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WESTSIDE ADULT SCHOOL NEWSWestside Community Adult School, Division of Adult and Career Education, LAUSD • Summer, 2006Have We Changed?Some things havechanged for the better, somefor the worse. Then,there are those thingsthat never change.When asked howthis communityhas changed overthe last 25 years, Idecided to find outby interviewinga dozen students,teachers, and residents. To getthe pulse of the communityand person-on-the-street pointof view, residents from WestHollywood, Hollywood, ParkLa Brea, and the Beverly-Fairfax area were asked abouthow their lives have changed.What I found out wasn’tvery surprising and seemed toVisit Our Websiteswestsideadultschool.org.(When you see ROP, DACELAUSD, select it.)confirm what I already knew.Our community has becomemore urban withmore constructionand more people.However, we havemanaged to keepthe “tight knitlittle community”feeling, said DonLeach, a thirtyfiveyear residentwho lives on Flores Street.Over the past decade,large and visible transformationshave appeared in our midst:Santa Monica Boulevard, theGrove, the growth ofCedars-Sinai Medical Center,the Sunset Millennium, therebirth of Pan Pacific Park, the(Continued on page 7)Laurel Shapiro Wins Best EssayLaurel Shapiro received the first place award for her essayhow Adult Education has changed her life, from the CaliforniaCouncil for Adult Education, Los Angeles Metro Section,West Chapter. The award was part of the 150th year anniversaryof adult education in California.Happily Ever After ???by Laurel ShapiroIn 2001 my husband died in the night. I woke up andknew the “Happily Ever After”part of my life was over. I had tomove to Los Angeles to be near mydaughter. I left behind my home,my friends, my projects and all thathad been near and dear to me.I arrived in a strange newland. My only acquaintances weremy daughter, son-in-law and theirfriends. None of my projects weretransferable. I sat in my new verysmall house and I was depressed,I was lonely and so sad. Even TVdidn’t seem the same. At least I could go to the beauty parlorthe same way I did in Miami. It was almost the same. Ofcourse, I could not gossip with my manicurists about mutualfriends, because we had none. However, that did not stopSharon from telling me about her other clients. She had oneshe particularly liked, Adrienne Omansky. Adrienne taughtan acting class for seniors. (continued on page 5)For fee-based programs go to:westsideenrichment.com.”Family LiteracyProgram Receives$50,000 in GrantsThanks to the effortsof Miryam Tarica, coordinatorof the Shenandoah FamilyLiteracy Program, The RalphM. Parsons Foundation andthe Mauraice Amado Foundationseach donated $25,000to help us continue what hasbecome a model program forearly literacy development.The program fosters familyliteracy and we teach parentsstrategies for incorporatinglanguage and text into dailyinteraction with their children,as well as how to develop alanguage-rich environment inMiryam Tarica, CoordinatorFamily Literacythe home. Escaping povertyhas long range benefits for theentire family unit and with thegrants we will be able to betterhelp parents attain their goalsof economic self-sufficiency.We thank both foundationsfor their investmentin the future of our children.With their help, our efforts toincrease literacy levels in ourfamilies will ensure that eachnew group of children thatwe work with will be betterprepared to live and work intoday’s world.Look for Our New NameThe Division of Adultand Career Education of theLos Angeles Unified SchoolDistrict is renaming all adultschools from “CommunityAdult Schools” to “Educationand Career Centers.”Westside Community AdultSchool will become “ Educationaland Career Center,Westside Branch.Westside EnrichmentOpens for BusinessWestside Enrichmentis a new and very special educationalproject sponsored anddeveloped within the Divisionof Adult and Career Educationof the Los Angeles UnifiedSchool District. It was conceivedby Westside CommunityAdult School Principal,Paul Hamel,and supported byAdult EducationAssistant SuperintendentDr.Santiago Jackson.Westside Enrichmentis now runby Director ReneA. Smoller, and islocated at variousdistrict and citysites on the westside of town.A d u l tEducation has always been avital part of the fabric of anycommunity. Courses such asESL, Citizenship and academicsubjects have been the backboneof adult education for decades,filling crucial communityneeds. As times, populationsand neighborhoods change, sodo the educational demands.Westside Enrichment seeks tofulfill these new demands withcourse subjects such as: newtechnologies, online learning,career building, home-basedprojects and leisure activities.Our courses are short-term anddesigned specifically for adultsover the age of 18 years. Theytake place in locations and attimes that are conducive to attractingadult learners.You will also hear theterm “fee-based” in the descriptionof our classes. Thissimply means that we chargea fee for students to attend aclass. Westside Enrichmentreceives no stateor federal fundingto pay the faculty.The instructorsare paid withmonies collectedfrom the studentfees. We thinkthat you will findour fee structurequite competitivein this very specialcommunity educationalmarket.We also have ahefty “20% Discount”with many of our classesfor senior adults over the age of62.This is your opportunity.Join us! Learn with us!Teach for us! Give us yourclass/activity ideas. Supportus! This is your school now,Westside Enrichment. We hopeto see and hear from you in thevery near future! Classes arescheduled to start on May 8th.Look for our brochure in themail in April.If you have any questionsabout Westside Extension,please call Rene A. Smoller orOlga Chernova at (310) 312-8727 or e-mail them at “olga.chernova@ westsideenrichment.com.”Forty-Two Receive High School DiplomaForty-two graduatesreceived their high schooldiploma in 2006 up from 33last year. Don’t misinterpretthe size of the graduatingclass. There would have beenmany more, but most of the800 current students we helpin our academic programare students in high schools.Fortunately for them,and unfortunately for ourschool, they are graduatingwith their own high schoolclasses. This is how ourFrancesco Martinez andWilmer Gamarraschool helps high schools.We applaude their tenacityin meeting another one of(continued on page 2)

Prepared Remarks ofState Superintendent JackO’Connell on the 150 Yearsof Adult Education.Good morning, andcongratulations to all of youwho are doing so much tohighlight the important roleof adult education in this statefor the past 150 years.When those first eveningclasses were held in a SanFrancisco church basement,volunteer teachers changedthe lives of immigrants fromChina, Europe, giving themthe tools to practice a trade,open a business, or pursuehigher education.But adult educationhas never served a more criticalrole in California than today.Thirty-eight percent ofour nation’s entire immigrantpopulation comes throughCalifornia, speaking morethan 100 languages and oftenin desperate need of skills inliteracy, citizenship and basiceducation.California is the nation’slargest immigrant gateway,and the growth rate ofour immigrant population istwice that of the U.S. One infour Californians is foreignborn.Not only immigrants,but native-born adults whohave dropped out of schoolmake up the five millionadults in California with literacylevels below high school.About half have had no highschool at all.Without education,these millions of adults willalmost certainly live in poverty.Their days will be markedby confusion, misunderstanding,and fear of negotiatingthrough what most of us considersimple, commonplacetransactions in a world thatis ever more demanding andcomplex.Transactions likesigning a rental agreement,Page 4paying a utility bill, reading abus schedule. Life becomesnarrow, your circle of relationshipslimited, when youcan’t read the signs alongsidethe road. You become vulnerableto the unscrupulous, andfearful of moving forward.But happily, each year, 1.4-million California adultswhose lives are limited inthese ways have seen a bridgeto a better life, and that bridgeis adult education. Through375 adult school districts andover 100 community basedand library literacy programs,adult education is providingthose bridges to success.My friends, the workyou do is the equivalent ofextending a hand across thatbridge to ourmost vulnerableadults,and walkingthem acrossto lives ofgreater independence,lives wherethey trulydo have theopportunityto fulfill the American dream.That dream says that if youwork hard in this country, youcan fulfill your greatest potential,and live a life of personaland financial success.It’s a dream that stilldoes come true, but first youhave to cross that bridge — tolearn English, and the foundationalskills necessary formoving forward into a tradeor college.Without that bridge,without a high school diploma,an adult earns 42%less over their lifetime thana high school graduate, andthat statistic is rapidly goingto get worse as the skill levelsdemanded by the workplacerise.Seventy percent of adultswith low-literacy skills areunemployed or living in poverty,and that poverty affectsnot only their lives, but thequality of life, the opportunitiesand the futures of theirchildren and their communities.So it is imperative we keepbuilding bridges throughadult education, and we mustkeep helping our most vulnerablecitizens across thosebridges, to more satisfying,more productive lives.Adult education andthe population it serves havegrown dramatically since apredecessor of mine, JohnSwett, was principal of thefirst evening school in 1868.It wasn’t until the 1920s thatadult education programsbegan serving not only immigrantsbut the educationalneeds of all adults, and in1927, the Division of AdultEducation was first created inwhat was called the state Departmentof Education.By the 1960s, the federalgovernment recognizedthe power of adult educationto remedy inequities of theeducationally disadvantaged,with adult basic educationand vocational education.Today adult education helpsstudents become fluent inEnglish, American citizens,literate adultsand high schoolg r a d u a t e s .Three hundredfifty thousandadults arenow workingtoward theirhigh school diplomaor GED.Adult educationis also creatingmore effective parents,apprentices in skilled trades,and helping disabled peopleto live independent lives.Adult education provides abridge for its students to successfulroles as productiveworkers, participating familymembers, responsible communitymembers, and functionallifelong learners.And in the process, itis creating — you are creating— better wages, improvedquality of life, and strongercommunities.I’m proud that California’sadult education systemis one of the largest in theworld. I’m proud of the positiveimpact you are having onour families, our communities,and our economy.I’m proud that ourprofessional developmentsystem for teachers and instructorsoffers continuous,research-based improvementsto the services we offer.And I’m particularlyproud of you, hardworkingadministrators and teacherswho are building andmaintaining those bridges,and helping so many peopleacross. You are truly makinga difference, for all of us.Thank you for the work youdo, and congratulations onthis, your 150th year.A d u l t E d u c a t i o n Tu r n s 1 5 0 Y e a r s O l dHappily Ever After ??? (Continued from Page 1)One day she introduced us to each other. I decided for lack ofany other creative stimulation, to try it out. I did not have highhopes, but I did not have anything to lose.All of the sudden there was a reason to get up in the morning.There were things to think about. There were p[laces to goand people to talk to. There was my ambition and creativethinking again. I couldn’t believe that I was learning to be anactress. I was encouraged to go out and find an agent. I am78 and I am going out on auditions. The Acting class at theFelicia Mahood Senior Multipurpose Center had given me asecond Happily Ever After.(Read another essay “Laurel’s First Acting Job” by LaurelShapiro on page 00.)

