The spring semester has ended, and while formal English language classes have concluded, my friends and students at the English Language Institute asked that we continue our lessons into the summer. This is the best compliment a teacher could ask for! To be fair, our classes have not followed the conventional desk and blackboard format, as described in my earlier post we have used traditional American food and cooking techniques in lieu of lesson plans. In our last "class" (make your own pizza!), I described my favorite place in the United States, Glacier National Park. After gushing about the jagged mountains, dense cedar forest, waterfalls, and plentiful wildlife, my friend Ippei turned to me and asked, "Could we go to Glacier National Park together?". I immediately realized that there is no better opportunity to enjoy Montana, engage in authentic western activities, and provide full-on English language immersion than to go on a weekend trip to Glacier!
We packed the car with tents, camp kitchen and chairs, firewood, and enough marshmallows, chocolate bars and graham crackers to give an army a sugar overdose. My friends Yui and Ippei from Japan, Pere from Spain, and as a delightful addition, my mother Suzy, piled into the car and headed north for the Crown of the Continent. From there our weekend can be summed up into five English language lessons:
Camping: The vocabulary is endless. Tent, rain fly, ground mat, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, tarp, head lamp, stuff sack, outhouse, fire pit, lighter fluid, coals, lantern...the list goes on. I am very proud to say that while this was the first time camping for Yui, and the first time since childhood for Ippei and Pere, they were all camping rockstars! I would have guessed they were experienced outdoor enthusiasts, and after our weekend in Glacier, they may very well become ones!
S'mores: Let's face it, the word "s'more" is ridiculous. What does it really mean? Possibly a shortened version of "some more", but honestly, does that make any sense? No. In the end, "s'more" is a very obscure word in the English language, but this should not deter from its incredible importance. The best part of our entire trip was witnessing Yui and Ippei eating s'mores for the first time. Pure. Joy.
Bear Spray: Explaining the mechanics of a can of bear spray with modest English vocabulary is a challenge. Emphasizing the importance of knowing how to remove the safety catch, pull the trigger, and most importantly, point the nozzle in the correct direction, all the while being charged by 1000 pounds of bear is more a lesson in survival than in English. Fortunately, there were no pop quizzes.
Obama: One morning while preparing dutch oven French toast, I removed the lid to check on the delicacy's status and slightly burned my hand through my glove. I winced and said "That's a bummer!" Yui replied, "I hear you say, "It's Obama, but I am not sure what this means. I know he is the President, but why are you saying his name in this way?" In this case, I am the one who is taught a lesson - speak clearly and enunciate! I often remark, "that's a bummer" in response to various disappointments, but by speaking too fast and slurring my words, Yui was hearing "that's Obama!" Regardless of your political leanings, this moment of being lost in translation is worth a laugh. Indeed, that's Obama!
Nature Translates Itself: When surrounded by waterfalls swollen with spring runoff and forests carpeted with verdant, glistening moss and wildflowers, one does not need to use words in English, Japanese or Spanish. Nature translates itself.
The agent had great response to questions and coordinated well to create an itinerary that met our expectations.
Bob Sunshine
1 day ago
Very responsive to all questions
Teresa Cardoso
2 days ago
Kelly and Rhenee were excellent to work with on planning our trip. The logistics all worked smoothly and everyone was friendly and on time. Our accommodations were very good, particularly the incredible Patagonia Camp in Torres del Paine! Our guides on every excursion were outstanding and made the hikes memorable! Overall we had a wonderful trip with incredible memories!
Scott Gibson
2 days ago
Adventure Life is definitely a first-class safari tour company, and our representative was Franny Friesz. First of all, she responded immediately after we contacted Adventure Life. We told Franny that we had never been on a safari, and she was more than eager to offer a mountain of information about the trip. She informed us fully about all the ups, downs, and all arounds! She even prepared a number of packages for us to review -- even after we made changes to the areas we wanted to explore. Friendly, helpful, professional, and extremely knowledgeable -- these words describe Franny, and what a wonderful trip she prepared! We couldn't have asked for better service than Franny of Adventure Life. We HIGHLY recommend her and her outstanding company! Bon Voyage!
Prima Burke
3 days ago
The staff at Adventure Life made planning my family's trip to the Galapagos Islands as easy as possible. They listened to what we were hoping to experience and made thoughtful suggestions about how to accomplish our vacation goals while meeting the needs of travelers ages 17-76! They patiently answered questions and follow up questions in the months leading up to the trip. They helped us trouble shoot and customize the trip in every way possible. The logistics involved in traveling from Boston to the Galapagos are innumerable. The Adventure Life staff helped us arrange every detail and the team they assembled in the Galapagos was tremendous. I have never done a trip this big before and after working with Adventure Life this time--would not hesitate one second in working with them again.