Mango Languages

Top Travel Destinations in 2011

Happy Tuesday Everyone!!!

I am very excited to start off our Travel Tuesday Blog! I will now be blogging about all things travel on Tuesdays. Zip up your carry on, grab your passport, lather on that sunblock, and don’t miss your flight… we’re getting ready to travel!

I thought it would be best to get everyone in a traveling state of mind by starting of with the top travel destinations for 2011. A new year brings new reasons to explore the world. And if the world is your oyster, why not seek out the pearls? The top destinations are scattered all around the world. The list includes metropolitan cities as well as new countries. Here are a few that made the cut:

New York City

The beautiful and historic city is always a popular tourist attraction. Along with its 8.4 million residents, New York City has great entertainment, but the reason to visit the big apple this year is because  2011 marks special anniversaries throughout the city. The Statue of Liberty turns 125 years old in October, Carnegie Hall celebrates 120 years with gala anniversary events in spring, and the New York Public Library turns 100.  Also, the city will commemorate the 10 year anniversary of the tragic events of 9/11 with the opening of the National September 11 Memorial at Ground Zero.

Curacao

It’s not every day the world gets a new country. But 2011 will mark Curacao’s first full year as an autonomous nation within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, adding a new chapter to the island’s rich history. Among its first orders of business is making itself more accessible to Americans and Canadians. So be on the lookout for more flights and hotel rooms that will put the island’s warm waters and colorful architecture a little closer to visitors in need of a dose of upscale Caribbean relaxation. New offerings include  Continental airline service from Newark and a new Hyatt Regency set to open in April.

Japan

Easier access by air and land, plus cultural festivities make 2011 a great year to visit Japan. A new Open Skies agreement between Japan and the U.S. means increased collaboration on flight booking and schedules among airlines. Already, Tokyo’s Haneda Airport has opened up to U.S. airlines for the first time ever, giving travelers more central airlift to the city; and nearby Tokyo Narita has boosted capacity in preparation for more visitors. Within Japan, newly extended bullet train routes connect to destinations such as Aomori, known for its late spring cherry blossoms and host of Japan’s largest summer festival, and Kyushu, home to historic sites such as a castle with Ninja-proof walls.

Others that should be on your list are: Turku, Finland, New Zealand, Atlanta, Tallinn, Estonia, Delhi, Gettysburg, and Astoria, Oregon.

So brush up on your Japanese and/or Finnish and get packing.

Where are YOU planning to travel in 2011?

via www.usa.today

Now There’s Even More Mango to Love!

From the our new website, and new product features, to new courses and languages, the Mango elves have been very busy around here.What are we celebrating this fine, foggy, Friday? We have just launched an additional 9 language courses!

What are the new language courses? Well, I’m glad you asked:

Farsi Complete 2.0

ESL French Complete 2.0

ESL German Complete 2.0

ESL Greek Complete 2.0

Hebrew Complete 2.0

ESL Italian Complete 2.0

Korean Complete 2.0

ESL Korean Complete 2.0

Vietnamese Complete 2.0

In the spirit of the new language courses, here are some fun facts:

-Did you know that Farsi is widely spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and many other countries?

-Do you know how to say, “coffee with milk” in Vietnamese? (‘Ca-phe sua’- which has a lovely flavor, but beware… Vietnamese style coffee is strong!)

-The Italian language evolved from the Latin of the Roman Empire.

-Hebrew, a Semitic language, is one of the oldest languages in the world.

You learn something new everyday!

We are so excited about all these new courses! Now you can travel to France, Germany, Vietnam, Israel, Iran, Italy, Greece, Korea and many other amazing travel destinations and be able to communicate with the locals!

Which language/s are YOU excited to learn?

From Snail-Mail to Email

Hello Mango Fans.  This morning after talking to another fellow Mango about our study abroad experiences, it got me thinking about how technology has changed our lives. When he went on a study abroad trip a couple decades ago, communicating with people back home wasn’t as easy. One was left with the options of writing letters by hand and the occasional, expensive, landline phone call.  When I studied abroad last year in Madrid, I sent picture messages to my friends back home, updated my Facebook status through my Blackberry, and got to physically communicate with my family and friends for free with Skype.

We treat technology as a family member, even if that is a little co-dependent. You can’t blame us, though; it’s certainly made aspects of our lives easier!  We’re no longer forced to send letters through the postal service, book vacations through travel agents, shop in stores, visit the library for research material, or wait for our photos to be developed.  Thanks to technology, all of these activities can be performed either digitally or online.

Think about it, kids these days don’t have to get caught passing notes to each other, they can just text.  Instead of buying greeting cards at Hallmark we can send ecards for special occasions that get delivered instantaneously to multiple people. We are no longer bound to long-distance charges, either. Many folks have already kicked their landline phones to the curb and replaced them with Voice-over-Internet protocol (VoIP) and mobile phones.

With thousands of applications now available at our fingertips with the use of iPhones, Blackberrys , and other smartphones (including the Mango iPhone application), people are more addicted to their phones than ever before.  The world we live in is moving at, what feels like, the speed of light when it comes to technology. For the most part, however, technology does us more good than harm: it’s reconnected us with old college roommates, helped us learn foreign languages, and encouraged us to exercise.

