Everyone that comes to BridgeEnglish Denver is focused on one thing, learning how to speak or improve their English. Some students come to BridgeEnglish Denver with some acquisition of the language already under their belts while others come as total beginners. Either way, their goals are the same: to become bilingual by adding English to their already fluent native tongue.

Most of the benefits of being bilingual are quite obvious - more job and education opportunities, cultural and communication advantages, and more rewarding travel opportunities. However, there are many other “hidden” advantages of being bilingual that most people don’t ever even think about. Bilinguals, whether they know it or not, have several cognitive advantages over monolinguals and studies have shown that you don’t even need to be fluent in a language to reap these benefits.

You do, however, have to maintain study of the language. The brain is a muscle and, if you do not constantly use it, you will lose the things that you study, including other languages. If you are a body builder and you suddenly quit lifting weights, your muscles will atrophy and you will lose all of the muscle that you have built up. It’s the same with learning a new language. You must keep speaking it and practicing it or it to will too atrophy. And if you do keep practicing, these other benefits will start working to your advantage.

Advantages of being bilingual:

Better concentration

One of the many “side” benefits of being bilingual is being able to better pay attention and ignore distractions. Studies have shown that knowing two or more languages can change brain function and may be advantageous when it comes to certain nonverbal cognitive tasks. Bilinguals tend to perform better than monolinguals on exercises that require blocking out distractions and switching between two or more different tasks. When a bilingual person speaks two languages regularly, the brain must be able to use the language that is being spoken at that given moment and push the other language aside so as to not mix the two. Thus, the brain trains itself to be able to focus on the continued dominance of the intended language. This ability to compartmentalize can carry over into other skills in which focus and attention is needed, for example multitasking.

Better at multitasking

Bilinguals tend indeed to be better than monolinguals at multitasking. Juggling their languages helps bilinguals ignore irrelevant information and prioritize tasks better than those who only can only speak one tongue. When a bilingual person speaks one language, the other language is still potentially active. That means that speakers of two or more languages are constantly inhibiting one language in favor of another, which perhaps enhances their overall attention skills. The bilingual person can also have some specific advantages in thinking abilities. They have two or more words for each idea and object and hence a bilingual person can develop creative thinking and an ability to think more flexibly. The bilinguals are also aware about which language should be spoken with which person in a particular situation. Therefore, they can be more sensitive to the needs of the listener than monolingual people.

Less chance of Alzheimer’s

Being bilingual also has a positive effect on intellectual growth. It enhances and enriches a person’s mental development. The latest research has proved that bilinguals are better at IQ tests as compared to monolinguals. Being bilingual can also delay dementia in older age and even ward off Alzheimer’s. How? Studies have shown that language learning is an example of “cognitive reserve.” It’s something that keeps the mind active in the same way as puzzles and games do, and works toward compensating for the build-up of dementia-causing pathology in the brain.  These internal exercises may enhance “mental flexibility,” similar to the way people who do yoga regularly can ward off osteoporosis. They keep their bodies flexible so they won’t get bent out of shape, so to speak. Speaking two languages keeps an adult brain healthy and alert, so keep studying!

Easier to learn other languages

You may think that adding a third or fourth language may confuse the brain and inhibit the ability to retain the languages but it has actually been shown that adding more languages to your repertoire makes it easier to learn a new language. This is because languages reinforce one another, and provide tools to strengthen phonologic, morphologic and syntactic skills. Such skills provide the necessary basis for learning to read. Applying language skills from one language to another is a critical cognitive function that makes it easier for an individual to go through the learning process successfully. Each language learned serves as a scaffold to learn another language by building on grammatical structures and concepts behind words.

THEORY IN ACTION

I chatted with two bilingual students at Bridge about how knowing two different languages has affected them in the above capacities. Mi Seng González Wong, whose first language is Spanish, told me that when she has a conversation in English, she indeed listens more attentively because it’s not her first language and her brain won’t allow her to be distracted. She also told me that sometimes she reverts back to her native Spanish without realizing it; for example, when she answers her phone here in Colorado and says “hola” instead of “hello.” “It’s so automatic that it just instinctively comes out of my mouth,” she says. “But then I realize where I am and my brain does a switch back to English. It’s weird but I like the fact that I put my brain to work in situations like that.” She also admits that her concentration has improved since she has become fluent in English. “I never realized it but I really do think I can concentrate better on whatever I am doing, not just studying English, but anything.”