FAIRFAX CAMPUSCareer Planningby Julio RodriguezWhat I learned aboutmyself is that if I try hardenough I can do whatever Iset my mind to.I have also learned thatI am still teachable and thatit is never too late to get aneducation, I have also learnedthat my life and my future willbe better after this class.The most interestingthing about the course waslearning that I had skills,which I did not know I had.In this course I foundthe teachers to be interestingand wonderful, I will neverforget them as long as I live.I also found this course veryhelpful for my career.I am presently concentratingon getting my highschool diploma and then I planto go to trade school and takea course in auto mechanics ormaybe go to college, I reallydon’t know yet.Page 6NEWSStudent OpinionsAn AIS StoryBy Melanie CollinsStudying in the AIS(Adult Independent Studies)program was a good experience.It was convenient andthe procedures are easy to understand.During this courseI learned several skills andfacts on the topic of Healthfrom my body, to my families,to my environment. Anyand all questions that I hadwere answered. All materialsneeded were always available.This was the only classthat I needed to take, but ifthere were any others, thiswould be the best place totake them.Principal Ed ZubiateStudentEvaluation of theAIS ProgramBy Allison CitmanI liked studying inthe AIS (Adult IndependentStudy) program. It was a lotbetter than regular school.It was easier to concentrate.I got my work finished alot quicker and I got bettergrades. It was a good experience.I was interested withthe whole course. It was interestingto learn about humanbehavior. I learned howto deal with stress and shyness.I learned what kind ofpersonality I have and mylearning techniques.It changed me by helpingme understand more aboutmyself. I don’t have angerfits or explode at people. I’mnot as shy as I used to be. Ilearned how to improve weakspots of my personality. Meand my best friend are gettingalong a lot more.I definitely receivedthe help I needed. Ms. Rhosenis a awesome teacher. Itgave me easy credits. I’vedone a class before this oneand both classes were great. Ienjoy these classes more thanregular classes.These classes reallyhelp me out. I’m short a lotof credits. These classes arehelping me catch up. Youguys rule!Fairfax HighGets NewPrincipalFairfax High Schoolhas a new principal, EdZubiate. Principal Zubiatehas been in his new positonsince March. FormerPrincipal Heather Daims willopen the new high schoolbeing built in downtown LAat the corner of 3rd Streetand Bixel in September. Theadult school staff and studentswish both of them well intheir new assignments.Eighty Years of Fairfax Highby Paul J. HamelOver the last 80 years,Fairfax High has changed froma small local school serving afew hundred students to a hugeinstitution serving about 2,200students many of whom arebussed in from other areas.The doors of FairfaxHigh School opened in 1924.When the School Board boughtthe 28-acre swampy area or“cienega,” which was coveredwith bean fields, it was necessaryto truck in thirty-eightthousand loads of dirt to raisethe frontage along Melroseto support the building of aschool. It would take anotherthree years to complete thecampus with the addition of theauditorium, Fine Arts Building,gymnasium,sunken gardensand fountain.Originally, FairfaxHigh wasintended to bean agriculturaland mechanicalschool. Thecurriculum includedlandscapegardening,forestry,architecture,and agronomy.In the1930s bleachersfor Van Clevefield were added.In 1942, Greenway Court,a social hall, was built. Finally,Detter Court, named after theschool’s second principal, wascompleted in 1947.In 1966 the originalstructures were declared unsafeduring an earthquake andreplaced by the current earthquake-safebuildings. The newFairfax High was rededicatedin 1968. Because of a publiccampaign, the magnificent Rotundaand the 1,500-seat SwanAuditorium were preserved.The only other building to surviveis Greenway Court, whichwas moved to its current locationalong Fairfax Avenue. Fora semester after the earthquakeof 1971, students from LosAngeles High and Fairfax Highstudents shared the campus.Fairfax students went to schoolin the morning and LA Highstudents attendedin theafternoon.F o rthe first fiftyyears FairfaxHigh had thereputationof being oneof the bestschools inall of Los Angeles. It was localand students could walk toschool. It was a place whereparents could volunteer andGreenway Courtbe active in school activities.The campus had a distinctivearchitectural Spanish ColonialRevival design,whichwas lost tonewer andlarger modernstructures,whichin many waysresemble aprison withits high wallsand gratedwindows anddoors. Luckily, many of the oldtrees were preserved and softenthe effect.During the lastthirty years,Fairfax Highlost its localflavor. Due tothe lack of newschool constructionfor decadesand integrationrequirements,Fairfax HighSchool grewdramatically.Fairfax Highbecame a “receiverschool”where studentsfrom outlyingareas are bussedin.As technology changedso did the curriculum. By thelate 1990s all the shops classesdisappeared. The once metal,auto, printand woodshops arelong goneand havebeen replacedwitha computerlab, ROTCand regularclassrooms.Int h e p a s tfew years, overcrowding hasrequired adding unsightly bungalows,which take up valuableparking space, a new two-storybuilding, which reduces recreationalspace, and more busses,which crowd our parking lotsand streetcurbs.In 1997the GreenwayArtsAlliance, abooster clubthat runs theweekly Sunday“MelroseTradingPost” in the school parking lot,was born. Since then, hundredsof thousands of dollars havebeen raised to support clubsand student organizations.The Greenway Arts Alliancehas also renovated GreenwayCourt andmade it intothe “GreenwayCourtTheater.”Recentsuccessfulbond measureshavem a d e i m -portant infrastructurechanges suchas providing air conditioning toeach classroom, replacing oldelectrical conduits, improvingoutdoor lighting, laying newcable lines, replacing the tileroof of the auditorium, connectingclassrooms to the internet,replacing blackboard withwhite board, and the list goeson. On the horizon is anotherbadly needed improvement—the painting of the entire schoolinside and out.Fairfax Adult Schoolhas undergone many changesas well. Since its beginning in1945, the Fairfax Adult Schoolhas evolved into WestsideAdult School, which also offersclasses to 15,000 adultson the high school campuses ofFairfax, Hamilton, University,and Palisades. Other daytimesites include West HollywoodCommunity Center and sixtyother community locations.Today Fairfax Highis still animportantcenter ofthe commu n i t y.It is stilla l o c a llandmarkwhere localsstillgather tob e e d u -cated, toenjoy sports on its large playingfields on Saturday, to beentertained by a play at theGreenway Court Theater, andto shop for antiques on Sunday.Looking to the future,Fairfax High may become alocal school again. With theongoing new construction ofnew high schools throughoutthe District, six hundred fewerstudents will be bussed to FairfaxHigh next year.If the trend continues,Fairfax High will again becomea local school where teenagerswill be able to walk to school,learn in a less crowded andmodern environment, and feelpart of the community.The Sunday “Melrose TradingPost” has raised hundreds ofthousands of dollars for FairfaxHigh School