As you read this blog on your iPad, laptop, smartphone, or even TV screen think about the ways technology has changed your life.

Maybe in a couple more decades, when students sign up for to study abroad they can be teleported across the pond any time they choose. We’ll see…

Guest Post: Tasting your way around the world

We are very excited to have Greg Solomon guest blogging for Mango Languages. Greg works in the fascinating world of structured finance, and gets to travel a lot. His frequent flyer mileage must have built up to the equivalent of the GDP of a small country by now. He has been blogging about his path towards Mandarin Chinese fluency at MandarinSegments.com. Come along for a taste.

Greg is pictured here eating … whaaaaat?

When I was young, I remember my late father used to collect matchboxes from his travels. At home he had a large plastic jar, filled with boxes of different sizes, styles & colours. I used to love playing with them (the boxes, not the matches!), reading the names of the places and countries, and imagining …

So when I began doing lots of travelling in my early 20s, I started my own collection: sugar sachets. I knew some others who were doing that, and it seemed like a good idea. Each hotel, each restaurant, each city – another sachet. Unfortunately, upon returning from a holiday some years later, I discovered my large plastic bowl was filled with ants – they had found the sugar. And that is when my sugar collecting ended.

Then, a few years ago, while planning a trip to Singapore, I found myself thinking that I should make a point of drinking a Singapore Sling cocktail while there. And I did. It was at the famous Raffles hotel, which opened back in 1887. The following day, not far from that hotel, at the Lao Pa Sat market, as I made a huge mess eating an amazingly tasty Singapore Chilli Crab, I realised that I had been collecting something without knowing it …

I had been collecting localised taste experiences, foods and drinks which (by name, anyway) had originated right where I was.

I’ve eaten Boston Cream doughnuts (not one, but two) in Boston USA, very near to where the original “Cheers” pub can be found. In New York I ate a New York Strip steak (the restaurant had a Park Avenue address, but was actually about 5 minutes walk from Park Avenue). Further north in Buffalo New York I ate BBQ Buffalo Wings at a friend’s BBQ. And to the west, in California I ate a California Roll – my first taste of sushi as a 13 year old.

I’ve eaten Swedish meatballs in the cobblestone old town of Stockholm, Sweden. (Which wasn’t as weird as the pickled herring I ate for breakfast that day, but that’s another story.)

In Beijing at the famous DaDong Roast Duck Restaurant I ate Peking Duck – then to prove a point to my host, I promptly ate both the tongue and the (very tiny) brain too.

I was in the South African town of Knysna as I tucked into a massive plate of the freshest Knysna Oysters (with a sprinking of tabasco), in Wales when I ate Welsh Rarebit, in Zürich Switzerland when I ate Zürcher Geschnetzeltes (a white wine mushroom veal dish, which on one trip I ate four meals in a row), in Germany’s Black Forest while devouring an extremely rich slice of Black Forest gateau, and I was in BoKaap (a small colourful suburb of Cape Town, at the base of Table Mountain) when I ate Cape Gooseberries. And, although this feels like a bit of a cheat, I will take credit for using English Mustard in England.

To wash it all down, while I Mumbai I had a gin & tonic, poured with Bombay Sapphire Gin. I drank a huge glass of Bergundy in the Bergundy region, although I didn’t get around to drinking Champagne in Champagne.

I have also not yet had a Danish pastry in Denmark, Feta cheese in Feta, drank port in Porto or Madeiran wine in Madeira. I’ve also not had Jerusalem artichoke in Jerusalem (although to be fair, I’m not even sure it’s available there!) And I am still thinking about the Baked Alaska and Mississippi Mudpie that might be out there, waiting for me.

I don’t think I will have achieved my life’s ambitions until I’ve eaten a frankfurter in Frankfurt, a hamburger in Hamburg, and Yorkshire pudding in Yorkshire. But right now, while I write this, I am sufficiently pleased to be drinking English Breakfast Tea. In England.

Additionally, when I travel – which I’m sure you’ve worked out I do quite a lot – I always like to learn how to say the following words in the local language: hello, goodbye, please, thanks. So while I do speak four languages (although my Mandarin isn’t quite where I’d like it to be!) – it’s amazing how much more fun I’ve had interacting with locals using only these four words, in about 20 different languages. (“hallo, hallo – bitte Black Forest cake, danke danke”)

What is the most unusual thing you have eaten in a foreign country?

10 Reasons People Learn a Foreign Language

Many people dream of learning a foreign language and often have it on their bucket list of things to do before they die. Learning a foreign language ranks up there with losing weight and knowing how to play the piano when it comes to New Years Resolutions.

The reasons people want to the learn the language are:

1. Travel – taking a trip to a foreign land
2. Business – communication across borders
3. Heritage – family is international
4. Love – in a relationship with someone from another country
5. Moving – emigrating or moving abroad
6. School – studying abroad
7. Religion – holy books are in a different language
8. Culture – art, poetry, film, food etc come from around the world
9. Challenge – doing something you have never done before
10. Interest – learn the mechanics of a language other than yours

What about you? Why are you learning a foreign language?