Mango Languages

The Gift of Giving

We, here at Mango Languages, have six key core values that we live by: integrity, entrepreneurial spirit, positive attitude, fundipline, innovation and quality. Our Marketing Communications Director and Co-Founder, Mike Teshuba, has added another one to the list, giving back.

Funof is an organization in Cali, Colombia, that is dedicated to getting working children off the street and back into school so that they can study and enjoy being kids.  These children, ranging in age from 7-15 years old, oftentimes work selling gum or fruit, washing windshield and peddling other various products and services on the streets.  They feel the need to work on the streets because either their families don’t have enough money to buy food and other basic necessities, or they don’t even have families to take care of them in the first place.  These children face many dangers on a daily basis, such as rape, getting hit in traffic, being exploited by drug dealers, child trafficking, etc.  If these children don’t get an education then they are highly likely to become the parents of children that will continue this vicious cycle.  This foundation has several centers in low income neighborhoods in Cali Colombia helping around 2,300 working children.

This holiday season, with the donation from Mango Languages, Mike, his family, and some awesome Mango fans were able to buy gifts for over 200 of these children. They were able to personally visit one of the centers to hand out gifts and food to about 150 of the kids.  The event went really well and the children were very appreciative of being able to have a gift for the holidays.

Check out this awesome video where Mike Teshuba describes what Funof is all about and see how Mango spread some holiday cheer to kids in Cali, Colombia.

Mango Monday: Happy Holidays!

Happy holidays from Mango Languages! We hope you and yours enjoy a wonderful holiday season and an even better new year!

What are you thankful for this year?

A few sales and marketing Mangoes wanted to show off their favorite holiday attire…

Travel Tuesday: Traditions, Old & New

Another year has passed and the holidays are upon us yet again. Decorations, family, and food (lots and lots and lots of food) abound. It feels like we were just here, doesn’t it? It’s time for gatherings and reflecting on the past year. Despite our country of origin (or language we speak), one thing about the holidays remains the same: TRADITION (I think they say it better than I ever could). Whether you celebrate by going to a parade, watching “Elf”, or traveling to see family, it’s these traditions that we look forward to every year around this time. Coming from a large family, we always spend Christmas Eve with my dad’s family and Christmas day house hopping to visit all of my mom’s sisters and their families. Each Christmas night ends at our close family friends’ home, which is opened to everyone (literally everyone) looking to celebrate the holiday.  Besides my near comatose state after being force fed at six houses each Christmas (no complaining here, trust me. Nothing beats homemade Chaldean food), the feeling I remember most is looking forward to the traditions within the tradition. For instance, the day always begins with Auntie Samira’s pacha (a Chaldean dish made of tripe… breakfast of champions! Check out one of my favorite Facebook groups to learn more). As the day progresses, we always eat dessert at Auntie Ferial’s (cousin Jeanie’s famous sugar cookies) and see friends we probably haven’t seen since last Christmas at the end of the night at Auntie Lamia’s house. That night we head home, full, tired, and happy, thinking how far away next Christmas seems.

This year, however, things are going to be a little different. When my cousin Anthony’s job was transferred from Houston, Texas to Bangkok, Thailand for the year, my cousins and I knew this was an opportunity for the ultimate vacation. Figuring we would have the most time off around the holidays, we decided around May that we would be spending Christmas in Thailand, no matter what. Now mere days away from our trip, I’ve only just begun to think about how different the holidays are going to be this year. No Christmas mass (shh..don’t tell my mom!), no opening presents by the tree on Christmas morning, and no family visiting on Christmas Day. However, because of the traditions that have been instilled in us throughout the years, we are going to create our own makeshift Christmas. I made sure to get some small gifts for my cousins so we will still have presents to open and my cousin Jeff is even braving making a pot of harissa. This classic Chaldean porridge is as close to comfort food as it gets and we eat it every Christmas Eve at grandma’s. Though this Christmas will be anything but ordinary (with 90 degree weather, a trip to Tiger Kingdom, and massages… rough life, I know), we will still have a little piece of home halfway around the world, due to the traditions instilled in us our entire lives.

Here’s to creating new traditions! Happy Holidays to you and yours!

What are some of your favorite holiday traditions? If you have ever been away during the holidays, were you able to hold on to them in some way?

Mango Monday: Using Mango

Mango Monday: Using Mango

Thanks to the Shortgrass Library System for creating this video showing their patrons how to access Mango and highlighting some of the features of the program that help you learn a foreign language.

What’s your favorite feature of the Mango program? Are there others you would like to see?

Mango Monday: Around the world in the office.

We are proud to be a very diverse group here at Mango Languages.

Just peering around my desk as I write this, I see Mango employees from Russia, Italy, Colombia, Albania and France as well as a handful of bilingual Americans.