Home Study(AdultIndependentStudy)By Gerie RhosenDid you know that the AdultIndependent Study programat the Fairfax campushas been going strong for7 years? This class is partof the academic programsoffered though Westsideand offers a home studylab for working adults andhigh school student whoqualify. This past springsemester we had 42 studentscomplete their coursesand several others thatwill finish in the summersemester. The teachersof this program both pastand present are dedicatedinstructors interested inencouraging the studentsto complete the work forgraduation. High schoolstudents who have takenthis class from Ms. Rhosenhave expressed some complimentarywords regardingthe experience.“…I have praisesabout the flexibility of thecourse, and the willingnessof the teacher to help. Iwould like to tell everyonethat it is a privilege tobe accepted into the program.”“I really liked studyingin the lab because it wasconvenient to my schedule.I always asked my instructorfor help, and I felt reallycomfortable with her.”“Working in theAIS Lab was a very goodexperience. Ms. Rhosenwas very helpful to me andmade sure I had understoodmy work and answered allmy questions.”“My English 3teacher Ms. Rhosen wasvery helpful. WheneverI had a question, I knew Icould go to her and ask herto explain it to me.”If you have anyquestions about takingthis course or any of theacademic courses offered,please contact the AdultCounseling Office.Have We Changed?(continued from page 1)renovation of Park La Brea,the new Palazzo Apartments,the Gateway, Hollywood &Highland, the Arclight, andnow the Beverly Connection.We are slowly emerging as amixed-use community wherebusinesses occupy the streetlevel and the residents inhabitthe apartments, condos andlofts above. Single familyhomes are no longer beingbuilt and the remaining onesare being renovated, remodeledand enlarged. It would bedifficult to go down any localresidential street and not see arenovation project.Less visible, but equallyimportant changes haveincluded the construction offlood control tunnels, replacingof water pipes, placing electricaland TV cables underground,the removal of telephone polesalong Santa Monica Boulevard,the infrastructure changes atPark La Brea, improved wastemanagement and recycling.Geri Rhosen, a teacherin the “Conversation Cafe”class at Plummer Park in WestHollywood, remembers thetime when West Hollywoodwas not as attractive as it isnow. She remembers thenarrow, broken sidewalks, andall the litterthat collectedGeri Rhosenalong ther a i l r o a dt r a c k sr u n n i n gdown themiddle of Santa Monica Blvd.Today she can stroll downSanta Monica along tree-linedsidewalks. Raisa Chertok,a twenty-year resident fromthe formerS o v i e tUnion andnow a USc i t i z e n ,explainedthat theA r c l i g h ta n dRaisa Chertoksurrounding renovations onSunset have greatly improvedher immediate communityaround Fountain and Vine.Other recent “quality oflife” improvements include anew Fairfax Library on GardnerStreet, the Duran library onSunset, a new communityand senior center in PlummerPark, a pocket-park on KingsRoad, a soon-to-be completedWest Wilshire Center SeniorCenter on Gardner Street andStudent Book ReviewsJulius Caesarby ShakespeareReviewed by Patricia BarbosaWilliam Shakespeare isoriginally from StratfordUpon Avon, England. No oneknows what year he was born.William Shakespeare wroteabout thirty-seven plays in the16th century, about 300 yearsago. One of the most famousplays he wrote is called JuliusCaesar.The story of JuliusCaesar takes place in 44 B.C.He had just returned from abattle in Spain. People werejealous of Julius Caesar’sintellect and power. Aconspiracy to murder JuliusCaesar was created by hisown friends. Their reasonwas that Julius needed to bestopped because he had toomuch power over the people.They held secret meetingsand kept everything a secret.After Julius Caesar waskilled, Julius’s supporterscame back and killed all theconspirators. This is a play ofhow power corrupts and howsometimes you cannot trustevery your good friends.the community center at PanPacific Park.HomelessnessOther than the obviousphysical changes around us,the single most mentionedsocial issue was homelessness.Most agree that the homelessissue hasn’t changed much.“Like other areas of LosAngeles, homelessness hasnot been addressed,” statesDon Leach. Phil and CarrieGleason, residents on KingsRoad in West Hollywood,are more concerned aboutthe “aggressive” homeless,who seem to be increasing innumber recently. Although theGleasons feel generally safe inthe area, they avoid walkingoutside at night.Don Leach believes,that although Hollywood isundergoing a renaissance, it hasnot removed the “sleaze factoron HollywoodB o u l e v a r d . ”Leach addedthat “the uglysecurity bars andgrates in frontof the stores Don Leachon HollywoodBoulevard are still there.” “ItThe Diary ofAnn FrankReviewed by Taiye AdelgboImagine a young girlwho is smart, talented, andin the prime of her youth.Suddenly her life changesin an unbelievably dramaticway, and she is stripped of herchildhood. Because many ofher friends and acquaintancesare being taken away by thesecret police, he family goesinto hiding in a small attic.With the help of friends, theyhid with another family fortwo years. They couldn’tleave; the curtains stay closed;and they couldn’t make anynoise because they feared theGestapo, the Nazis.The Dairy of AnnFrank is exactly that. It’sAnne’s story, the story of anadolescent girl who grew upin Amsterdam, Holland nowthe Netherlands during WorldWar II. This story takes placeduring a grim time when theNazi Party came into powerin Europe. Adolf Hitler, whobelieved that he was part ofa super race and that Jewswere inferior, invaded manycountries in Europe. Then hesent the Gestapo/secret policeto find all the Jewish peoplein Europe. When the policefound the Jewish families,they would send all of them,men, women, children, andbabies to concentration campswhere they were executed.Although this storyoccurs during such a darktime in history, it is trulytouching. Anne Frank sharesher thoughts and dreams andshows us that through thepower of hope and educationshe could manifest her dream.Every student in our groupenjoyed reading this story. Itgave each of us a real sense ofappreciation for our freedomand our lives. It was mostencouraging to read abouta teenager who was able totransform her environmentand inspire the rest of theworld.makes the area look like astorage area late at night,”Leach pointed out.AffordabilityAffordability of real estateand rentals is another majorissue; most agree that homeand apartment prices preventOdysseyReviewed by Tae BruhwilerOdyssey was writtenin a long, narrative poemcalled the epic, sometimebetween 800 B.C. and 600B.C. by Greek poet known asHomer.Odysseus, the kingof Ithaca, goes away fromhis palace where his faithfulwife awaits for him for 20years. He spends the first 10years fighting in the TrojanWar. When the war ends,he spends the next 10 yearswandering around on his wayback home. He encountersmany dangers and interestingcreatures.Odysseus displaysmany qualities of hero andhis weaknesses as a human.Through his words andactions, we can learn aboutthe values and honor in theGreek society.There are manyfascinating (sometimesdeadly) creatures in thisstory, such as Cyclops, a oneeyed,man-eating monster,Sirens, who try to lure peopleto destruction with theirseductive music, and Lotus-Eaters, who forget importantthings and people in life andremain in the state of rapture.Odysseus’ son,Telemachus, grows into amature and intelligent youngman, protects his mother, anddisplays courageous actionsin order to help his father.Odysseus’s beloved wife,Penepole, holds onto herfaith that her loving husbandis alive, and faithfully awaitsfor him, despite the pressuresand threats made by suitors,who go after her wealth.Odyssey encompassesso much; it is about heroism,history, culture, adventure,horror, human faults, and thelove story. I believe that isprecisely why this amazingstory has been fascinatingreaders from various ages,genders, and backgroundfrom the ancient past to thepresent.young residents from stayingin the area and young familiesfrom relocating here. It onlyfurther reduces the number ofseniors in the area. Most longtermproperty owners in thearea can no longer purchaseContinued on last pagePage 7

