2. 3
3. INTRODUCTION
4. VOX POP
What does your home country do to
celebrate spring?
8. TLG IN PICTURES
CONTENTS
11. SPRING CELEBRATIONS
14. TLG AROUND THE WORLD
2
3. 4
Dear students,
Welcome to the Spring Edition of the TLG Times!
We’re sure you’re all pleased to see the weather
starting to improve as winter draws to a close.
Spring is a time for new beginnings and fresh starts,
whether it’s by re-committing yourself to your
studies or cleaning out your room.
At TLG, we’ve started spring with a brand new
partnership with Liverpool F.C. We’ve set up TLG
Juniors to give children from all over the world the
opportunity to learn new skills in a fun environment.
This summer, they’ll be coming to the UK to improve
their language skills and enjoy activities and outings
with Liverpool F.C.
In this issue, you can read on to find out how
spring is celebrated around the world, get some
music recommendations, and see what your fellow
students in other countries have been getting up to.
Whatever you’re celebrating this spring, we hope you
enjoy it!
Elena Roginsky
TLG Managing Director
INTRODUCTION
3
4. 5
VOX
POP“This is the time of
year we enjoy music
festivals and major
international events
in the fields of
fashion and art.”
4
5. 65
“In France, we have a festival called le
Pâques to celebrate spring. People
usually hide chocolate in their gardens.
They then have their children search
it out, which makes them very happy!
I used to do this as a child and it was a
lot of fun.”
– Donovan, France
“In Mexico we have a special holiday
called Semana Santa that is related to
the Catholic religion. We have two days
off activities, including school and work,
and we spend a lot of time at church.
We only eat white meat like fish and
chicken, not beef. I enjoy spending this
time with my family. It’s called a semana
– ‘week’ in English – and it’s celebrated
from a Friday to a Thursday.”
– Leslie, Mexico
“We celebrate spring with music,
dancing and food! This is the time of
year we enjoy music festivals and major
international events in the fields of
fashion and art.”
– Juliana, Brazil
“My home country celebrates a number
of events, like Spring Day on the 8th
of March and Women’s Day. Equally
important is New Year on the 23rd of
March. During these holidays nobody
works: everyone relaxes and tries to
recover after the long winter, breathing
the spring air and enjoying it.”
– Suyzanna, Kazakhstan
“In Turkey, the 6th of May is a very
special day to mark the beginning of
spring: we call it ‘Hidirelles’. On this day,
people eat food and it’s like a carnival
atmosphere. People light fires, and we
make wishes before we jump over the
fire three times and hope this wish will
come true.
The name Hidirelles comes from Hidir,
who is a bit like an angel and comes
down to earth on this day to hopefully
grant our wishes.
The other tradition we have in Turkey
around Hidirelles is where we write our
wishes on a small piece of paper and
we put it on a rose bush on the night
before Hidirelles. We wish for things
like love, a house, a job, money, a child
or a husband or wife. Then, very early
the next morning, we take the pieces of
paper with the wishes on and we throw
them into the sea. Some Turkish people
don’t use the rose bush - they write
their wishes on the sand and they are
washed into the sea.
So it’s a special celebration day for us.
We enjoy Hidirelles!”
– Kevser, Eda, and Melissa, Turkey
“For the spring renewal, we eat fish
infused with dill. This is a tradition in
Iran, and has Zoroastrian roots. We set
the table with seven items that begin
with the ‘s’ sound in Farsi; items such
as apples and vinegar start with that
sound in our language. We give money
to the youngest members of the family
at family gatherings.
6. 76
We light a small fire and jump over it.
The red energy goes into our bodies,
and the yellow energy goes out of
our bodies. Incense is burned and we
celebrate the return of purity.
Thirteen days after New Year’s Day, we
leave the house for an entire day and
spend a lot of time outside to celebrate
the relationship of people with the sun.
It is a very special time for Persians and
it is a celebration that we look forward
to each year.”
–Shirin and Amin, Iran
“In Medellin, Colombia is known as the
city of everlasting spring. For 9 days,
the city hosts the ‘Festival of Flowers’.
During this time, there are parties,
concerts, food festivals and a parade.”
– Andersson, Colombia
“In Romania, spring is welcomed by
people wearing a Martisor. This is a red
and white piece of thread that is worn
on clothing. The red is said to represent
the summer and the heat, while the
white represents the winter and the
cold. Some people say that the two
colours represent love and honesty.”
– Christina, Romania
“The Songkran festival is celebrated in
Thailand as the traditional New Year’s
Day from 13 to 15 April. The traditional
water pouring is meant as a symbol
of washing all of the bad away and is
sometimes filled with fragrant herbs.”
– Nattapong, Thailand
VOX POP
7. 87
INTERNATIONAL
On 8 March, countries all around
the world celebrated International
Women’s Day (IWD).
IWD is celebrated by everyone from
charities to governments to recognise
the contributions that women make
to their countries and communities.
The theme this year was “Make
It Happen”.
To celebrate, thousands of events
were organised. Some people wear
purple ribbons in support, because
the colour purple means justice and
dignity and it is the colour of the
British Suffragette flag.