Despite our many different cultures and native languages, we still manage to find striking similarities and shared experiences amongst eachother.

Sometimes we even dress alike.

We love documenting Mango “Office Twins” as a fun way to lighten things up around the office but it also highlights how alike we all are despite our different backgrounds.

Click on the photos below to see a few of our favorite twin pictures!

Do you work in a diverse office place? How does getting to know people of other cultures broaden your professional experiences?

Feature Friday: Meet New Mango: Meagan Snavely

Mango is growing and fast! Thanks to all of you!

We are so excited to welcome Meagan Snavely to the Mango Team. Meagan heard about Mango through a friend in the Deaf community here in Michigan and then saw Mango a job fair. She went to Michigan State University and majored in psychology with a minor in educational studies. She absolutely loves learning, so much so that directly after graduating, she went to Lansing Community College to study American Sign Language through its Interpreter Training Program where she was introduced to Deaf culture and fell in love with this culture!

Meagan will be answering phones, helping customers with questions, and saving the world one Mango customer activation at a time. Her title here is “People Pleaser.” We love that about her!

Other things you MUST know about Meagan are: she is still completely fascinated by American Sign Language. Which is great because Mango is developing an ASL program. Woo hoo! She loves to take risks and chopped all of her hair off to donate it to kids with Alopecia. In doing so, she has found a new love for scarves! Some of her other loves include: word games, things that make you think, and laughing. She is very excited to be a part of the Mango Team and we are so glad to have her here!

Please help us welcome Meagan to the Mango Grove!

Theory Thursday: Listening, not just hearing, Global voices

Happy Thursday Everyone!

For those who have not yet heard about TED Talks, get ready to have your world rocked, (in a very educational way). TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing people together from the worlds of Technology, Entertainment and Design. TED.com now hosts the best talks and performances from TED and partners that are available to the world. They believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world and we here at Mango couldn’t agree more.

In honor of Theory Thursday, I wanted to share a really interesting video from TED.com. Ethan Zeckerman, a researcher at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University,  provides a really interesting discussion about the clever strategies to open up social media channels, such as Twitter, and read the news in languages you don’t even know.

Check out Zeckerman’s Talk, Listening to Global Voices. This Talk is thought provoking and inspiring. The Talk ties into social media and global communication and how much the two are interconnected this day and age.

We would love to hear your thoughts. How have you seen social media change global communication? What has your experience been like using social media to connect and understand international topics, relations and/or ideas?

World Wednesday: The Andes, Machu Picchu, and Guinea Pigs

A couple of years ago I got the opportunity to visit a friend in Peru. This is the ideal situation for me. I get to visit friends and get the “local” tours, not just the very touristy sites. They know all the secrets of where to go and when and the places that are super special. I also got to practice my Spanish!

On this visit I got to fly into Lima, Peru, and spend some time seeing the sights and sounds. We drove around to see all the famous government buildings and palaces. I loved the architecture that is clearly influenced by the Spanish. We also checked out a few ruins and even a church with catacombs. My favorite part of Lima is the beach. We went to Mira Flores a few times and just relaxed. We did get to go to a few dance clubs where I practiced my best salsa moves.

After a few days we took a 21 hour bus ride through the gorgeous Andes mountains to Cusco. A city that has so many Incan ruins and historical treasures. This bus ride was truly unique. Here I am thinking that this will be a great way to see the actual country and go off the beaten path. First, I will say I am so glad that I did this, but it is not for the faint at heart. This huge bus travels some very interesting terrain. We drove through the Andes mountains and encountered many a switchback and some of the tiniest roads I have ever seen. Driving in Peru on a normal day is a white knuckle experience, but on a huge bus with small roads, it becomes even scarier! There are no guard rails and I truly believe that no one would have known something happened to us for days if we got into an accident or the bus died. What I did get to see was some of the clearest blue skies and the night sky bejeweled with so many stars it didn’t even look real. I did get to meet some locals and made a couple of friends along the way. There was even a guy on the bus playing the guitar and everyone was singing together.

I was so glad to arrive in Cusco in one piece. It is definitely a touristy town with lots of shopping and restaurants. Overall the food was so good. However, I was shocked to see an odd food choice on the menus…Something called “Cuy chactado.” I was very curious as I had never heard of this before. Well folks…it is guinea pig. Yep, the same kind of animal I had as a pet when I was five. There was no way I could bring myself to eat it. But…guess what? They say it tastes like chicken. Of course!

We finally made it to Machu Picchu, and I was awestruck by the scenery, the view, the amazing condition of the Incan ruins with functioning aqua ducts, and the just general peacefulness there. Truly a wonder of the world! I don’t think I have ever breathed cleaner air! It is pretty high up in altitude so you do have to take it easy!