Axelle Hazard, a student whose first language is French, also agrees that her concentration is sharper from being bilingual. “I think speaking two languages has helped me in university and in other aspects of my life because I am (better) able to stay focused on the project at hand, especially in taking tests. I also never realized it but I think I am a better listener because I speak more than one language. I listen more intently in English, obviously, because it is my second language but that carries over to French also.” Both students were pleasantly surprised when I told them of these hidden benefits of speaking more than one language and they both unknowingly have acquired these clandestine skills throughout their journey to become bilingual.

In conclusion, being bilingual serves far more than just being able to communicate in a different language. It provides a variety of different cognitive and intellectual skills that people with one language would otherwise not have. So, as you continue your journey towards becoming bilingual, take pride in the fact that you are gaining a quiver of other skills that you will be able to apply in all aspects of your life.

What about you? Have you noticed any of these benefits mentioned above? Comment below and let us know!

Remember that person in high school who was friends with everyone and always had something fun or exciting going on, the person who always knew where the parties were and what everyone was doing that weekend? At BridgeEnglish Denver, that person is definitely Abbas Hassani.

Abbas is without a doubt the “social director” of the school. If you want to know which bar everyone is going to on Friday night or which activities everyone is doing on Saturday, you’d better ask Abbas because he will be there, and, what’s more, he wants you to be there. Everyone knows him and, if you are a new student, you will know who he is on your first day even if you don’t have any of the same classes with him. His presence is everywhere. He has been at BridgeEnglish Denver longer than some of the teachers, over a year. He isn’t a teacher nor does he work at the school. He is a student and he is definitely the “boss” of the school’s social scene.

AB: Abbas, tell me a little about your background and how you came to BridgeEnglish Denver.

AH: I am originally from Tehran, Iran. After university in Tehran, I lived all over Europe for about seven years. I lived in Vienna, Budapest, Stockholm and Oslo. When I was living in Europe, I spoke some English but I wasn’t fluent or anything. I had a lot of American friends and international friends who spoke English and so I quickly improved. After living in Europe, I moved to the United States to study English at Midwest University in Texas. I studied there for one year. It was really a great experience because I was studying English with a group of Italian air force pilots. We became friends and it was neat learning about the Italian air force. Their accent was so funny, like the typical Italian accent you hear in movies.

AB: Did you study English in Iran?

AH: Yes. In Iran, we have to study English starting from age twelve until the end of high school. I know that sounds like a lot but the reality is that, even though we studied English, we never had a chance to actually speak it. The teachers in the schools in Iran don’t even speak English that well so it is almost impossible to improve. We were, however, really good at grammar and writing but those skills are moot if you can’t speak the language. So I knew I had to study somewhere else.

AB: So how did you end up at BridgeEnglish Denver?

AH: I was searching on the Internet for GRE prep courses and noticed that, at the time, Bridge was offering a course. Denver seemed like a cool place to live so I moved to Denver and started taking classes at Bridge. First, I took some private classes and then I started the academic program full-time and then switched to the general program.

AB: What is your favorite part about BridgeEnglish Denver?

AH: The social aspect of course! The classes are really good and I have learned a lot but my favorite part of Bridge is all of the friends I have made from all over the world. I have had so much fun here with all of my friends. Not only are the students my friends but also the teachers. The relationship between the students and the teachers is the best part of Bridge. The teachers are so special and cool and they really are our friends. The Happy Hours are so fun and all of the extra-curricular activities that Bridge does make the school so great. Another favorite part about being here is my host mother. She is a wonderful person. I couldn’t have asked for a better host mom. She drives me anywhere I want to go, especially when it’s cold outside. She treats me like a prince and she is the best host mom ever!

AB: What are some things you like about Denver?

AH: I really love Denver and all of Colorado. It’s awesome. The weather is great and there is so much to do here. The people are really friendly. I mean, people are friendly all over the US but especially in Denver. I have done so many things here. I have gone hiking in Golden Gate Park, Rocky Mountain National Park and Garden of the Gods. I have gone to the (Denver) art and science museums many times and I really love to bike in Washington Park and City Park. This place is awesome!

AB: So what are your plans after Bridge?

AH: I would like to go to Texas A and M or Stockholm University to get my PhD in physics. My first choice is Texas because I love the US but Stockholm would also be great. I hope to go in the Fall of this year. My goal is to win the Nobel Prize in nuclear physics. I think I can do it.

AB: I am sure you can.

When Justin Wahe came to work at BridgeEnglish Denver, the term “gentle giant” came to my mind. He is, after all, six feet five, a towering foot and two inches taller than my short five foot three inch frame and by far the tallest person at the school.

