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At the start of February, the Bay Area experienced unseasonably warm weather. Over Super Bowl weekend, the temperatures reached 77 degrees in San Francisco and 81 degrees in Oakland! Students enjoyed the pleasant climate. Native San Franciscans call this kind of weather ‘summer’ because often in July and August, the coastal fog rolls in, bringing cooler temperatures. This month trees around the city are bursting with pink blossoms, signaling the arrival of spring.
If you would like to stay in touch with GEOS San Francisco, please “friend” us on Facebook! Search for ‘Geos Sanfran’ and send a friend request. Check our status updates to see what’s going on at GEOS San Francisco! You can also view our activity photos, add comments and stay in touch.
"My name is Lisa I'm from Concord, CA. I was born and raised in the Bay Area! I've also lived in Santa Cruz, Berkeley, Oakland, London and Berlin. I've been working at GEOS since April, 2008. I taught ESL at a preschool in Berlin, Germany where I worked with a group of about 15 children who were 2 and 3 years old. As you can probably imagine that-this was a completely different experience from teaching adults! At times it was a little overwhelming, but (most of the time) the children were really sweet and adorable. In my free time, I like to read, cook, go to farmers' markets, go thrift shopping, sing karaoke, see live music, and (when it's nice out) go to the beach or the park. Some of my favorite places in or near San Francisco are the Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market, Dolores Park, Muir Beach, Burma Superstar, Green Apple Books, Philz Coffee, Thrift Town and Amoeba Music."
March is going to be a very exciting month in the Bay Area! The 160th annual Saint Patrick’s Day Parade and festival will be celebrated in Civic Center Plaza on Saturday March 12th. Join in the merry making fun from 10:00 AM until 5:00 pm with traditional Irish music, food, performances, children’s rides, a petting zoo, arts and crafts, and dancing. The Parade begins at 11:30 AM. More than 5,000 participants will join merriment all the way to City Hall.
On Tuesday March 15th, 2011, Persian New Year will be celebrated in Berkeley. Participants can jump over a bonfire for “Chahr-Shanbeh Souri” at the Persian Center from 6-10 pm, to shake off the darkness of winter and welcome the lightness of spring. Inside the Persian Center, a traditional altar holds green grass, live goldfish, food and other items representative of spring. Persian music, dance, food and craft vendors, cultural organizations, and children’s activities add to the experience. The festival is accessible by BART and within walking distance of the downtown Berkeley station.
On March 22nd 2011, international superstar Lady Gaga will come to Oracle Arena in Oakland to perform a concert as part of her Monster Ball tour. The concert is sure to be an eye-popping spectacle and theatrical experience. Oracle Arena is easily accessible by BART, with a walking ramp provided from the arena to the metro station.
 For two weeks this month, our Operations Coordinator Ali took a vacation to Maui, Hawaii. We hope that she enjoyed a relaxing time on the beach. She deserves a reward for all of her hard work!
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"I really enjoyed my time at GEOS San Francisco. I like San Francisco because there is no winter and I like the tourist things— there always lots of things to do here. My most memorable experience at GEOS was the Halloween party and Christmas party—the Halloween party was really fun because we don’t celebrate Halloween in France and the Christmas party was really nice because the atmosphere was very comfortable—like a family. I really like GEOS’s location and teachers. Meeting everyone [was great]—my class had people from all over the world so it was very interesting spending time with them. I also think I am better prepared for the TOEFL exam because I didn't know anything about it before I came to GEOS. One word to describe GEOS is ‘friendly,’ and I would definitely recommend to my friends."
Chloe DeGinestet
France
With the beginning of a new year, GEOS is offering two new elective courses: Power Speaking and Academic Writing. Power Speaking is available to intermediate students (Levels 3 and 4) to improve confidence, clarity and accuracy in their speaking. Students will learn to communicate clearly and effectively, and given many opportunities to practice in class. Students will give speeches, participate in debates and lead discussions, which will be recorded for feedback purposes.
In our advanced writing elective, (levels 5 and 6) students will write essays, book reviews, reports and summaries required in university level courses. Students will learn how to write an academic essay with a thesis, supporting paragraphs and a conclusion. This elective course focuses on refining writing skills for school and business and expressing ideas in writing in a clear and logical way.
This month, our students went with Ali for ice cream sundaes at Ghirardelli Square. The chocolate factory has been in operation for 150 years! The picturesque tourist destination offers stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Student snapped pictures and got their fill of chocolate goodies.
In the spirit of adventure, five brave GEOS students decided to try a new activity: trampoline! Many students had never been on a trampoline before. We visited House of Air Trampoline Park, an airport hangar in Crissy Field converted into a playground with 45 conjoined trampolines. We acted like kids for an hour and had a blast! At the end we were supremely exhausted. Who knew having so much fun could be serious exercise?
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