In some countries women are given
flowers, and children give gifts to their
mothers, grandmothers and female
teachers. In other countries, like
Pakistan and Poland, working women
use IWD to hold demonstrations
about their ongoing struggle for
equal rights.
We have female prime ministers,
greater choice for women in terms of
work and family, and schoolgirls are
welcomed into higher education, but
women are still not an equal presence
within politics or business, and are
paid less than men in the same jobs.
IWD celebrates the great progress
women have made in recent years,
but also reminds us that there is more
to be done.
Fact file:
• IWD is an official holiday
in 15 countries
• In the United States, the whole
month of March is ‘Women’s
History Month’
• Women perform 66% of the
world’s work and produce 50% of
the food
• Women earn just 10% of income
worldwide and own 1% of the
property globally
• Some countries give women the
day off for IWD!
Colombian Women: Between
Elbows and Flowers
Despite being thought of as the
“weaker sex”, women around the
world have demonstrated that when
they work together, they can achieve
all the aims that they want. Colombian
women have not been an exception.
Karen Labrador, the executive
director of Colombia Lider, said:
“Gender equality is a topic not just
of women, but of development.” In
Colombia, sexism, prejudice, cultural
stereotyping and violence still exists,
and has not allowed women to
demonstrate their abilities.
Even though there are a lot of
successful examples, such as Ingrid
Betancourt and Noemi Sanin (former
candidates to president of Colombia),
Vivian Morales (senator) and others,
the involvement of women is
not enough.
At the same time, women in Colombia
have succeeded in changing their
roles in society so they do not rely
on men. Nowadays, every woman in
Colombia is able to work, grow, and
study with their own money.
Today women are working hard to
build a place for themselves in society,
without giving up their love of flowers.
– Sugey Rodriguez
and Andersson Jimenez
8. 9
TLG IN
PICTURES
TLG LONDON
Winter photography workshop
The certificate for best picture
during our photography workshop
was given to our student Thu, from
Vietnam. Her photograph used
the available light in quite a simple
setting to create a very charming
and stylish portrait.
Christmas party and quiz
In December, TLG and Delfin
School put on a Christmas quiz. It
was a huge success and everyone
thoroughly enjoyed themselves!
Great thanks to teacher Merlyn and
social programme organiser Steph,
as well as our wonderful hosts at
Delfin School.
There was lots of food and drink,
a mixture of funny and difficult
questions, and great prizes –
but what really made it
memorable was the welcoming
and friendly atmosphere.
Thank you all for making this festive
period unforgettable for the whole
TLG family!
Southbank Winter Festival
Our teacher Ed and his students
enjoyed the crisp winter air whilst
exploring the South Bank Christmas
market, finding trinkets and festive
treasure amongst the handmade
items on show.
8
9. 10
TLG BIRMINGHAM
The teachers in Birmingham always
love to take their students out to
enjoy the sights and activities around
the city.
Tutor Charlotte took students out
to the Birmingham Museum and Art
Gallery as well as treating them to
an Indian meal, while Malika took
students bowling.
TLG MANCHESTER
Imperial War Museum
This month, students at TLG
Manchester visited the Imperial War
Museum (IWM) in Media City to
find out more about World War I
and World War II.
The students were extremely
interested in the topic and the
objects on display, and took their
time looking around. We talked
about the effect of the wars on
Manchester and the impact on
people’s lives. The students looked at
the differences between Manchester
during the wars and now.
We learnt about the lives of the
people fighting in the war and
their communication with their
families, and the students tried on
the uniforms that were worn by the
soldiers and auxiliary forces. Towards
the end of the visit our attention was
turned to events that happened after
the wars had ended. We also looked
at poets who served in the wars who
then went on to write poetry
about it.
The visit to the museum was
interesting and enlightening. The
students had a good time and learnt
about parts of the wars that were
previously unknown to them.
TLG TORONTO
TLG Students Graduate
TLG Toronto said a bittersweet
farewell to its graduating students of
2014/15 – good luck to you all!
Ice Skating
Canada is well known for its colder
climate, and our students took full
advantage of it by ice skating at the
Natrel Rink.
9
10. 11
TLG IN PICTURES
10
Winterlicious Food Festival
Students spent an afternoon
enjoying the Winterlicious food
festival in the historic distillery
district of Toronto, especially at the
Mill Street Brewpub!
Valentine’s Day
Love was in the air in February as our
students celebrated Valentine’s Day
with fun activities on campus.
11. 12
Spring in Korea is usually sunny and nice,
but we think that it’s too short. I think
global warming is coming, and serious
for us: spring is getting shorter each year
and we can’t enjoy the weather before
the summer heat!
Our Lunar New Year happens around
spring time. When we have Lunar New
Year celebrations, we feel like spring
is coming.
This is one of the times we have freedom
to travel, so it’s pretty important for
most Korean families. During Lunar
New Year, we get together with our
immediate family, and then travel to
other cities to be with our extended
family who we don’t often see during the
rest of the year.
