral presentations) 1pm: Field Day 8pm: Movie Night	23 9am-12pm: English Class (Oral presentations) 12:30pm: Picnic at Shorline	24 9am-12pm: English Class (Oral presentations) 1pm: Malibu Grand Prix 8:00pm: ALC2 Talent Show	25 Last day of classes! 12pm: Graduation Luncheon	26 Yosemite Trip
27 Yosemite Trip	28 Yosemite Trip	29 Farewell Banquet.	30 Students depart to Asia Sad Goodbyes!

* time and dates are subject to change
* events in black are for all participants
* events in blue are optional and limited

July 30, Sunday

AM: Japan students arrive
PM: Taiwan students arrive

July 31, Monday

AM/PM: English Class Orientation and Placement Tests: Your first day at Stanford, you will be introduced to the English for Foreign Students Faculty and curriculum and then take brief written and oral examinations to determine your appropriate class level.

August 1, Tuesday

2:00 pm: Stanford Landmark Tour: This tour will be conducted by one of our hosts, Lee Wang. He will take you on an in-depth tour of Stanford University that will include athletic facilities (like tracks, the baseball diamond and the stadium), the Art Museum, Sculpture Garden, Hoover Tower, Medical School, Hospital, Cactus Garden, and Mausoleum.

August 2, Wednesday

2:00 pm: Scavenger Hunt: Students will form into teams and try to find different landmarks around Stanford and Palo Alto based on clues. It will be a race to see which group finds all the locations.

2:00 pm: Exploratorium (Cost: free, limited to 26 students): The Exploratorium is an experimental, hands-on museum designed to spark curiosity – regardless of your age or familiarity with science. With hundreds of exhibits to touch, look through, pick up, and tinker with, let curiosity be your compass to endless discoveries! Located in the Palace of Fine Arts, near the Golden Gate Bridge.

Then at 8:00 pm: Broadway Musical "RENT" (Cost: $28.00 limited to 26 students): Based loosely on Puccini's opera, La Boheme, Rent follows the lives of several young people, mostly struggling artists, in contemporary New York City. The score draws on various musical genre including rock, tango, jazz and gospel as well as musical theatre.

August 3, Thursday

6:00 pm -7:30 pm: Jazz at Stanford Shopping Center (Cost: free): Students can enjoy the performance by Quetzal, a Chicano band out of East L.A. They perform an impassioned cross-cultural fusion of Mexican folk and Afro-Cuban salsa influenced by the universal rhythms of rock, soul, and jazz.

8:00 pm: Broadway Musical "RENT" (Cost: $28.00, limited to 16 students): Based loosely on Puccini's opera, La Boheme, Rent follows the lives of several young people, mostly struggling artists, in contemporary New York City. The score draws on various musical genre including rock, tango, jazz and gospel as well as musical theatre.

August 4, Friday

2:00 pm : Tour of Yahoo (limited to 7 students)

7:00 pm - 8:30 pm: Host Presentations

Lee Wang: "Social Norms in America"

Social norms are ways of behaving or thinking that are expected and accepted
by society.  For example, if someone sticks out their hand when you meet
them, you are expected to shake their hand as a formal gesture of respect.
Many gestures such as handshakes are the same in American and Asian
cultures, while others such as ways of eating and speaking are different.
This presentation explores some American norms in order to get you thinking
about the differences and similarities between Asian and American norms and
why these differences/similarities exist.

Adam Toda: "North American Taiko"

Taiko is a contemporary form of Japanese drumming gaining immense
popularity in North America.  With about 1000 groups formed in North
American since 1967, how and why did this art form become so
popular?  This presentation will offer an introduction to this
exciting art form and explore its Japanese roots, its spread to North
America, as well as show the aspects of North American Taiko that
make it unique in comparison to Japanese Taiko.  This presentation
will be a preview of the exciting trip to San Jose's Japan town and
the interactive Taiko workshop with San Jose Taiko.

August 5, Saturday

All Day: Day in San Francisco: You and the hosts will be taking the CalTrain commuter train to San Francisco and explore the city in host groups. You will have a chance to visit various famous places such as Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, Ghirardelli Square, China Town, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco etc. This will also be a good chance for you to know your hosts and fellow students better.

 

August 6, Sunday

9am-4pm: Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity Silicon Valley (limited to 20 students): Silicon Valley Habitat for Humanity has been helping low-income families build and own their own homes since July 1986. Students will have a chance to join a project to renovate Victorian rooming houses and convert them into four condominiums. To learn more about the project visit www.habitatsanjose.org/construction.html.

11:00 am: Glide Memorial Church (Cost: Free, limited to around 15 students): The Sunday Celebration at Glide Memorial Church is quite unique. The Glide Ensemble will clap, sway and blast out the spirit of empowerment though singing a variety of songs, including jazz, blues and gospel. More information about Glide can be found at www.glide.org.