HAMILTON CAMPUSNEWSA Love Story in the XXI Centuryby Olga GonzalezAbe Viking was a young sailor from Sweden. One day, whenhe sailed by a beautiful island near Italy, he decided to writea special note for a young woman.He wrote his note, put it in a bottle,and he threw it into ocean.After some time, an oldman who was fishing, found Abe’sbottle. The man took it home andshowed it to his daughter Paulina.She openen the bottle and read theletter from Abe. She decided to write him back. When Abereceived her letter, he was surprised and happy. HE wrotePaulina and said, “I would like to meet you”.When he went to Italy to meet Paulina and her family,they fell in love immediately. In time, when they were sure oftheir love, they were married.GalatesThe Calates are similar to the frogs, but they are thinner.You can find them in the salted ricers and only in the month ofOctober, November and sometimes in December.When you are going to get them, you need to wear plasticboots, a pair of jeans and T-shirt. Your tools are a big lampand two sacks, one is for grabbing them, and the other one is forputting them into.First step to grab Calates is to walk into the river in theopposite direction with the lamp lit, holding it with your left handand with your right hand holding the sack.Step two. You are walking and if you see many Calates,insert the bag into the water to grab them. When you have approximatelyforty or fifty, that’s enough and you can go hometo cook hem. In order to gab them, you need to at night timebetween seven or night pm., because at this time you can findmore. If you go in the morning or during the afternoon, you cannotgrab Calates. So, it is better if you go in the night.Step Three. Take one of the animals, grab it by its legs,then lash it to the floor two or three times. When it is dead, youmust take off the skin and remove the entrails of each one, finishcleaning them, wash the Calates very well, and then hang then ina clothes line about four hours.Step Four. When they are dry, you have to make a spicywarm and green broth. As soon as the broth is ready put theCalates into the pot. Cook for approximately twenty minutes.Then your food is ready to eat. That’s all you have to do to eatthe “famous Calates.” This is a typical food of my home townwhich is nestled between Toluca and Cuernavaca.T-Shirt Day At the Hamilton CampusEvery Wednesday is T-Shirt day at the Hamilton Campus. StudentCouncil representatives go into each class and count the numberof students wearing their school T-Shirts. Every four weeks a prizeis given to the class who has the largest total. Last month, GwynGorg’s Advanced ESL class was the winner and her students wererewarded with pizza. The project is to encourage school spirit, raiseADA and help the students at the Hamilton BranchPage 8 raise money for activities. (Gwen Gorg)Who Are Our ESL Students?My name is AdelinaGabriel. I’m 25 years old.I’m from Mexico. I havelived in the U.S. for 4 yearswith my husband. My daughteris Jessica Juliet. She wasborn here. I’m very happywith my family. My husbandhas one job. It is full time. Itis very hard for him but it isnecessary. During the weekI study English and watch mygirl all day. I’m very busy.My mother is in Mexico withmy 4 brothers and my daddy.They are waiting for us. Ionly speak on the telephone,“When are you coming backto Mexico?” I love you everybody.Adelina Gabriel•••My name is Ana Gonzalez.I’m from Mexico. Icame to Los Angeles sevenyears ago. I have one child. Hisname is Ernesto. He is sevenyears old. I love him becausehe is very nice with me. I havethree brothers here in L.A. I goto school every day with myson and my three nieces andone nephew in the same schoolbecause I lived with my family.After that, I live with my partnerand my son. I’m waitingfor a new baby on Decembertwenty-first. I’m very happy,but I’m nervous. I study Englishbecause I’m looking for ajob and to help my son with hishomework and when I meetwith his teacher. Now I helpmy sister in-law two days aweek in the office. “I LOVEMY FAMILY, THAT’S ALL”•••Here is a sampling from Marion Barkus’s ESL classes.My name is Apolonia Cruz.I am from Mexico. I cameto the U.S. 2 years ago withmy brother. My family is inmy country. I live with mybrother and his wife and theirchildren. I work at a restaurantat night. In the morning Igo to school to learn English.When I came to Los AngelesI didn’t understand English.But now I understand alittle English and speak. Myteacher is Mariona Barkus.She helps me when I don’tunderstand.•••My name is Belen Zuechol. Iam from Mexico and I’m thirty-twoyears old. I came tothe U.S. seven years ago withmy husband. I was pregnantwith my first baby, my son.Three years later, my daughterwas born. I have five sistersand two brothers. Mysister lives in Mexico. Onebroter lives in New Jersey.He’s working as a prep cook.I’m studying English becauseI help my son with his homework.Maybe I will go backto Mexico next year to visitmy family because I miss mydad and my mother.•••My name is Guadalupe Tapia.I’m from Mexico. I came toLos Angeles C.A. 36 yearsago. I have one daughter,Guillermina. She has twodaughters, Marvela and Vivianand one son, Luis. I havethree sisters, Petra, Erigueta,Estela and two brothers, Andresand Manue. They livein Lompo with my mother. Ivisit my family next month tostay there for a few days. Mybirthday was yesterday, June19. I had a party and a cakeand received 2 big bases offlowers. I’m happy.•••My name is Lola. I’m Mexican.And I’m twenty-sevenyears old. I came to the U.S.five years ago with my husband.His name is Mario. Heis twenty-nine years old. Ihave two children. They wereborn here. Eduardo is threeyears old, Sandra is eightmonths. I’m Happy when Igo to school with my son. Ilove the program. I LOVEMY FAMILY.•••My name is Soledad Roman.I’m 28 years old. I’m fromMexico. I have 5 sisters and4 brothers. I came to the U.S.five years ago. I work at aBeauty salon. And my husbandworks at construction.My mother and my fathervisit me sometimes. I havefamily living in Los Angeles.I study English and work,part time on the weekends. Ilive in a beautiful house. I’mhappy because it’s the wayI’d always dreamed of. I likemy house and we enjoy it, myhusband and I. We like to goto se movies or to the beachsome times.•••My name is Teresa Flores andI came to the U.S. 6 years ago.My Participation in the March on Monday, May 1, 2006Last November, in Mexico, my father died and I was not able to go and see himwhile he was sick. Family members requested that I come, but it was impossible. I knewthat if I did, I might not be able to return. That would have meant leaving my children andmy husband here. My heart has hurt ever since his passing. The last time I went across theborder, it was too expensive, and very scare. Many people die as they attempt to cross andcome into this country.On the day of the march, I walked many miles and carried my three-year old daughteron my shoulders. It was painful and uncomfortable, but it was a sacrifice I knew I had tomake. I began early that day in downtown Los Angeles and finished the march later in theevening at La Brea and Wilshire.The pain was one I know I had to endure because my children must have more opportunitiesthan can be given to them in my country of Mexico. When I sow the faces of themarchers and the large numbers of participants, my hart was joyful. It appeared to be millionsof people all peacefully walking, chanting and singing together. Maricela Peinado•••I participated in the March for Immigrant’s Rights because I would like to live here,be able to go to Mexico to visit my family and come back easily to the United States.I would like to go to visit my brothers in New York, visit all of my friends in the UnitedStates and be free to travel.Getting a driver’s license, being able to by a good car and driving unafraid of thepolice, even if they stopped me and gave me a ticket. I would not have the fear of going tojail. I could feel safe knowing they would net take my car.Those are some of the reasons for my participations in the March. Genaro Mones