While some very tall men can have an intimidating effect on people, Justin, on the other hand, has the most pleasant disposition, nicest smile and greatest attitude around. When I am having a bad day, he always seems to cheer me up. Justin would seriously do anything for us teachers here at BridgeEnglish Denver, not to mention being committed to giving the best education to the students as possible.

Justin has been working at BridgeEnglish Denver for around seven months now and has recently been promoted to Head Teacher. I personally can’t think of a better candidate for this job. He really wants to make a difference and support the teachers as much as he can which all of the teachers, myself included, really appreciate.

AB: Justin, could you tell me a little about your background?

JW: Well, I grew up in Jamestown, North Dakota, and then moved to New Mexico, and then to Minnesota before coming to Denver for high school. My family moved around a lot, obviously. After high school, I attended the University of Redlands in California for three years before transferring to Sarah Lawrence College in Yonkers, New York. There, I studied creative writing, specifically fiction. I still write quite a bit of fiction and I’m actually trying to finish my first novel right now.

AB: How did you get into teaching ESL and why?

JW: I spent a lot of time in graduate school, (University of Colorado, Denver) studying all kinds of literature, writing, rhetoric and I finally landed in the applied linguistics department. I fell in love with the theory part of cognitive linguistics, and then moved towards teaching. I then got my CELTA certificate and realized how many opportunities ESL offers.

AB: What was your previous experience teaching ESL?

JW: I taught ESL, accent training, GRE, GMAT and promotion style language to a group of Russian and Eastern European software engineers at a company here in Denver for three and a half years. Then, last year, I started working at Bridge. I really like working at Bridge. It is great to be around people from all over the world everyday and the faculty and staff are great people.

AB: What do you like about teaching ESL, favorite part, most challenging part?

JW: I love teaching ESL. I love the energy of a classroom, seeing the spark from students suddenly understanding something. I love learning the ins and outs of grammar and working on the best ways to explain that information.  My favorite part is when a student learns something and it really makes a difference in their speech. They change the way they speak, the way they write and, in short, the way they can use English. We are really changing people’s lives by giving them an improved knowledge of English. They are able to interact with a whole new group of people, to move their careers forward, and to gain a university education. The most challenging part of teaching ESL is motivating students who become unmotivated. Some of our students get tired after working on their English for so many years. They want to move forward in their university education or to simply enjoy their vacation. They also feel that no matter what they do, they simply won’t get any better. Providing these students with the impetus and the encouragement that they need to move forward is a tremendously difficult task.

AB: Describe your new position as Head Teacher. What are your goals with this position?

JW: As Head Teacher, I am essentially responsible for quality control. I want to give the teachers at Bridge the best resources and support I can. I want to make sure that our pedagogical entry books, our lesson plans and our lessons are as good as I and everyone else can make them. I will observe and encourage and help our teachers in every way I can. My first goal is to put together a teacher’s guidebook of different guidelines that will help at every step of the teaching process. Secondly, I hope to create a few binders of supplemental material so that, if teachers need help with a specific grammar point, that help will be available to them.

AB: Wow! That would be great! Finally, is there anything else you would like to add?

JW: I really believe strongly in the team we have at our school. There are a lot of really talented teachers here and I think that, if we all work together and share what we know, we will all gain a true wealth of information. I want to help the teachers here be the absolute best they can be. Our students deserve our best efforts.

AB: Thanks for everything, Justin!

Jewell is the president and CEO of REI, a national retail co-operative serving more than four million members in 114 retail stores in 27 states. Consumers become members of the co-op and receive part of the profits annually.  The company has been named by Fortune Magazine as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work for in America and ranks no. 9 on the 2011 list.

Speaking at the University of Denver, Jewell discussed the changing expectations of customers and the increasing focus on corporate responsibility, including sustainability and accountability. She cited the goal of REI becoming “carbon neutral” by 2020 through recycling, reducing shipping costs and materials and powering green buildings with solar and wind energy.  In-depth research and analysis of actual energy use in buildings is receiving much greater emphasis as REI evolves new operation models.

Jewell reflected on five significant factors affecting current business practices:  globalization, including offshore production and flattened global supply chains; urbanization; demographic shifts in populations; advanced technologies; and climate change.  She said that extreme global poverty can be alleviated by offshore production, which brings jobs to underdeveloped countries.

Reflecting on the concept of sustainability, BridgeEnglish Denver student, Henrique Da Silva Rodriques, a metallurgical engineer with mining company AngloGold Ashanti in Brazil, commented: “It is impossible for us to think about creating new enterprises without thinking about sustainability. I believe that we need to compensate for the damage we do to the earth, to help the environment, preserve animals and plants and try to develop ways to minimize man’s impacts.” 