On the day that we are all together,
we have a big picnic in a nice outdoor
area with lots of food. We also visit the
cemeteries to greet our ancestors. This
is traditional: we pay our respects to
them and pray for good things in the
coming year.
Going to the cemeteries in the spring is
very special for us, because cemeteries
in Asian culture are not like cemeteries
here. They are built on the side of a
mountain. We get to see the spring
scenery from the mountain, and it
inspires us to enjoy our life more from
that time on.
– Changsun, South Korea
I’m from Hong Kong in China.
We don’t celebrate Easter there, but
since I’ve been in the UK I’ve noticed all
the celebrations for the Easter holidays.
My friends told me that Easter is about
rabbits and chocolate eggs. They said
that children play in the garden and look
for hidden eggs. A lot of children like to
celebrate by eating a lot of chocolate –
maybe eating too much and then
feeling sick!
Easter is also important for religion.
Jesus is an important figure for
Christians in the UK and Easter
represents his death and his
resurrection. There are two days holiday
in the UK for this, Good Friday and
Easter Monday.
I like this holiday a lot because people
can take a long break and school is
closed. My teachers like Easter because
they can sleep-in for the weekend and
enjoy their free time without worrying
about any students.
This Easter I think I’ll go to supermarket
and buy eggs for myself and some
friends. I’ll hide the eggs around my
house and play a game with my friends
like children do, but while my friends are
all searching I will eat them all, ha ha ha!
– Jasin Gai, China
SPRINGCELEBRATIONS
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13. 1413
These days I listen to Sam Smith and
his music. He’s from Britain, and he’s
got a soulful and powerful voice which
I like a lot. I read somewhere that he’s
been called a ‘male Adele’ because of his
voice. I think that’s correct because he
sings powerfully like Adele does.
I think his recordings are good - his
melodies sound very professional with
very clear production. I just downloaded
the singles from his debut album and
some of the new ones. I think he’s
getting popular in Korea, too.
He also has an outstanding performing
ability. Hopefully he will come here to
tour because I’d love to see him live.
– Yujin, TLG Toronto
I love the music of One Direction! I think
they have a nice sound and they’re all so
handsome. I went to see their show in
London and, in my opinion, it was the
best concert I have ever seen. Can you
believe they were on X-Factor? Wow!
In my country, people think One
Direction are abhorrent and kill music. I
disagree. If I listen to my favourite song
‘Ice, Ice Baby’ by One Direction, I can tell
that they understand why music is so
important in the world. I also love their
hair - if I were a boy, I would want the
same style!
Music is about how we feel when people
sing. Some people feel bad, some people
feel good. If you don’t like One Direction
then that’s ok, I like them enough for
two people.
– Hilda Nella, TLG Birmingham
I enjoy my new CD. It’s fantastic! Marc
Antony’s songs are really good. His music
is poetic and romantic. They’re very
catchy. My mother and father both listen
to it too. They love it, but my brother
never listens - it is boring to him.
I highly recommend the CD. I love it!
Marc is a good singer, his music relaxes
me and makes me feel good. I listen
to it every day, in the morning, in the
afternoon and in my car too.
I don’t like to watch TV - I prefer to listen
to Marc’s music!
– Mathew Alejo, TLG Manchester
I like this song ‘Love me like you do’
because when I hear it, I feel that life is
amazing. I feel relaxed and think that life
is very simple.
However, I don’t like to listen to this song
all the time because it’s not good for my
heart. It reminds me of bad memories.
I recommend that everyone should listen
to this song because it’s amazing.
– Abdulaziz, TLG Manchester
15. 16
Our London campus is situated in
Holborn, right in the heart of the
city. We’re based in several beautiful
Georgian buildings, which have been
standing for hundreds of years. It’s not
difficult to soak up the history whilst
studying here!
We are lucky enough to be close to
many of the city’s famous landmarks.
For the culturally inclined there’s the
British Museum; for those interested in
food or theatre there’s Covent Garden
and Leicester Square, and the famous
Oxford Street is nearby for all the
shopping you could ever need. All of
this is just a short stroll away.
For something a bit further afield, you
can hop onto one of the city’s many
Barclays bikes and take a quick ride
down to Southbank. Here, you’ll find a
choice of restaurants right next to the
River Thames where you can sit and
take in the amazing views of Big Ben,
the London Eye and St Paul’s cathedral.
If you’re interested in the alternative
side of life, head north to check out the
shops and markets in Camden Town
and grab some street food. It’s easy
to lose track of time here, with lots
of independent stalls and shops
to choose from.
If you want to visit somewhere that
is too far to walk, you can take the
oldest underground rail system in the
world. The Tube is the easiest and
quickest way to navigate the sprawling
metropolis of the city. Each section of
the city has its speciality - check out
the east for trendy night spots and the
west for beautiful parks. In the north,
you can sample excellent Turkish food,
whilst south London has a music scene
to rival Camden.
London is a melting pot of different
cultures - it’s easy to meet anyone from
anywhere in the world. Because of this,
there’s a huge range of things to do and
places to visit: something to suit anyone
and everyone.
As Samuel Johnson once said,
‘When a man is tired of London, he’s
tired of life.’
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