When I came I was single,and in this country I met myhusband. Now I have a boy.His name is EDUARDO andhe is 3 years old. My husbandis 26 years old, and he’sa good man and a good father.I have god luck becauseI found him. We are veryhappy. These five years arethe best of my life. I love myhusband very much, but mywish is to be together withmy mother and my brothersbecause they are an importantpart of my life. I love themall very much. I’M VERYHAPPY.Teresa Flores•••My name is Teresa Hernandez.I am from Mexico andtwenty-eight years old. Icame to the U.S. ten years agowith my husband Oswaldo.Now I have 3 children, Karina,Jared, and Oswaldo Jr. Iworked 2 years before, whenI had no children, but now Itake care of my family. Myfamily lives very well in LosAngeles. Life is easier herethan Mexico. My daughtergoes to school here in thefourth grade. My son Jared iscoming, too, in Pre-K. Andmy little baby is always withme. My husband works a lotso nothing is missing. I lovemy family.•••My name is Veronica. I’m 31years old. I’m from Mexicoand I have lived in the U.S.for 7 years. I have 4 years ofmarried life with Hiram Luisand we have one daughterwho is 4 years old. She cameto school in the program inMiryam’s class. My husbandworks in constructionand he likes to play soccerevery Sunday. I’m coming toschool and learning Englishand I work too.Veronica Bazan•••My name is YOLA SAN-CHEZ. I am from Argentinaand I’m sixty-four years old.I came to the U.S. four yearsago with my daughter Patricia,son-in-law Richard, mytwo grandsons and my husbandFlorencio. My grandsonAlan is seven and Abrahamis twelve years old. Iwatch the children, when mydaughter and my son-in-lawgo to work. So I’m happythat we can all live together.I don’t work. When I’m athome, I can help the kidswith their homework and wecan eat dinner together. It’sa good life but it isn’t alwayseasy. Sometimes I want togo back to Argentina, but thetrip is too expensive for usright now. Sometimes I getdepressed, but then. I look atmy family and feel grateful.I Am aSwimmingInstructorby Riki Daboush from JoanKopin’s Beginning ESL classat the Hamilton CampusI am Riki Daboush. I’m 24years old. I’m from Israel. Igrew up in Askelon. I studied3 years in college. I am aswimming teacher. I did oneyear army duty and I traveled1 year in China. I enjoyriding a bicycle, surfing andswimming. I love eating Chinesefood, Japanese food, andItalian food. I have an oldersister. She is married 1 year.She is pregnant. She is a psychologist.We have a brother.He is 22 years old. He finishedcollege and enlisted inthe army. I have a youngersister. She studies in school.She is 13 years old. My daddyworks in an office. My momworks in government.I InviteEveryone toGo to Schoolby Marbeya SantiagoMy name is MarbeyaSantiago. I’m from Mexico.I was born on December28, 1977 in a small villagenear Oaxaca City. I have4 sisters and 1 brother. Iwas a waitress in a deluxerestaurant for 3 years.In 2002, I gotmarried and my husbandand I decided to come to theU.S.A. because we thoughtwe would have a betterfuture. But, our life wasvery difficult because wedidn’t speak English. I thinkmany people experiencethis situation. This is a bigopportunity for me to inviteeverybody to go to school.We need to spend our freetime in something valuable.My long term goal is tospeak English very well. Iknow this is possible.Things ThatWe Alwaysand Never DoBy the ESL students in MarionaBarkus’s ESL Literacy class atthe Hamilton campus. During alesson in Ms. Barkus’s class, herstudents were asked to list whatthey “always” and “never” do.I always...Cook, read books, go the supermarket,go to church, readwith my children, take the bus,go to school, eat breakfast, takea shower, go walking, get up at5:50 am, help my children dotheir homework, go to sleep at 9pm, take a nap, clean the house,walk, drive my car, like all people,clean my house, shop, cookdinner, watch TV, do my homework,brush my teeth, wash myclothes, play with my kids, eatfruit, go to work, call my mother,eat vegetables, drink juice, washthe dishes, and call my family.I never....Smoke, drink alcohol, go toNew York, swim, go to themovies, ride a bike, drink soda,eat candy, go to the gymnasium,drink coffee, play cards, drinkbeer, wear a bathing suit, run,exercise, hit anybody, go to thecinema, open the door, iron, goto the theater, gamble, dance,clean the yard, dust, go to thebeach, take a vacation, go anyplace alone, ride a skateboard,see scary movies, go to the circus,drink tea, go to Paris, sing,and travel.Our FavoriteThingsFrom the students in MarionaBarkus’s ESL Literacy class atthe Hamilton CampusSoccer, Christmas, HarryPotter, the movie “Dance withMe,” my apartment, blue, Mexicanfood, Mother’s Day, myfamily, chicken, red and pink,my husband and kids, a rose, thememory of when my kids wereborn, pizza, Pollo Loco restaurant,the movie “Forever Cinderella,”Chinese food, Mexico,when I got married, seafoodsoup, Sunday, when I work out,Forth of July, my children’sgraduation day, getting my highschool diploma, go on a walk,going to the beach, fish, greenenchiladas, sing and listen tomusic, go dancing, watch movies,basketball, when I studyEnglish, the zoo, visiting myrelatives, my garden, the colorblue, fried chicken, spaghetti,and summer.Why We Came To This Country...from Gwyn Gorg’s Intermediate and Advanced ESL class atthe Hamilton Campus... From LebanonMy wife, three kids andI came to this country becausein my country of Lebanon nofuture could we see, so we leftto live in the United States ofAmerica.Our children’s futuresdepend on a good education. Ifwe live with food conditions,we can hope to have a verygood future.Our children needpeace. In my country, we donot have security. We can notbe safe all of the time. For thisreason we left to come to a morepeaceful country. The peoplehere appear or seem very honest.We have a high opinionabout the American People.This society shows a high respectfor human rights and inaddition the United States ofAmerica’s government has aresponsibility to help its people.Because of all of this,we applied to take up permanentresidence in the U.S.A.... From Mexicoby Vaudel HuezcaI cam here because Iwanted a better job. I wanted totry to help myself and my familywho lives in Mexico. Also,I wanted to meet new friends.When I was in my country,people would come back tellingstories oh the different peopleand the many experiences thyhad had while living here. I wasvery curious about the USA.I thought if I came tothe United States, I would havethe choice for an education, andmore opportunities to find betterjobs. I am working in a carwash,but I will continue goingto school to better my life. I’menjoying it. These are the thingsI a thinking about.... From Indiaby Sharanjit KaurI came to the USA onApril 12, 1993. When I arraivedin the airport i saw it wasvery nice and clean. When wewere going on the freeway fromLAX to the Valley, we drovethrough the mountains. I feltvery happy.When I was in India,my friends and I talked aboutAmerica. We had thought itwas a very nice country and weshould come.My husband has a very goodjob. He went to India in 1990.We met each other, he had seenme and I had seen him. Oneweek later we got married andthe rest is history. This is the reasonI came to the USA. Now,we have two kids, a boy and agirl. I work in the school cafeteria,and I am very pleased withmy work.Here, I have fulfulledmy dreams that I may not havehad in India. I had never thoughtabout driving a car. Now I driveeverywhere. I do miss my relativesand my country becausethere life is very easy. I havelearned here how I can live bymyself.This is a very wonderfulplace and it is peaceful.... From Peruby Elizabeth FloresI came to this countrybecause I wanted to help myfamily economically show myselfthat I can realize my dreamsby learning to speak and writeEnglish fluently.I have two youngerbrothers and I help them withtheir studies because I wantthem to be professiona.s I cannot say no to my siblings, maybebecause I am the oldest sister.I think only of my brothers andmy parents. For these reasons,I have decided to come to theUSA from my homeland ofPeru.... From Mexicoby Marcela PeinadoBefore I came to thiscountry, I never though aboutcoming. I had been workingin Tijuana for three year and itwas very close to here. I do notknow why, but it never enteredmy mind to cross the border,until I met my husband. He hadcome to this country before me,so I just followed him.Now, I have three kidsthat were born here. I feel veryhappy because this country hasmany good opportunities. Everytime I have a chance, I tellthem how important it is tostudy and get prepared. If weprepare ourselves now, we willhave better opportunities in thefuture. Because I did not preparemyself properly, I do nothave many choices. Now I haveto work doing something that Ido not really like. Even though Ido not enjoy my work, I must, inorder to survive.Page 9

