Friday, December 11, 2009

LSI San Diego Photos

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

LSI San Diego had a fantastic Halloween party on October 30th. Students, teachers and staff all got into the Halloween mood by dressing up in costumes, carving pumpkins and participating in the annual costume contest. Check out some photos below:

Click to play this Smilebox slideshow: LSI Halloween Party 2009




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November Activities Calendar

November 09 Activities

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Miss Switzerland Among Our Students!

LSI was proud to welcome Amanda Ammann, Miss Switzerland 2007, among our students for the Summer 2009. *We at LSI are happy to report that students at our school come from a variety of backgrounds and have many opportunities to make new friends and share in the adventure of learning English. Miss Swiss is one of many fascinating individuals who have studied at our school. Who might you meet here?

Monday, July 6, 2009

San Diego Transportation Update - Please Read!

http://www.sdmts.com/Planning/June2009ServiceChanges.asp

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Welcome to the LSI San Diego Blog!

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

ACCESSING LSI's general website and blog

For information on LSI schools and locations, see: www.lsi.edu
To find a school, click the tab "Our Schools" and click on the country.
Select the city from there and follow category links.

LSI also has a general blog that you can follow at: http://www.lsi.edu/blog/

Remember that we also accept calls and email inquiries. If you are a student here, we can always help you with your questions in the front office! But remember that break time can be busy and you might need to request an appointment on the Sign-Up Sheet where the Class Lists are displayed in the office.

We hope to see or hear from you soon!

REMINDERS ON Drinking and Smoking!

Drinking:
You must be 21+ years old to drink legally in the United States. To get into bars and nightclubs, you must prove your age by carrying your actual passport or a CA id, (which you can get at the DMV in Hillcrest, see other posts for details.) No other id from your home country is accepted.
Drinking in public is not allowed. Drinking is also not allowed on the beach. You will have to pay a fine if the police notice alcohol with you. If you are drunk in public, you may go to jail.

Smoking:
You have to be 18+ years old to purchase cigarettes in the U.S. You cannot smoke in many public places. In California, restaurants and bars are smoke-free. This means you cannot smoke in them.
You also cannot smoke near a bus stop OR on the beach. If you smoke there anyway, you can receive a fine.
If you smoke, be aware of the law and respect it please. And please don't litter! Put your cigarette butts in trash cans after you put them out.

HOW TO get medical attention

In Emergencies: call 9-1-1 for immediate response. Explain your emergency and request an ambulance, the police or the fire department, depending on your emergency. Be sure to give them the address where you are so they can get to your location as quickly as possible.

For Dental Emergencies (problems with your teeth):
See Dentist: Dr Stephen Ward or other dentist at the office on 3500 Fifth Ave (intersection of Walnut St.- walk uphill from LSI) Tel. 619-298-2893 Tell them that Rachel Ishiguro referred you.


For non emergencies when you need the police you can call: 619-531-2001, the nearest police station is on 1401 Broadway. Walk down 5th Ave to get to Broadway. Look for 1401 Broadway.

To see a doctor: You can go to the Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group located on 2001 Fourth Ave; tel. 619-446-1575. You should call and make an appointment to see a doctor at their first availability. Remember to bring your medical insurance card/information with you. If you do not have insurance, you will have to pay them the full cost yourself.

If you miss school because you are sick, be sure to get a note from the doctor if you want your absence excused. Otherwise, your attendance record will reflect your absence. You need a weekly attendance of 80% in the mornings. (Each morning period counts as 10% of your weekly attendance. 3 Lates also counts as missing one period.) If you have afternoon classes, you need a weekly attendance of 75%. Contact the LSI Registrar if you have questions about attendance.

DRIVING in California

In the United States, the Department of Motor Vehicles or DMV is the official agency in charge of vehicle registration, drivers license permits and other related car issues. For your purposes, the DMV is necessary for 1- getting permission to drive in the U.S. and 2- gettting a California identity card. Both of these services are optional for you to pursue.

TO DRIVE OR PURCHASE A CAR IN THE U.S.:
You must contact the DMV about requirements. Even if you have an international license, you still need to contact them.

HOW TO GET A CA LICENSE:
You can get a CA license to drive by taking your passport, I-94 (white or green card received upon entry to the U.S.), I-20 (if you have a student visa) and paying $27.00. Written tests in English or audiocassette recording in your own language are two options for taking the driving test. After you have applied to take the test, you will need to obtain a "Letter of Denial" at one of the Social Security Administration Offices. You can find a Social Securty Administration Office near you by calling: tel. 1-800-772-1213. After you have passed the test, you will be issued a "learner's permit." You will still need to take a road test after receiving your learner's permit to get a CA license and be able to drive on your own. You can schedule a road test usually within two weeks of getting your learner's permit. Contact the DMV for details.
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/newtoca/newtoca.htm

How to get to the Hillcrest DMV:

Walk to 5TH AVE at ELM ST
At 04:19 PM take the MTS BUS route 120 Fashion Valley Limited Stops
Get off the stop on 5TH AVE at UNIVERSITY AV at approximately 04:29 PM
At 04:35 PM take the MTS BUS route 10 University & College Limited Stops via University Ave
Get off the stop on UNIVERSITY AVE at RICHMOND ST at approximately 04:41 PM
walk North East to 3960 NORMAL ST

Sunday, May 3, 2009

"Peace Out."

This is a casual exit line not for FORMAL situations.

Translation:
Bye.  See you later.

How else can you say "Goodbye?"  What have you heard native English speakers say?

"What's up?"

This is a casual expression used in informal conversation, NOT formal situations.

Translation:
How are you?

Cultural Note:
Though Americans ask "What's up?" and "How are you?," it is meant as a greeting to be polite. Standard responses are "Fine," "Great," "Ok," "I could be better."  Unless you are close friends, people do not expect a detailed response about how you REALLY feel.  We are just saying "Hi."

HOW TO get home late at night

Public transportation stops running around midnight.  And taking public transportation at night can be dangerous.  A good alternative is to call a cab!  

You can hail taxicabs some places downtown in Gaslamp but it's always good to have a cab number on you in case you need to call for one!  You won't be able to find them everywhere. 

Orange Cab of San Diego is one company: tel. 619-291-3333, but there are many others that you can also find online.  Have a number with you.  Put it in your phone!  Know where it is!  Know your home address!  Be safe and have fun while you are here ;)