Rarely do residents of major cities have the opportunity to study Mandarin with a native speaker who was a successful businesswoman in China, who has a deep understanding of modern Chinese culture and language and who also comprehends the intricacies of English grammar and syntax, all the while learning conversation and basic pronunciation in a small class at a minimal cost. Xinyan Weeks, who has served WNMU as a intermediary for Chinese students, brings dazzling gifts to this course designed to help you travel with greater ease. Perhaps you've been to China and would like some update on what you learned or wish that you'd learned. Perhaps you have a trip planned. Perhaps you have commercial interests and want to begin to interact with Chinese customers or suppliers. Or perhaps you just would like to tackle a tonal language that is pivotal in human history and in current events. This is your chance. Don't miss it.

This introductory German course for IFLS will be based on Christensen, et al., German for Dummies, Wiley, 978-0470901014, $14.95 at amazon.com. (Participants will be expected to purchase the text.) The intent of the course is to focus on practical German (at least what I've found practical in numerous trips to Germany). The goal of the course is begin building a familiarity with basic conversational German that will make travel in German-speaking Europe easier, or provide a basis from which students can gain insights into German culture. The course will emphasize practice in pronunciation, vocabulary building and conversational phrases. I will use frequent examples from my travels in Germany and Austria and, as students become more comfortable with the language, I will use clips from German films, TV, and music. John Lavalle is a WNMU history professor who specializes in European history. His research specialty is 19th- and 20th-century Germany. Every 2 or 3 years John typically spends a summer in Germany. In what little spare time John has, he brews his own beer. We at WILL are delighted that a teacher of this caliber has joined the IFLS faculty.

One. Doctors counsel us Baby Boomers to keep the brain supple. "Learn a new language or a musical instrument," they advise. Two. Our traveling friends suggest that we would enjoy our trip abroad more if we could converse with the ticket seller or the cafe waiter. Three. We had told ourselves that we were going to take introductory Spanish when we retired. There are 100's of good reasons to master the basics of Spanish. Now, the best ones: Manuel Rodriguez, an experienced teacher with a commitment to practical Spanish, teaching a small class of WILL members for a reasonable fee. Manuel, the new director of the Language Institute, teaches both Spanish and English in Ciudad Juarez on weekends. Before coming to Silver City Manuel was the middle school coordinator of English for the Colegio Tecnologico de Monterrey. He has taught Spanish to U.S. managers of assembly plants in the state of Chihuahua. His IFLS class, which will start at ground level, will emphasize practical vocabulary, minimum grammar, and lots of pronunciation practice. IFLS is indeed fortunate to have a teacher distinguished by such great personal warmth and deep experience.

Recommended to IFLS by our esteemed Patricia Cano, Trini Tolar joins our faculty with vast experience in teaching Spanish and a real commitment to students. Trini was born in Mexico City and received her doctorate in education at New Mexico State. She currently is the special education coordinator for the Silver City Public Schools. Trini has consulted with the IFLS Beginning Spanish teacher, Valentina Watson, and will emphasize this spring the conversation skills to develop what students learned in Valentina's fall course (If you had a year of Spanish at college or lived in a Spanish-speaking country for a time, you'll fit right into this intermediate curriculum). Trini says that she especially enjoys the excitement created when students learn new things. Several years ago Trini was a coordinator of the WNMU 3-week intensive Spanish course in Nuevo Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, where students in their 40's and 50's were immersed in the Spanish language and culture. Participants still send her emails in Spanish. It's the enthusiasm and the long-lasting benefits from that course which Trini aims to duplicate in this WILL Spanish class, providing practice to enable students feel at ease as they converse. There will be music and culture to lighten the learning.