UNIVERSITY CAMPUSNEWSOnce In a LifetimeOnce in a lifetime, anopportunity comes along thatyou just can’t pass up. TheDivision of Adult and CareerEducation of theLos Angeles UnifiedSchool District hasgiven the “greenlight” to a brandnew and excitinglearning projectcalled, “WESTSIDEENRICHMENT.”“Opportunity” isa very good wordfor us. This far-reachingeducational program will givethe very brightest and mosttalented professionals a chanceto teach. It’s an opportunity foradult students over the age of18 to participate in a variety ofactivities, courses and eventsat locations near their homesand online.by Rene SmollerThe best thing aboutcommunity education is thateverybody wins. Instructorswork and students learn in anenvironment whichnurtures and respectsthe individual whilefostering personalgrowth. And allthis happens rightin the heart of ourcommunity!This is youropportunity! Join us!Learn with us! Teachfor us! Give us your class/activity ideas! Support us!This is your school, “WestsideEnrichment.” We hope to seeyou and hear from you in thevery near future.“One minute of learningcreates a lifetime ofknowledge.”I H a t e E x e r c i s e :A C l a s s E x p e r i e n c eI HATE EXERCISE!My body is much happierp r a c t i c i n g t h e p i a n oo r w o r k i n g / p l a y i n g a tmy computer....anythingsedentary. Yet for the past5 years I’ve gone twice aweek to a 2-hourexercise class at theFirst PresbyterianChurch in PacificPalisades, offeredby the WestsideCommunity AdultSchool.Why thendo I continue to putmyself through 4hours weekly of stretching,weight-lifting, yoga poses,mat work and low-impactaerobic training? First, atage 68 it’s one of the bestinvestments I can make inmy overall health and qualityof life. Secondly, teacherM o n i c a N e p o m n a s c h yis a caring and constantinspiration, explaining theexercises while doing themwith us. Her program wasdesigned for all fitnesslevels and each person isencouraged to find his/herown comfort zone. MonicaPage 10also takes time toexplain specificBy Fay Batts KayMonica Nepomnaschyadjustments necessary tomeet individual needs.Thirdly, our class has a uniquespirit coming from seriouscommitment mixed withFUN. It seems I complainlouder than any other of my“Maturing Adult”c l a s s m a t e s , b u tsometimes othersjoin me and insisttheir tummies arealso much too largeto “tuck in.” Welaugh and trulyenjoy each other,o c c a s i o n a l l ymeeting after classat each other’s homes forsome chatter and a fewcalories. We are grateful forMonica’s tolerance and senseof humor, but despite the fun,she always manages to keepour noses to the grindstoneand never leaves a muscleunturned.S o , a l t h o u g h m y“body’s all achin’ andwracked with pain,” I restassured that my breathing,c i r c u l a t i o n , s t r e n g t h ,flexibility, coordination,balance, and muscle toneare all improved. What morecould I wish?.....Oh, a hot tubfilled with Epsom salt!New Courses on the West SideCareer PathsBUSINESS ENGLISHThis course is designed for High-Intermediate and AdvancedESL adult students, who are already working in businessor who wish to enter the American Business World. Thegoal of this class is to train people to perform work-relatedoral and written communication responsibilities and activitiesmore effectively for professional growth. ($40) Instructor:Tal MirzaCourse Number: J21070 Course Number: J310704 Wednesdays, October 11th 4 Wednesdays, January 17th10:00 am-12:30 pm 10:00 am-12:30 pmPATH (Classroom Upstairs)2346 Cotner Ave. (310) 996-0034West Los Angeles, CA 90064CAREER DEVELOPMENTThis course will provide guidance toward successfulemployment and assist with the preparation of an individualcareer plan. It will include assessment of personal preferences,aptitudes, skills and achievements, along with determiningjob requirements, hiring procedures, job-seeking skills andsources of training. ($50) Instructor: Cheryl MecarteaCourse Number: J21066 Course Number J310666 Tuesdays, October 10th 6 Tuesdays, January 16th3:30-5:30 pm 3:30-5:30 pmUniversity High School Campus (Room 326)11800 Texas Avenue (310) 312-8727West Los Angeles 90025To register for these classes please call Rene A. Smoller or OlgaChernova at (310) 312-8727 or e-mail them at “olga.chernova@westsideenrichment.com.”Computer Classes:Best Kept SecretThe afternoon andevening computer classes onthe University Campus arethe best kept secret in town.Where else can students payonly $37 per quarter to getthe same quality instructionas students at high pricedprivate schools? Check outthe prices at other schools!They are in the hundredsof dollars. (Senior citizensover 62 years of age onlypay $17 per quarter.)Students learn the use ofpersonal computers for thehome or office, for businessor pleasure. Instructionsinclude basic computerskills, word processing,database, computerterminology, E-mail, andsurfing the Internet. Theclasses are taught in Englishand a basic knowledge ofEnglish is required.The afternoon class is heldon Monday & Wednesdayfrom 3:15 to 5:15 pm. Theevening class is also onMonday & Wednesday from6-9:15 pm.For more information onthese classes, call (310)477-2084 or just drop byand visit the class.Who Are OurCounselors?Gity Family and Jayne CudaGity Family andJayne Cuda are our dedicatedcounselors working at ourUniversity site. Both Ms.Family and Ms. Cuda areveteran Westside C.A.S.counselors. Their academicand career guidance havehelped thousands of studentsattain their personal andprofession goals and achievea better life. The counselingoffice is open Monday-Thursday 5:30-8:30pm. Dropby the office, our counselorsare happy to assist you.Become a Cook Traineeor Chef AssistantWestside Adult School is now offering two culinaryart classes: Cook Trainee and Chef Assistant at the VeteranAdministration Food and Nutrition Building in West LosAngeles.Cook Trainee: Prepare for entry-level food service employmentin restaurants, schools, and hospitals. Assistance with jobplacement upon completion of course will be provided. Identifyand practice the current sanitation and safety regulations and skillsneeded to earn the Food Handlers Certificate. Learn proper useof various kitchen equipment used in food service. Learn relatedterminology used in food service. Learn how to use recipes andproperly organize laboratory assignments. Learn to use volumeand weight measurements. All phases of food preparation (generalknowledge). Hands-On Job Training. Registration and class feesare only $52. Open enrollment: students can enroll at any time.Classes are held from Tuesday to Friday, 8 am-1:30 pm.Chef Assistant: Study the SERVSAFE ESSENTIALSCOURSE to test for certification with the National RestaurantAssociation. Earn your FOOD HANDLERS CERTIFICATEwith the County of Los Angeles. Learn the basics of catering, foodpresentation and garnishing. Learn to perform portion control andcompute recipe modifications. Learn the difference between liquidand dry measurements. Learn basic knowledge of food science.Sharpen your skills to qualify for a catering assistant, institutionaland restaurant cook, and other positions that require first-handknowledge and experience. Learn skills in budget control and labormanagement. Hands on training. Assistance with job placementupon completion of 360-hour course. Registration $20. (Studentspay a $20 registration fee only once no matter how many coursesare taken.) Class fee: $15. Voluntary student body fee: $2. (Course#: 68-50-80) Open enrollment. Classes are held on Monday from8 am-12:30 pm. The instructor for both classes is Carrie Johnson.The location is at the Veterans Administration Food and NutritionBuilding 300, 11301 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90073. Call(000) 000-0000 for information.