I have to admit we took the two hour plane back to Lima…as one 21 hour bus ride was enough for this gringa! If you ever get a chance to travel to Peru and take in the sights, I highly recommend it! And if you have you been to Peru…How was your experience?

Travel Tuesday: Driving Across India in a Beat-Up Rickshaw

Today’s blog comes from Scott Brills, a world traveler and a close friend of Mango’s for years. In September, Scott and his friend Mike traversed 2,000 miles across India in a rickshaw to raise money that would provide clean water and polio vaccinations for children in India. Learn more about his journey here.

“What in the world have I gotten myself into?”

That was the first thing I thought of when I woke up in my cheap hotel room around 6:00AM. I had spent the last few days in Shillong, India—a medium-size city in the northeastern state of Maghalaya. I was there because I had signed up to drive a three-wheeled rickshaw 2,000 miles across the country for charity. Today was September the 11^th—launch day.

This wasn’t even close to my first time abroad—it wasn’t even my first time doing a crazy charity rally—but this time things were a bit different. First off, this was India, home to some of the craziest drivers and worst roads in the world. Second, neither I nor my rally buddy, Mike, had test-driven our rickshaw yet. Seems as though our vehicle was still in the shop—hopefully it would be ready in time to start the event in a few hours. It was going to be a steep learning curve.

Mike and I joined the rest of the participants at the start line. It had started to sprinkle out, and the clouds weren’t looking good. Thirty minutes later, right as we all headed out onto the unforgiving highway, a torrent of water opened up from the sky, washing away the dirt road and drenching us in the process. We caught up to some other rickshaws just as the rain subsided, just in time for the one in front of us to lose a wheel. It flew off as the team was driving, and the rickshaw leaned over to the left, sending a shower of sparks our way as the rear brakes made contact with the pavement. They just barely made it to the side of the road without tipping, and we, along with some other teams, helped them get the wheel back on, making sure it was tightened properly this time around.

The next five hours of driving down the mountain towards the city of Guwahati would be some of the most stressful of our lives. Needless to say, I learned how to pilot that rickshaw pretty quickly, and by the end of that tumultuous first day I considered myself a pro.

* * *

The next two and a half weeks would be filled with crazy experiences of all times: breaking down over a dozen times in one day, getting lost (every day), trying all manner of new foods (lamb brain anyone?), dodging cows sleeping in the middle of city streets, avoiding rickshaw-sized potholes, losing our registration and insurance documents, forging said documents to attempt re-entry into India, and driving the last leg of the journey in 2^nd gear the entire way.

The first few days were the toughest, but every day provided us with a new set of challenges that we had to take on if we were ever going to get to the finish line in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. After rebuilding our engine from scratch on day three, we were good to go as far as propulsion goes, but just about every day a new problem cropped up (the rickshaws weren’t in the best condition, to put it lightly). We pretty much totally relied on the kindness of strangers along the way, neither of us being rickshaw mechanics. Within minutes of breaking down we could count on someone to stop and offer assistance. Some could speak better English than others, but seeing as our Hindi (or whichever of India’s 22 major recognized languages was prevalent in the area) wasn’t quite up to par, it had to suffice. Regardless, through body language and bits of English alone we were always able to get by. We met a whole load of interesting characters along the way—some more helpful than others, some more wanting of a “tip” than others—but we were thankful to each and every one of them. We traveled quite a way, and saw many amazing things, but the people we met along the way were definitely the highlight of our journey.

Seventeen days later we completed the trip—two thousand miles or so from where we had started off. It had been one of the most difficult, strenuous adventures of ou

r lives, and we were both kind of glad that it was finished (and definitely ready for the post-trip to Thailand to unwind for a bit). One can only do so many twelve hour days in a ramshackle rickshaw in a row!

I’d love to return to India again someday, but next time I’m going as a tourist—not a rickshaw driver.

For a full recount of Scott’s rally across India check out his blog at www.rickshawrunguys.com

Have you ever had an extreme adventure like Scott’s in another country? What was the most challenging part? What was the most rewarding?

Mango Monday: Afternoon Recharge

Dragging a little after a too-much-turkey weekend? Check out how Mangoes Yana and Carly recharge!

There is only so much coffee one can drink. When that 2:00 p.m. feeling rolls around, here at the Mango Grove, we try to take a healthier approach to get that second or ninth wind. We do a bridge pose. Doing the Bridge pose (also known as Setu Bandhasana in Yoga) will make you feel more alert in both body and mind. The pose opens up up your chest and increases blood circulation while rejuvenating your central nervous system. Right away you’ll feel like you drank a strong cup of coffee without even stepping into the kitchen. Let’s use some Hindi and say, “Namaste,” everyone!