BridgeEnglish Denver participants included Rodrigues, Julie Saby, a marketing executive based in Paris, Makoto Suzuki, a senior manager at Orix Real Estate Corporation in Japan, and Akira Yamazaki of KYB Corporation in Japan.

BridgeEnglish Denver is striving to enrich the cultural and professional experience of executive students while they are studying in Denver by introducing them to the international business community through networking events and lectures at local universities and international organizations.

A small group of BridgeEnglish Denver students recently had the opportunity to network with international executives in Boulder, Colorado, at an event hosted by the International Business Circle (IBC).

The IBC is a Denver-based group of business people who meet periodically to exchange ideas on global business trends. Most of the members have several years on average of international experience.

The theme of the meeting was Brazil and the opportunities that country offers to foreign companies. Sandeep Kalra, vice president of India’s HCL Technologies, a multi-billion dollar provider of global IT services, was the keynote speaker at the event held at a private home in Boulder.

Kalra spoke of his company’s experiences so far in Brazil where they employ 400 people in various locations across the country. All but three of those employees are Brazilians.

It was important to hire the best people, not necessarily the ones who simply spoke the best English, Kalra said. There was a very real need to be creative in approaching cross cultural problems too, he added. For example, an Indian company like HCL had to understand that the country stops for a national soccer game or for Carnival. He also spoke about the importance of misperceptions surrounding the work and political environment in Brazil.

“The perception of Brazil as an unsafe and country is not true,” he said. “It is a very enjoyable and friendly country to work in and very safe.”

One of the Brazilian Bridge students attending the event, Henrique Rangel Rodrigues, who works as a manager for global mining concern, AngloGoldAshanti, agreed with that assessment.

“People think soccer and Carnival is what Brazil is all about,” he said. “That is just a small part of it. Brazil is a great opportunity and there is a lot of talent there.”

Trying to get a group of international students to completely understand a fast speaking Indian had its challenges but most got the gist of what Kalra was saying.

“I did understand the need to work with local people,” said Takanori Saito, a systems engineer for Hitachi Information & Control Solutions Ltd. based in Ibaraki prefecture, Japan.

“I could understand the theme, just not all the details of the topics,” added Michiko Ito, a business administrator for Japan Pulp and Paper Co. Ltd. based in Nagoya, Japan.

The Boulder event was one of several BridgeEnglish Denver is involved in to expose students, many of whom are in the US to learn English at the behest of their own companies, to the themes and opportunities presented by global business trends and for them to meet people with significant international experience in an informal setting.

Richard Brown, the former director of BridgeEnglish Denver, said such events were a perfect complement to the language classes business students experience during their stays here. The events form an integral part of the school’s Executive Enrichment Program.

“This gives our business students the opportunity to go to lectures, meetings, seminars and networking events where they can experience business English, not only in the language classroom, but also first hand as it is used by native speakers,” he said. “The result is a total approach to learning English for the international business executive and a win-win situation for both our students and the American professionals they encounter, broadening mutual understanding and cultural awareness.”

BridgeEnglish Denver executive students joined members from 15 countries to explore trends in global cinema at an International Business Circle (IBC) event in February.

Jim Palmer, University of Colorado (CU) Professor of Film Studies and Director of the CU Conference on World Affairs, spearheaded the event which was hosted by IBC members Jack and Sophie Walker at their private home in Boulder, 30 miles northwest of Denver.

Brazilian BridgeEnglish Denver student, Onivaldo Roncatti, CEO of software company BStation, said the evening was a perfect extension of his classes at the school. ”I learned a lot about movies, including problems with production and financing, and I met new and interesting people,” he said. ”I also put into practice all the improvements I have made in the English language in the past three weeks.
After talking to Jim Palmer and members of the film industry, I could write twenty suggestions for good movies. Congratulations to Bridge for giving me this opportunity.”

Other Bridge participants included Carlos Castejon, Gema Vale and Maria Victoria Iribarren Torres of Venezuela and Junia Gontijo from Brazil.

The IBC is an invitation-only organization of Colorado-based people engaged in international business, in which BridgeEnglish Denver is a corporate partner.  The group hosts business forums and peer-to-peer learning opportunities and members include executives and consultants in international marketing, sales, investment, manufacturing, transportation, oil and gas, tourism and education.

CU’s Palmer highlighted a new wave of documentaries making powerful social and political commentaries recently, including Enron:  the Smartest Guys in the Room and Detropia.  Commercial films Moneyball, Margin Call, and Casino Jack were also highlighted for their perspective on social issues. “Film is an international culture that crosses cultural divides, and one should never underestimate the power of an image,” Palmer said.