Recipes from Around the WorldShrimp Ghourmeh Pastel deand Rice Sabzi Tres Lechesfrom Olga Garciafrom Aghdas Yafa from Jose Luis AlmareBloody Maryfor 4 Adultsfrom Pouran SaadatIranianVegetable Stewfrom Parvaneh EnayatiIngredients2 ½ cups of V-8 juice2 cups of tomato juice1/8 cup of horse raddish2 soup spoons of vodka1 soup spoon of chili sauce1 soup spoon of lemon juice2 soup spoons of ginA few stalks of celerySalt and Pepper (to yourtaste)Exclding the celery, Mix theabove ingredients in a bowl.Pour into glasses. Put a stalkof celery in each glass.Rice BreadCookiesfrom Mari TouteyanIngredients4 cups of rice flower1 cup of sugar1 egg1 cup of oil2 oz of rose water1 teaspoon of zafranPoppy seed (as needed)Directions:Sift the rice flower and putin a large bowl. Add the oiland mix well. In anotherbowl, place sugar and ½ cupof water. Stir until the sugaris dissolved. Then add toflower. Then add egg, zafranand rose water. Mix well. Putthis bowl of mixture aside ina place of moderate temperature(not too hot/not too cold)for 5 hours.Then mix again.Take a small portion (a littlebigger than a walnut) andspread it in the palm of yourhand to make a round cookie.Sprinkle a little poppy seedoverthe cookie. Repeat thisprocedure and place cookieson a cookie tray. Place in themiddle of the oven. Bake at350° for 30 minutes. Let itcool before eating.Ingredients2 cups of cleaned and washedshrimp1 ½ cups of white rice¼ cup of olive oil½ cup of chopped green chiliepeppers1 cup of tomato paste2 ½ cups of chicken or beefbroth1 ½ teaspoon of salt½ teaspoon of pepper½ teaspoone of thyme1 chopped onion hashDirections:Fry the rice, onion and chiliepeppers in olive oil. Addshrimp to the mix. Then addtomato paste,pepper, Thyme,salt and chicken or beefbroth. Cover until it comes toa boil. Preheat oven to 350°and bake for 40 minutes.Chiles Rellenosfrom Britys PaniaguaIngredients½ lb of green beans3 carrots3 potatoes1 onion2 bay leaves4 red peppers½ lb of meat (pork or chicken)2 eggs beatenSaltDirections: Chop the greenbeans, carrots and potatoes.Cook in saucepan with water.Add salt to taste. Cook meat(pork or chicken) in waterwith salt. Chop the onion andfry it together with the vegetablesand meat. Next, braisethe red peppers and removethe thin outer layer of skin.Fill the red peppers with thevegetables and meat mixture.Dip the filled peppers into thebeaten eggs and fry them.Ingredients1 lb of beef shoulder1 tablespoon of vegetable oil(Cut jnto 1 inch squares)1 bunch of cilantro1 onion1 bunch of green onions1/4 garlic1 bunch of fenugreek1 bunch of parsley1 bunch of leeks2 cups of water2 lemonsDirections:First, chop all the vegetables.Then, in a 2 quart saucepan,use 1 tablespoon of vegetableoil, and sauté the onionand garlic. Add salt and pepper.(to your taste) Add thechopped beef and 2 cups ofwater. When the meat is welldone, put in the chopped vegetables.Add the juice fromtwo lemons.Cook on topof the stove, for about threehours. You can eat this withrice.Green Beansand Ricefrom Flora AlaghbandIngredients1 lb of rice½ lb of shoulder beef½ lb of chopped green beans2-3 tablespoons choppedfried onion½ cup of oil2-3 tablespoons tomato sauceSalt and pepper (to taste)Directions:Soak the rice for 2 hours. Thenuse a saucepan and add the riceto bowling water Cook for about7 minutes, In another saucepan:Fry the chopped onion until a littlebrown. Combine the choppedmeat. Cook for about ten minutes.Add 2-3 glasses of water.After the meat has cooked alittle while, add the green beans.Cook for about 1½ hours or untilgreen beans are tender. Thenadd tomato sauce to the mixture.Then drain the rice and add tothe mixture. Then cook with ahigh flame, until you see vapors.Reduce the flame to very lowand cover the pot. After fifteenminutes, the food is ready.Ingredients2 pounds of flour10 eggs¾ cup of sugar¾ cup of butter½ cup of milk2 teaspoons of Royal(Baking powder)Directions:Mix the above ingredients ina bowl. Pour the mixture ina buttered pan. Bake in theoven at 350° for 45 minutes.In a second bowl mix the following:• 1 can of Clavel (Condensed Milk)• 2 can of Nestle (Condensed Milk)• ¼ cup of red wineUse a knife and punch ½”slits all overthe cake, Thenpour the above mixture overthe entire cake, so that it goesinto the openings.QueijadinhaByEdiane CoutoIngredients¾ bag of shredded coconut1 table spoon of butter1 can of condensed milkDirections:IngredientsTwo pounds of boneless beef2 medium onionsTwo pounds of vegetables5 cups of waterLeeks,parsley,fenugreek,10 dry lemons½ cup of oil1 teaspoon of saltLess- spinach1 teaspoon of pepper1 pound of dry red beansDirections:Wash and cut the beef in 2”pieces and chop the onions.Put about ¼ cup of oil in apot. Put in onion and beef.Fry about 15 minutes. Put ¼oil in another pot . Wash andchop the vegetables And fryin the oil for 10 minutes. Pourthe meat into the vegetables.Cook for 1 hour Wash the drylemon and hull them. Placethem in the pot. Add salt andpepper. Cook for 2 hours,Serve with rice.Elephant StewFrom Smokey (The EtheridgeFamily Reunion Cook Book)Ingredients1 medium size elephant500 bushels potatoes1 ton salt1 ton pepper200 bushels carrots4,000 sprigs parsley1,000 gallons of brown gravy2 small rabbits (optional)Directions:Cut elephant into man-sizepieces. This will take abouttwo months. Cut vegetablesinto cubes, another 2 months.Place meat in pan, coverwith gravy and simmer for4 weeks. Shovel in salt andpepper to taste. When meatis tender, add the vegetables.(A steam shovel is useful forthis.) Summer slowly for 4more weeks. This will serveabout 3,800 people. If moreare expected, add the rabbits,but this is not recommendedas few people like hare intheir stew.Blend at high speed for 5 to7 minutes. Line aluminumcupcake pan with paper cupcakeholders. Pour mixtureinto cupcake holders. Bakein oven at 415° Faranheit orat 213° Celsius for 15 to 25minutes or until it’s goldenbrown and way before thehouse burns down!!! Removefrom oven and let itcool for about 1 hour. Enjoywith family and friends, Page 11

PLUMMER PARKBRANCHThe Plummer Park BranchBy Jolie BechetThe Plummer Park Branch is one of the fastest growingsites at Westside Adult School. Our ESL students comefrom over 35 countries and represent every continent exceptAustralia! We are located at 7377 Santa Monica Blvd. at thecorner of Martel. We offer two sessions of classes from 9-11:45 AM and from 12-2:45 PM Monday through Thursday.This year we are celebrating the fifth anniversary ofthe TOEFL Preparation Program. Our TOEFL students cometo us for many different reasons; most of them want to takethe TOEFL exam, some prepare to pass state boards in themedical field (nursing and medicine) and some just want toimprove their English speaking, reading, and writing skills.When Giannina Rochlin and Jolie Bechet designed theprogram in 2000, they wanted to add a cultural aspect to therigorous course work. They decided to offer field trips to variouslocations of interest throughout the year in order to enrichthe learning experience. These trips have also included thegeneral ESL population. So far, this school year, our studentshave visited The House of Blues Schoolhouse, The Skirball,The Getty, The Norton Simon, The Ashes and Snow Exhibition,and The Huntington Library. These trips not only teachthe students about the cultural richness of our country, but alsohelp form camaraderie among the student body.