2 pm: Stern Grove Festival (Free): Grammy Award-winning Spanish Harlem Orchestra brings the best of salsa to the Grove. Assembled by the world famous pianist and arranger Oscar Hernández, the Spanish Harlem Orchestra makes a bold new case for pure salsa in an age of hybridized forms.

pm: Obon Festival: (Cost: Free, limited to 15-20 students):The Palo Alto Buddhist Temple will hold it's anual Obon Festival which is a Japanese tradition to honor their ancestors. Learn more abouot the Japanese culture through the arts such as Taiko (drumming), Koto (the harp), Kendo (fencing), and pop culture music.

August 7, Monday

1:00 pm -2:30 pm: Host Presentations

Doan Tran: "E-Waiste"

Electronic waste, or e-waste, is a recent problem that comes with the rise
of technology and mass production of electronic devices.  Environmental
movements in the U.S. have led to the government's preference of exporting
e-waste for recycling overseas, mostly to developing countries.  Despite
international efforts to stop this transport of e-waste from industrial
countries to developing ones, many factors are involved that continue to
encourage the current trend for all sides involved in the e-waste recycling
business.

Linda Tran: "Asian Immigration to the U.S."

How much do you know about Asians in America? Japanese, Chinese,
Vietnamese, Filipino, etc. are but a few of the Asian communities living
in America. The United States is known for its diversity but not much is
known about the various Asian groups that make up the umbrella term,
“Asian American.” How and when did Asians get here? And under what
circumstances? Come learn about the immigration history of different
groups of Asians in America and how these unique backgrounds shape lived
experiences of Asians in the U.S. today.

3:00 pm - 7:00 pm: Volunteer at Urban Ministry (limited to 9-10 students): Urban Ministry serves the Mid-Peninsula and works closely with that community to help the homeless find ways of breaking the cycle of homelessness so they can become productive members of the community. Students will help make and serve food to the homeless.

August 8, Tuesday

1:00 pm- 3:30 pm: Filoli House and Garden (cost: $5, limited to 10-20 students): The 654-acre Filoli estate contains as its central portion a historic house and sixteen acres of formal garden. Students will take a tour of this historic estate. Vist www.filoli.org to find out more about this estate.

1:15 pm - 5:00 pm: Japantown Tour and Taiko Workshop (cost: $10, limited to 10 students): Students will get a tour of Japantown in San Jose and see how the Japanese Immigrants built their community in San Jose. Then students will take a workshop with the world famous San Jose Taiko . Visit www.taiko.org to learn more about their company.

2:00 pm: Green Citizen (Cost: Free, limited to 6 students): Green Citizen is an organization which recycles electronics. Students will visit their office and learn how they help save the environment from harmful electronic waste. Visit www.greencitizen.com to learn more about their organization.

7:00 pm: Panel Discussion on Inter-cultural Marriages: Hear from three couples as the tell their story about being inter-cultural couples.

August 9, Tuesday

8:30 am: Group Photo: Before your classes, we will all gather by Stanford's main quadrangle to take a group photo. You will receive a copy of the photo the last night of the program.

1:30pm: Hiking (limited to 12 students): Do you like the weather in California?  Want to see some of the famed redwood trees?  Let's get close to nature and go for a hike.  Depending on your preferences, we'll explore " The Dish" (http://www.stanford.edu/dept/news/neighbors/visiting/dish.html), Muir Woods (http://www.nps.gov/muwo/), or maybe even Big Sur (http://www.bigsurcalifornia.org/). 

1:30-3:30pm: Volunteer at Lytton Gardens (limited to 9-10 students): Lytton Gardens is located in Palo Alto and is a vibrant community of health care and Senior care professionals, staff, volunteers, and most importantly, over 500 Senior residents who call Lytton home. Students will learn about elderly care in the U.S., and then they can push wheelchairs for and interact with residents outdoors. Information about Lytton Gardens can be found at www.lyttongardens.org.

4:30 pm - 5:30 pm: Talk about volunteerism and service learning: VIA Program Director, Chad Morse, will talk about the value of volunteerism and introduce the Asia-US Service Learning (AUSL) Program. Former participants from the 2005 AUSL program will also join the talk and share their experiences from last summer.

August 10, Thursday

4:00 pm: Picnic at the Oval: You will have a chance to meet students participating in ALC1 and also in VIA's Asia-US Service Learning (AUSL) program and have dinner with them at Oval located at the entrance of the Stanford campus.

6:00 pm -7:30 pm: Jazz at Stanford Shopping Center (Cost: free): Students can enjoy the performance by Rebecca Coupe Franks who is a trumpeter with an exuberant sense of swing. Franks is from Palo Alto and was mentored by sax legend Joe Henderson, then honed her music with six years on the competitive New York City jazz scene.