Palmer, widely known for his commentaries on film, psychology and literature, reflected on his three top film choices:  The Third Man, a classic based on the novel by Graham Greene, about an innocent American abroad in Vienna post-World War II;  The Lives of Others, a German film set at the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall about a Stasi agent of the East German secret police spying on a university couple’s private life and being transformed by the experience; and, more recently , a movie Palmer cited for its “perfect casting and superb direction,”  The King’s Speech, about a man without a persona who was about to become the King of England.

Rakhi Panjabi, an Indian who grew up in Hong Kong and now works for Graebel, an international relocation service based in Aurora and also partners with the IBC, reflected on the history of India’s Bollywood.  She commented on the evolution of the Indian film industry, which has gained world-wide popularity, from Africa to the Middle East, Central Asia and Russia, as its subjects have broadened from romance to social themes including life in the slums, Indian widows, and AIDS.

BridgeEnglish Denver is striving to enrich the cultural and professional experience of executive students while they are studying in Denver by introducing them to the international business community. Networking and educational events at local universities and international organizations are scheduled for students throughout the year in the Greater Denver area.

The first of those events was an evening at a private home in Boulder, about 30 miles north of Denver, hosted by the Denver-based International Business Circle (IBC),  a networking group of people with international business backgrounds which hosts monthly events. BridgeEnglish Denver has an agreement with the IBC to allow a group of executive students from the school’s Business English program to attend these events each month.

Matthew Bishop, the New York bureau chief of The Economist magazine, was the guest of honor and center of a wide ranging discussion that started off discussing the renewed importance of gold in a precarious global economy, ventured into a debate about the US economy and political situation in a Presidential election year, talked about Europe, Russia, the Middle East and China and raised worrying possibilities about a possible attack on Iran by Israel before the year is out.

Romina Aguilera, a Chilean student who is a Senior Consultant in the Human Capital department of Ernst and Young in Santiago, was impressed by the range of topics discussed and the opinions presented by the IBC members.

“What was particularly interesting for me was the opportunity to listen to some very informed American perceptions of these topics,” she said. ”I had only heard such things (before) in the news and from the government, which sometimes is not what people live day to day.”

Romina was lucky enough to win a signed copy of one of Bishop’s books as was fellow BridgeEnglish Denver executive student Ruben Hartwig as well as the author of this post. There was no deal struck before the draw, I promise. The book’s title is The Road from Ruin, co-authored with Michael Green.

“It talks about how to revive capitalism,” Romina said. “It was good to win it, although it’s going to take me a long while to finish it. It is not easy.”

An integral part of these events is the opportunity for people to socialize and network ahead of the evening’s presentation.  While the IBC maintains a strict “No Pitch” policy so that attendees are not allowed to openly advertize their businesses, business cards regularly change hands and it can be a very valuable networking experience for BridgeEnglish Denver students.

“Everybody is very friendly, people are very easy to talk to,”  said BridgeEnglish Denver student Takuma Sato, who works as an engineer for Hitachi Corp. in Japan. “I had a lot of good conversations, particularly with someone who works in energy in the US.”

Romina said that such socializing was a big test to see how her own English skills have developed. “I think it was a great chance for practicing my English with native speakers, in a noisy place,” she said. ”It was a good challenge.”

For the record, Bishop, whose new book “In Gold We Trust” is available only as an e-book for $2.99, thinks that President Obama will be a two-term President, believes that Vladimir Putin will very slowly be forced out by more democratic movements in Russia, that the European Union will not be torn asunder by the faltering Euro currency and that an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities will likely happen this year before the US election  in November if it is going to happen at all.

“Israel’s natural instinct is to go in and take out the nuclear program,” he said. “Iran may well be getting a nuclear weapon in the next few months and (Israeli President) Netanyahu is spoiling for a fight. There will also be a need for US support of Israel before the US election.”

Denver Event:

The atmosphere at a University of Denver event held a few days later was decidedly less global and more focused on the achievements of a single company.

Held as part of the university’s Daniels College of Business “Voices of Experience” series, Kent Thiry, CEO and chairman of Da Vita Corp., a provider of kidney dialysis facilities, gave a detailed insight into the functionings of his company which has turned from a failing corporation owing about $1.4bn in 1999 to a company today with $7bn in sales and annual net income of $500m.

Thiry told the invited audience that the company, where he is known by employees (called teammates) as The Mayor, had performed so well because it truly lives up to its core values. Too many companies blandly express how important their people are without actually taking the proper care of their employees, he said.

For any company to properly act on its core values, the lead must come from the top, he said. And it wasn’t enough to show how brilliant you are unless you can really lead from the front in acting out such values.

