Living la vida loca

Summer is almost over and the high school students from Spain had to go back to their beloved land. They left, but they also left a remarkable imprint in our hearts, and the hearts of all those with whom they've shared this beautiful spiritual experience they had in Wheeling, West Virginia. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a youtube video must be worth a million:





[EDIT] More information about their stay in Wheeling in this article.

Don't cry for me, Argentina

All beginnings have an end, and in the case of our last guests from Argentina, what an end it was. Their five-week stay in Wheeling Jesuit University was superbly presented by the students themselves, in front of a crowded audience enjoying every piece of their experience in the United States of America.

Colegio San Pedro Apostol from tturk on Vimeo.

They are already back in Argentina, and they haven't gone empty-handed: their backpack is full of memories and anecdotes, and they created bonds within the US and its people which would last forever.

[EDIT]
The Intelligencer published an article about their stay in Wheeling
There's another one published in WJU's website.

ELI students at Rockhurst University

This year's Colleagues in Jesuit Business Education conference was held in Kansas City, MO. Wheeling Jesuit University sent two ELI students, Yoseba Urquijo and Urko Fernandez, to Rockhurst University to talk about their work in the Global Business Incubator under Ryan Wall's mentorship.

University-Industry linkages from tturk on Vimeo.

During the three days that the conference lasted, they shared their experiences in Wheeling with some of the most prestigious Jesuit universities in the United States, such us Loyola, Gonzaga and Marquette. We hope to see more ELI students promoting Wheeling Jesuit University and the English Language Institute not only all over the United States, but also all over the world.

A Captive Audience

Two highlights of this week were presentations by Jane at WJU'S Center for Educational Technologies and our very own Spanish student Alex. For her presentation, the funny and talented Jane at CET conducted a video conference in which our high school students from Argentina got to discuss their next NASA mission (making a shoebox "fly") with real NASA scientists in Mississippi. Needless to say, the students loved brainstorming with the folks at NASA.

For his presentation, Alex used PowerPoint to discuss the historical and political circumstances and outcomes of the U.S. Gulf War. Our high school students found Alex's talk edifying and interesting, and they responded with excellent questions. It was great to watch a "veteran" ELI student interact with our newcomers. Our students always have such creative and important things to say!

Let's Celebrate!

An ELI custom is to celebrate students' birthdays with delicious treats. This week, we had an ice cream social in Ignatius Hall to celebrate not 1, not 2, but 3 birthdays which happened to fall on the same date! Our new students from Argentina enjoyed their Neapolitan ice cream cones, chocolate syrup, and colorful sprinkles, and we enjoyed hearing them sing "Happy Birthday" in both Spanish and English. As you can see, birthday celebrations play a large part in the culture of our community. We'll find any excuse to celebrate the special personalities and accomplishments of our students-- and to eat ice cream and cake! :)

Elated to Welcome 34 High School Students from Argentina

Everyone here at ELI is thrilled to have welcomed over 30 new students this week. All of these students come from San Pedro Apóstol Bilingual School of Córdoba in Argentina and speak great English. We love having them here in Wheeling!

Already, these students have completed a NASA simulated mission, taken 4 days of classes with our caring and competent teachers, done some serious shopping at The Highlands, attended activities at the Wheeling Waterfront, and, of course, played LOTS of soccer. In short, they're keeping busy. We'll have photos and updates on these and all of our wonderful summer students soon. Thanks for reading!

Adios/Goodbye/Au revoir

On Friday, we took a group photo on the main steps of Ignatius, ate some chocolate cake, and said goodbye to 3 of our fabulous students from the Basque Country: Adriana, Alejandra, and Natalia. Alejandra and Natalia are off to study in Paris, and Adriana will continue her globe-trotting in Brussels. How interesting and adventurous these students are! We will miss them, but we wish them the best of luck back in Europe. We know our paths will cross again... Until then, here are a few kind words from Adriana, one of our dear Spanish friends:

Adriana

Adios/Goodbye/Au revoir!

A Typical Summer Day at ELI

Good morning! First, you'll grab a coffee or tea in the ELI lounge, where you'll run into your grammar teacher and a friend from Vietnam, before you head over to the language lab to practice your listening and speaking for the TOEFL test. At 10:30, you'll most likely come back to the lounge or, if it's a nice day, the terrace of Ignatius Hall, for an "English Only" break. After practicing your English for a bit (and discovering the deliciousness of the quintessentially American combo of peanut butter and jelly), you'll return to your morning class for another exciting lesson.

At lunch, you'll hang out with some friends on campus and maybe even work on pronouncing "desert" and "dessert." Then, it's time for afternoon class! Today, you and a few classmates will be playing a special classroom version of the TV show Survivor. You're going to have to plan and present your imaginary escape from a remote island, and your only tools will be a hanger, pen, CD, scarf, and calculator. Good luck! After a long but enjoyable day of learning, you'll be ready to go watch some American cable or play soccer in the park!

Welcome to the WJU ELI Blog!

Hello, world (literally)! We've created this blog to keep our alumni, colleagues, friends, fans, and prospective students around the globe up-to-date on the exciting happenings in the international community at Wheeling Jesuit University. We'll try to keep you posted on all the latest news and events in the highly regarded and ever-growing International Student Center, and we'll pay special attention to the dynamic activity of the English Language Institute (ELI). The ELI at the International Student Center is a joyful, supportive, and rigorous school for the study of English as a learning language. Here, students from 5 continents gather to take classes, experience a slice of American life, exchange ideas and customs, and develop lasting relationships with classmates, teachers, and mentors. You'd have trouble finding another place in Wheeling where you can taste Ukrainian pyrohy, get some beautiful henna hand art, watch a Congolese folk fashion show, listen to live Greek music, hear family stories about South Korean holidays, and feel like a true citizen of the world. Yep, ELI is pretty special place (just ask the students in the photo below). We hope you enjoy learning more about it from this blog!

Pictured below is Eileen Viglietta, the Director of the International Student Center. This summer is a busy one for her and her staff, who will be welcoming over 60 new students in the coming weeks! We'll be sure to share our stories with you as the sun continues to shine on our happy corner of Wheeling Jesuit University.

Stay tuned!