August 11, Friday

4:00pm - 6:00pm: STAY SAFE Youth Coalition a program of Asian American Recovery Services (AARS) provides after-school youth prevention and mentoring services to students in various middle schools and high schools in Daly City. During the first hour we will hear from teenagers who are part of this program and find out about the projects that they have worked on. For the second hour, we will give them a tour of Stanford University.

7:30pm: Dance Workshops and Social: Students will take a dance workshop and dance the night away with music selection from DJ Michael Li. Dance socials are a very big part of the American student life. This will give students a chance to mingle and show eachother the dance moves that they learned.

August 12, Saturday

9:00 am-12:00 pm: Volunteer at Pacific Free Clinic (Limited to 12 students): Founded in 2003, the Pacific Free Clinic is a student-run free clinic that provides basic healthcare services for adults living in the San Jose area, regardless of immigration status, insurance status and English proficiency.  A large percentage of the patients are of Vietnamese and Hispanic descent, and free translation services are available at all times.  Come to the clinic to learn more about its history and to see the volunteer students working in action. Find out more at http://pacific.stanford.edu.

7:00 pm: Death Cab for Cutie concert in Berkeley (Cost $35, for 16 students): Death Cab for Cutie is an American rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. The band takes its name from a satirical song performed by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band on their 1967 album Gorilla. Find out more at http://www.deathcabforcutie.com/.

7:30 pm: William Shakespeare's "The Tempest" (Cost: Free, limited to 14 students): "The Tempest" is one of Shakespeare's famous plays. Although his language is difficult to understand even for native English speakers, his plays involve simple and universal themes that are easily understood. Interested students will be attending San Francisco Shakespeare Festival's Free Shakespeare in the Park in the city of San Mateo and will enjoy the play outdoors.

August 13, Sunday

10:00 am: Volunteer with Half Moon Bay State Beach (limited to 35 students): Students will help clean up the beaches of Half Moon Bay by helping to restore plants and get rid of weeds. Then students will picnic at the beach and play beach games.

2pm: Stern Grove Festival (Free): As America’s first professional ballet company, San Francisco Ballet has enjoyed a long and rich tradition of artistic “firsts” since its founding in 1933, performing the first American productions of Swan Lake and Nutcracker, as well as the first twentieth-century American Coppélia. A lively, vital ensemble, San Francisco Ballet is one of the three largest ballet companies in the United States.

August 14, Monday

1:30 pm: Visit Alcatraz Island: Alcatraz was once a military prison that housed prisoners from the Civil War.  It became a civilian prison after 1906 and once held Al Capone.  The prison is famous for the fact that no prisoner had been able to escape due to the cold water surrounding the island.  The prison closed in the 1960s. A few years later, American Indians occupied the island to protest the treatment of their people by the U.S. government.  Now, it's a park and you can tour the cells.

3-5:30 pm: Hip Hop Forum (organized by Bina Zaitsu): The first hour will be a lecture and panel discussion which will include a brief history and discription of the elements of hip hop; Emceeing, Beatboxing, Djaying, Bboying/Bgirling, and Graffitti Art. There will be representatives from each element who will lead a group of students in a workshop (around 10 students per workshop). Guests include MC Infinite from Felonious Crew, MC Orukusaki from Forensic Science, graffiti artist Darren Villegas, and DJ Mark Spitz. Thanks to Sarah Smalls from Sisterz of the Underground and DEF ED for helping me put this forum together.

3:30 pm - 5:30 pm: (limited to 3 students): Join a leisurely evening with AUSL and ALC2 participants at Dwight Clark's apartment in Palo Alto.

August 15, Tuesday

2:00 pm: Volunteer at the YMCA: (limited to 10-15 students): The YMCA, America's oldest and largest community-based social service organization and charity. You will have the opportunity to share your culture and experiences with children at YMCA.

2:00 pm: Jelly Belly Factory Tour (time and number of students to be announced later): This visit will give you a chance to see a real working factory where they cook up over 150 different sweet treats. Learn the secrets to how they create the legendary Jelly Belly bean, and discover why it takes more than a week to make a single bean. You will also have a chance to taste any of their candies and Jelly Belly beans at their Sampling Bar. More information can be found at http://jellybelly.com/Cultures/en-US/Fun/Tours/Fairfield+Visitor+Center.htm.

2:00-5pm: Visit the Stanford Recording Studio: Students from the Emcee workshop on the 14th will record the song that they create (around 10 students). Other students are welcome to watch the recording session take place (around 15 students).

7:00 pm- 9:00 pm: (limited to 4 students): Join a leisurely evening with AUSL and ALC2 participants at Dwight Clark's apartment in Palo Alto.

7:00 pm: Beach Bonfire: Enjoy a night with your fellow friends and hosts while munching on snacks and marshmallows at the beach.