“People don’t care about how much you know until they know how much you care,” he told the audience.

Profit would always be a means rather than the end, he said. But it seems Thiry is doing something right with such high net income and a consistently improving share price. And his teammates are happy too.

Romina said she was particularly interested in the presentation because of her HR experience. It wasn’t weird to hear Thiry’s description of some of the more unconventional approaches his company takes in its bid to really look after its employees, or teammates.

“It totally made sense to me,” she said. “I am in HR, so I’m very familiar with the challenges companies face to engage their employees in the accomplishment of their goals.”

Takuma said the company may have come across as bit too mass religious-like with its cheerleading style of encouraging employees to reach their goals but the US was not the only country that had such companies.

“There are some companies (in Japan) which adopt a similar way,” he said. “The presenter made sense and I can understand his policy. I’ve never experienced that but, once I got used to working there, maybe I would work comfortably there.”

And the work life balance that Thiry stressed, the need for people not to leave their life principles at the door when they enter the workplace but rather to incorporate them every day, was a message that resonated with both Romina and Takuma, not least because of the typical ten to 12 hour days people work back in Santiago or Tokyo. “That’s why I think people should try to enjoy their jobs, otherwise it’s just too hard,” Romina said.

“Compared to US and European companies, I think Japanese people work more,” Takuma said. “But, in my opinion, that is not from loyalty but to keep up appearances. I try to keep company and personal principles the same, I agree with that.”

Most importantly, both students said how much they enjoyed the events even as they are a major challenge regarding their own language skills. Such events are becoming an integral part of their BridgeEnglish Denver experience, they said.

“I think that, particularly for advanced level classes, this is the best way to “measure” how well your English is doing,” said Romina. “In my opinion, being in a lecture and/or talking to native people really tells you if your English is good enough to live “in the real life”.”

This extreme weather pattern is particularly evident in Denver as Winter turns to Spring. It can make planning outdoor activities a little unpredictable but we have several suggestions that can help you appreciate the wide variety of offerings available in the city before the truly warmer weather arrives.

BridgeEnglish Denver students have had a taste of the unpredictability of the early Spring weather in the first half of March with cloudless days of close to seventy degrees followed immediately by Mother Nature rearing her sometimes ugly head and showing us who is boss around here, dropping the temperature to a frosty thirty plus degrees. A string of beautiful 70 degree days was then followed by the threat of snow. So, if you think that Spring has sprung, think again. March has statistically proven to be the snowiest month in Colorado. So, what to do in that unpredictable time between the last days of Winter and the first days of Spring here in Denver when a picnic outside on a seemingly summery day can suddenly change to a dead of Winter climate? Not to worry, there are still many fun things for BridgeEnglish Denver students to do until Summer arrives. And they won’t cost you a pretty penny either.

First Fridays in the Santa Fe Art District

Why not experience some culture while you are actually living in a different culture? Santa Fe Art District First Fridays not only offer an exciting array of high quality local artists’ works but there is free wine and appetizers to boot. Within the Art District, located on and near Santa Fe Drive and Kalamath Street between Alameda and 12th Avenues, you can enjoy over 60 participating galleries, artist studios and restaurants joining the First Friday Art Walk (6-9 pm) every first Friday of the month. Free guided shuttle buses pick you up at the light rail station at 10th Avenue and Osage Street and ferry you around the Art District on First Fridays between 5:30 and 9:30PM. Even if you’re not into art, the people-watching is a show in and of itself. More details at: http://www.artdistrictonsantafe.com.

Indian Hot Springs, Idaho Springs

Is the quasi-cold weather still making you shiver? Then a trip to soak your bones in natural hot springs might be just what you need. Indian Springs is just outside of Denver on Interstate 70 and has been rated as one of the top ten mineral hot springs in the world. Relax in the geo thermal cave baths or have a more social experience with your friends in the huge mineral water swimming pool. If you love being surrounded by nature, then maybe the outdoor mineral hot tubs are more your speed. You can also get a relaxing massage. If you are too tuckered out to go back down the hill to Denver, then why not rent a room in the adjacent hotel? Across the street is the small, mountain town of Idaho Springs where you can grab a bite and visit some wonderful little mom and pop shops.