August 16, Wednesday

1:30 pm -3:00 pm: Host Presentations

Darwin Cruz: "Religion in America: Perspectives and Perceptions"
How much of a role does religion play in the daily lives of Americans? Though the United States is a predominantly Christian nation, this presentation will explore the roots of not only Christianity but also Judaism, Islam and Hinduism. Additionally, students will obtain a sense of what it is like to be a follower of these different religions in today's society.

Wei Wei Liu: "The Eye of the Beholder: A Biological Approach to Beauty"
 A common English saying is, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." This observation implies that beauty is subjective for different individuals, different communities, and different cultures. Through this presentation I hope to not only look at different cultural norms for beauty, but also attempt to touch upon the biology of beauty. Why do people find different individuals more beautiful than others? There is strong evidence that evolutionary and biological factors play a large role in the concept of beauty across different cultures. Perhaps, then, beauty may not be as subjective as one would think.

3:30-4:40 pm: The American Job Search Process (limited to 15 studetns): Kristin Conner, Career Counselor from the Career Development Center will review US job search materials such as resumes and cover letters, as well as give insight to job search strategies and interview preparation.

Major League Baseball Game (Cost: Free, for all students): You will have a chance to see a Oakland Athletics vs. Seattle Mariners game!

 

 

 

August 17, Thursday

7:00 - 9:00 pm: Graduate Study Panel (organized by Kazutoh): Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese graduate students will come to share their experience studying in the US. They will talk about why they decided to study in the US, the process for applying for graduate school, and some advantages and challenges studying in the US.

August 18, Friday

1:30 pm -3:00 pm: Host Presentations

Julie Len: "Supersize This: America's Food Trends"
What are Americans eating when they are not eating a big, fat burger?  From barbeque and apple pies to frozen TV dinners, sodas, and space food, we will take a look at some of America's favorite foods and how technology and world cultures have made America the melting pot that it is today.  **Think you know how to cook?  We will have a cook-off to find out who will become the next Iron Chef!**

Michael Li: "American Sports"

7:00 - 9:00 pm: Job Panel (organized by Kazutoh): Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese people share their experience working in the US. They will talk about why they decided to work in the US, the process for getting a job, and some advantages and challenges working in the US.

August 19, Saturday

10:00 am - 5:00 pm: Great America (Cost: $29.00, for all students): Great America is a fun theme park located not too far from the Stanford campus. You can find out more about Great America at http://www3.paramountparks.com/greatamerica/.

August 20, Sunday

9:00 am-2:00 pm St. Anthony Foundation (limited to 9 students): St. Anthony was founded in 1950 by Franciscan Alfred Boeddeker who gave the hope to his hungry and homeless neighbors, opening the doors of St. Anthony Dining Room and serving 400 free meals. Since then, this foundation continued to serve not only meals but also clothing, housing and healing of both body and spirit to homeless people. Alfred's spirit of dignity is still alive in the foundation.

- Justice Education Orientation
- Speaker from the free medical clinic
- Tour of the foundation
- Lunch in the St. Anthony Dining Room
- Reflection Session

11:00 am-5:00 pm: Visit Monterey (limited to 19 students):

Half of the students will enjoy their day Kayaking in Monterey. The other half of the student will visit the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium.

12:00 pm - 4:00 pm: San Jose Jazz Festival (Cost: Free, limited to about 12 students): Hang out in sunny San Jose, listen to jazz and experience one of America's largest free music festivals. Information about the festival is available at www.sanjosejazz.org/home.html.

2:00 pm: Stern Grove Festival (Free): With a high-energy concoction of Latin salsa, hip-hop, funk, and jazz, and messages of unity and social justice, Ozomatli’s eclectic sound embodies the cultural diversity of Los Angeles. Also performing will be Crown City Rockers, a genre-blending hip-hop collective with an original mix of funk, live instrumentation, and old-school rhymes, recalling groundbreaking groups like The Roots, De La Soul, and Tribe Called Quest

August 24, Thursday

8pm: ALC2 Talent Show: Everyone in ALC2 (including the participants, hosts, and program director) is welcome to join the talent show. Show your fellow students your skills and talents by signing up to perform for our talent show. Whether it is dancing, singing, playing the piano or telling jokes, we would like to see you in action.

August 26, Saturday

11:00 am: Depart for Yosemite National Park
We will all be taking a bus together to one of the United States' oldest and most beautiful parks. The bus ride will take about 5-5 1/2 hrs.

August 27-28, Sunday & Monday

Relax and enjoy the many activities which Yosemite Park has to offer. Some suggested activities are, hiking, horseback riding, rafting, biking, nature walks, visiting museums, and hanging out with hosts and friends!

August 29, Tuesday

11:00 am: Depart for hotel near San Francisco Aiport

6:30 pm: Farewell Banquet

August 30, Wednesday

Students depart

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