See One of Denver’s Professional Sports Teams

If you’re a sports fan, the Mile High City is the place you want to be. Denver is home to no less than seven professional sports teams that thrill sold out crowds year-round. Basketball, baseball, football, soccer, lacrosse, hockey, rugby – Denver’s got it all, with some of the world’s best athletes on the rosters, and early springtime is the season to catch some of them compete. Football may be over (see Nick Thomas’s article on the Denver Broncos this month) but you can still cheer for the Colorado Avalanche hockey team, the playoff challenging Denver Nuggets basketball team, the Colorado Rockies baseball team (the season opens in Denver April 9) and the Colorado Rapids soccer team, winners of the MLS Cup in 2010. There is something for everyone and all events are held at world-renowned facilities including the Pepsi Center (Avalanche and Nuggets), Coors Field (Rockies), and Dick’s Sporting Goods Park (Rapids), the largest complex of its kind in North America.

Coors Brewery, Golden

Colorado is famous for Coors beer. Coors beer has been around since 1873 and continues to be a favorite amongst Coloradoans. At the famed Coors Brewery in Golden, Colorado, just outside Denver, you will get a first hand experience of how Coors beer is brewed. The brewery experience includes a 30-minute self-paced tour highlighting the malting, brewing and packaging processes. But the best part of the tour is of course sampling a Coors beer at the very end in the “Fresh Beer Room.” You can view old time photos and memorabilia of the history of Colorado and Coors while indulging in one of the best beers you will ever taste. After the tour, take a stroll in beautiful, historic downtown Golden. On a snowy or unpredictable weather day, the Coors brewery is a great way to get some history and drink one of the most famous beers in the US.

Central City and Black Hawk

They may not be Vegas but Central City and Black Hawk are two historic mining towns from the 1870s that have come alive. Located 34 miles (55km) west of Denver, the two towns offer more than 30 casinos with over 10,000 slot machines, blackjack tables and poker games. In 2009, the stakes in Black Hawk were raised. Betting limits are now $100, craps and roulette tables have been added and casinos will be open around the clock. In other words, a fun mountain town has become a lot more fun in the past few years. The two cities are also known for having some of the best-preserved Victorian architecture in the West. There are mine tours, mining museums and several places offering instruction in the fine art of gold panning in streams. Maybe you will even strike it rich!

The New York Giants’ Superbowl victory in early February may be well behind us and the quarterbacks and wide receivers are now nursing their hamstrings and their bank accounts in the offseason. But it won’t be long before the new season starts up again in late summer and you might well want to time your stay in Denver to coincide with the matches that take place involving Denver’s favorite professional sports team. The season runs from late August to February.

The idea of football not involving a round ball and being a sport played all over the world may sound completely foreign to you visiting students. Don’t worry. Many of the students who have passed through the doors of 915 South Colorado Boulevard have had little knowledge of the sport and the Broncos before they came here. By the time they left Denver, however, many of them seemed to be more than a little familiar with the happenings of the Mile High City’s number one supported team and had turned into big fans themselves.

Chilean student Nicolas Pandolffo Gomez, who has just returned to his native country after six months at BridgeEnglish Denver, said he got into the sport largely as a result of his host family who were big Broncos fans.

“I stayed with a host family in Denver and my host father watched all the Broncos games,” Nicolas said. “He explained to me some rules and things related to football. I became a Broncos fan because of my host father and because of Tim Tebow. This guy does awesome plays.” Tim Tebow is the much publicized quarterback for the Broncos, as famous for his plays on the field as his opinions off it. Unfortunately for him, he was traded to the New York Jets in late March as the Broncos signed star quarterback Peyton Manning from the Indianapolis Colts.

Nicolas, who follows soccer in Chile through supporting Universidad de Chile and would often come to class dressed in various soccer jerseys, never managed to get to a live Broncos game but vowed to do so if he comes back to Denver.

“I went to some bars and clubs with friends and I noticed that there are always people talking about football,” he said. “Tebow is really popular in Denver, so to know about him and football was very useful to me when I talked with native American speakers. Now I understand better why the Superbowl is so important and fun for Americans.”

Swiss student Philipe Muller said he stayed up until 1am in his home country just to watch the start of the Superbowl, such is his affection for the sport he enjoyed during his time in Denver. He’s actually on a mission to educate his Swiss friends about the sport.

“Now I can convince my friends that football is a good sport to watch if you know the rules and some of the important positions such as quarterback, running back, and wide receiver,” Philipe said. “Ever since I was in Denver, I liked the Broncos and I love American football. We were watching a game by the second week of being in Denver.”

Philipe even says he likes the sport more than soccer and will watch as many NFL games as possible next season, including, of course, the Broncos. Nicolas said he hopes the sport is played one day in Chile.

Even so, it’s always difficult to ditch what you know well and the sport won’t be taking the place of soccer completely in Nicolas’ affections. Fans of the pigskin can rest assured, however, that the Broncos have a place in several hearts across parts of the globe where American football is barely known.

“I think that I really like football because it is a very complex and strategic game,” Nicolas said. “I really like football but I prefer to watch or to play soccer rather than watch or play football. But I will continue to watch out for the results of the games because I really am a Broncos fan.”

When students first walk into the BridgeEnglish Denver reception area, it can be a bit daunting. There are people from all over the world gathering together. There may be some students from Saudi Arabia talking by the coffee machine or some Japanese students chatting on the sofa. Teachers walk by in a rush to get to class and administrators busily deal with their duties.

Through the crowd of people and papers and at least three different languages being spoken in the background, students make their way forward towards reception, and there behind the tall wooden desk sits a smiling face and the eyes and ears of BridgeEnglish Denver, Ms. Colleen O’Brien. Colleen is the administrative assistant here at BridgeEnglish Denver but her job far exceeds assisting with administration. She took some time out of her busy workday to enlighten me about all the things she does at BridgeEnglish Denver and, boy, is it a lot.

AB: Colleen, tell me a little about yourself and how you got involved with Bridge.

CO: I am originally from Denver. I have been working at Bridge for one year now. When I was looking for a job last year I had a contact here at Bridge and she helped me get the job, which was great. I originally was going to be the IELTS administrative assistant but then the director, Richard (Brown), offered me the front desk job.

AB: What exactly is your job at Bridge?

CO: I welcome students when they first arrive, answer phones, give directions, manage office supplies and give information to walk-ins who want to know about all of the programs and services we offer. I also handle IELTS applications and inform students on what they need to do to apply, help them fill out the application correctly and get all of their documents ready, like their passports and their visas. It can be a little crazy because we are one of the biggest IELTS testing services in the US. I also grade tests and enter the scores into the computer. That takes a lot of time. I help out with admissions too.

AB: Wow! That is a lot. What are some of the most challenging aspects of your job?

CO: My job is very demanding, as you can see. I print out many documents for the students and then I help them fill them out if they are having trouble. When students have questions about visas or about getting a driver’s license, I assist them with that as well. So it is very challenging because what I am doing can change at any moment. It is never boring, that is for sure. It is also a great challenge communicating with the students because, obviously, most of them don’t speak very much English and so I have to speak very slowly and repeat myself so they can understand me. It’s easy to lose your patience but I am very patient now because the students rely on me for information and help. I know how confused and scared they must feel, so I really try to be as helpful as possible. Sometimes there are more advanced students in the reception area that help translate, so that is beneficial, but it doesn’t happen all the time.

AB: What about when students call on the phone? Isn’t it hard to communicate with them?

CO: Yes, it can be very difficult because, when I can’t even see their faces or hand gestures, it makes it that much more challenging to communicate with them. Many times we send the students emails with the information they need and then they can go on the Internet and have it translated. That is the easiest way to convey the information they need if they call. Many of our students are Spanish speakers and so I am taking Spanish classes now so that I can become proficient enough to at least communicate with some of the students.

AB: What do you like most about working at Bridge?

CO: I love getting to know the students and helping them, suggesting ideas to them about what to do on the weekends and where to go in Denver. There is constant interaction with them, so it makes my job more fun than a normal desk job where there is no interaction with anyone. Plus, now I have friends all over the world, which is fantastic. Actually, when I went to Paris and Brussels last Fall, I met up with some former students and they showed me around. It was so neat to be able to do that. I have a network of people all over the world that I can connect with via facebook or, if I want to go travel, I know I will have a friend wherever I go. Also, socializing with the students at Happy Hours and on the weekends is super fun. We recently had a ladies night for the Saudi women and it was so special because I got to see them without their hair covered and without all the long, bulky clothes they usually wear. They were gorgeous! They all wore makeup and actually some of them had a different hair color than I expected. They wore beautiful clothes and jewelry. Very fun.

AB: Do you have any funny stories from working the front desk?

CO: It’s always funny when students ask me how to say bad words or they teach me how to say bad words in their language. Or sometimes, students just ask me to explain simple things. For example, one student asked me recently to explain the difference between like and love. It was so cute. Everyday, something amusing happens but I have to say that there is an on-running joke amongst me and the other front desk ladies about how we aren’t really the front desk workers, we are the “coffee slaves!” The students drink so much coffee, sometimes it feels like all I do is brew pot after pot of coffee and refill the cups. Students are always asking me, “Where is the coffee Colleen?” and I have to say, “You drank it all!” It is funny. I would also like to add that my co-workers Kristi and Joelle are great and they help out so much with everything. We are a team for sure and my experience here has been very positive but I do more than make coffee.