(Above) Jolie Bechet (far right) with her class on a field trip tothe Huntington Library. (Below) Students in the TOEFL classA r e Yo u D r e a m i n gi n E n g l i s h Ye t ?by Marion ElliottIf not, come and join our enjoyable, free English ConversationClass, daily at the West Hollywood CommunityCenter in Plummer Park sy 7377 Santa Monica Blvd, WestHollywood from 3 to 5:30 pm, Monday through Thursday.Pactice your English and meet new friends from differentcountries and cultures from around the Globe.For information, call (323) 653-4084 or just come onover and visit!Page 12We Remember the Farmer’sMarket Before the GroveBy Geri Rhosen’s Senior Class at Shalom Retirement HotelWhen the Farmer’sMarket first opened in 1943,my wife and I were there tosell oranges. We both wentto Fairfax High School andlived in the neighborhood.Shortly after graduating, wewere married. The Farmer’sMarket then was a realopen air market. I rememberstanding next to LucilleBall and other stars that hadcome to open up this nowand others would come in.I had an interest in acting atthe time so that’s how I rememberit. (Peter Evans)One thing I remembervery well back in 1979is visiting my mother-inlawwho was a resident atShalom Retirement Hotel.Shalom was a very popularplace back then, lots ofcard games and a long waitinglist to get in. I didn’t Ifamous place. I also rememberwould end up here, but heremy parents payingonly $43 for monthly rentback then. Those were theI am. (Gil Kurband)The most obviouschange to most of us whodays! (Hy Stover)remember the neighborhoodThere used to bepony rides for kids of allages on the corner where theBeverly Center now stands.Also, there was a restaurantand bar that the movie starsused to hang out in on SantaMonica and Sweetzer. Itwas called the Rain checkRoom and people like ShelleyWinters, George Raft,and grew up here isFairfax Boulevard itself. Itused to be a simple Jewishmiddle class neighborhood,but with the influx of Russianimmigrants about fifteenyears ago, it’s differentnow.Change is not alwaysa bad thing, and it’snice to know some thingsWEHOHowQUIZBy Paul J. Hamel1. What was WestHollywood’s originalname?a. Shermanb. East Beverly Hillsc. Boys Townd. WEHO2. How many peoplelive in the City ofWest Hollywood?a. 6,900 b. 36,000c. 59,000 d.123,0003. How big is the City ofWest Hollywood?a. 1.9 square milesb. 5 square milesc. 10 square milesd. 50 square miles4. What is the City’s motto?a. Creative Cityb. Party Cityc. Boys Townd. The Gay City5. What is the “BlueWhale?”a. A famous local drinkb. A muralc. The Pacific Design Centerd. The city fl ag6. When was WestHollywood incorporatedas a city?a. 1898 b. 1921c. 1984 d. 20047. What originally wentdown the center ofSanta Monica Blvd?a. Street cars b. Foot pathc. Subway d. Bike path8. Where’s the “Gateway?”a. At Santa Monica Blvd.& Dohneyb. At Santa Monica Blvd.& La Breac. At Sunset & La Cienegad. At Beverly Blvd.& La Cienega9. Where’s Irv’s Burger?a. At Santa Monica Blvd. &Sweetzerb. At Beverly & San Vicentec. At Sunset & Clarkd. At Santa Monica &Formosa10. Who is the currentmayor of the City ofWest Hollywood?a. John Heilmanb. Paul Koretzc. Bill Rosenthald. Rip Taylorhave stayed about the same.For instance, I remembergoing to El Coyto restauranton Beverly Boulevardfor the best Mexican foodin the neighborhood. Ofcourse the prices are a bitdifferent today, but the foodis probably just as good. Ialso remember the wonderfulCarthay Circle Theater,where as a child I saw thepremier of the movie “Fantasia.”I still remember thisafter all these years. (IdaFiering) (Ida Fiering wasa former teacher at FairfaxAdult School.)All in all, memoriesare wonderful when theyput a smile on your face,and we try not to think ofthe bad ones. But it is whatwe as people do. Rememberthe past. It’s all about ourunique and personal identity.Count it as a blessingwhen you can rememberthem all.well doyou know WestHollywood?Take the quizand fi nd out.Well, how did you do?Check below.Answers:1. a. Sherman2. b. 36,0003. a. 1.9 square miles4. a. The Creative City5. c. The Pacific Design Center6. c. November 29, 19847. a. Street cars8. b. At Santa Monica & La Brea9. a. At Santa Monica & Sweetzer10. a. John HeilmanIf you got 9-10 correctanswers, you haveprobably never set footout of the city limits ofWEHO.7-8 correct answers, youprobably live in WEHO.5-6 correct answers, youprobably work in WEHOand want to live here.3-4 correct answers, youprobably work in WEHOand leave immediatelyafter work.0 correct answers, youare probably a tourist witha good guide book.None correct, youprobably just got into town.Welcome to WEHO.

PARK LA BREAART NEWSThe Final Resting Place forMy Sculpture and My Soulby Gabriella Y. KarinThe day finally arrived. I was waiting for this momentfor all my adult life. Karol Blanar, the person whosaved my life and seven other people from my family, washonored as “The Righteous Among the Nations”. His parents,Vincent and Katherine Blanar, hid my grandmotherwhile risking their own lives. I flew to Bratislava, the SlovakRepublic, to attend the ceremony. The ceremony was inPark La BreaArt AwardsBest in ShowJoseph IssacRibbon AwardsCeramics1st place: Gabby KannGenre1st place: Lynn Rouff2nd place: Barbara Lincoln3rd place: Shirley FreedmanFlorals1st place: Lynne Hains2nd place: Ester Chung3rd place: Amy GaladentLandscapes1st place: Lois Gropman2nd place: Karen Green3rd place: Amy GaladentSeascapes1st place: Barbara Lincoln2nd place: Viola Mimasian3rd place: Dan GinsbergEnjoy An Art Class This FallWatercolor & Still LifeThis course provides basicskills in watercolor. Exploreswet-on-wet glazing and drybrush techniques, color mixingand composition, and interpretationexercises. Also includesother painting mediums. NoPrerequisites. Registration$20, Class fee: $10, VoluntaryStudent Body Fee: $2Friday, 9:45 am-1 pmInstructor: S. GonzalesPark La Brea Art Center. EnterPark La Brea on Third orSixth Streets. Go to 432 SouthCurson Ave., LA (downstairsin Art Center). Building 50.For information call (323) 549-5498. Register in class.Collage1st place: Marie Fonst2nd place: Larry GoldsteinAbstract1st place: Esther Chung2nd place: Deborah Blum3rd place: Lynn HarrisFigurative1st place: Lynn Rouff (tie)1st place: Joseph Issac (tie)2nd place: Larry Goldstein3rd place: Karen GreenArt FundamentalsPresents the fundamentals ofdrawing, painting, and mixedmedia compositions, includingpencil, charcoal, pastel, watercolor,and oil. Registration$20, Class fee: $10, VoluntaryStudent Body Fee: $2.Monday, 11 am-1 pmMonday, 1:30-3:30 pmTuesday, 6-8:45 pmHidden in the Shadows of Death by Gabriella Y. Karinthe Mayor’s Palace where many dignitaries from the SlovakRepublic were present. Many members of the press withtheir cameras wanted to interview me and I was appreciativeof the opportunity to tell my story. Karol Blanar’s brother,Vincent Blanar, accepted the Medal of Honor for his deceasedparents and brother. An Israeli diplomat, Galit Ronenpresented the medal and thanked me for bringing this eventto their attention.My sculpture, “Hidden in The Shadow of Death”,is on the way to Skivajuam where it will be permanentlyexhibited in the Holocaust Museum in Nitra. An enlargedposter of the sculpture was on display during the ceremony.This sculpture depicts me and the people hiding with me. Italso shows the gentile man who bought us food. The shoesscreaming represent my thought about all the people in theconcentration camps who had to take off their shoes beforethey were killed. The boots outside the fence represent theNazis marching in front of the building where I was hiding.The sculpture will be at the place where it belongsand this means a closure for my soul. I appreciated beingable to publicly express my thanks to this honorable manfor risking his own life and that of his family. He foundthe goodness in his heart to do it for us for a very long ninemonths.Karol Blanar name will be honored for generations,because as it is said a person who saves one life saves theworld.Thank you Karol Blanar, from me and my family.We will never forget you.Wednesday, 12:45-5 pmWednesday, 6-8:45 pmThursday, 9:45 am-2 pmThursday, 2:15-5:30 pmSaturday, 9:45 am-2 pmInstructors: S. Moss and S. Gonzales.Park La Brea Art Center.(See directions above.)Tuesday, 9:45 am-12 noon,Instructor: Sandy Moss. FeliciaMahood Senior Center, 11338Santa Monica Blvd., West LA90025 (near Corinth) (310)479-4119Ceramics (Beginning)Ceramic techniques for thedesign, construction, and decorationof clay ware. Includedare hand building, throwing,casting, modeling, decorativeelements on clay and glazes,loading and firing the kiln. NoPrerequisites. Registration$20, Class fee: $20, VoluntaryStudent Body Fee: $2Wednesday, 12:45-5 pmInstructor: S. MossPark La Brea Art Center. (Seedirections above.)Page 13

FROM THE STAFFPoverty is a Noble CurseBy Balwant Singh, Substitute Teacher and Offi ce TechnicianPoverty is a noble curse. Poverty coupled with illiteracyand ignorance brings a treasure of miseries, sufferings,and pain, but it can be overcome.I was born in a poor family,which (looking back) was enrichedby poverty. Finding ourmorning and evening meals werecauses of concern for our familymembers. Our family professionwas tailoring, which was considereda lower standard professionby the then Indian society. Tailoringwas normally performedby the lower rung of the communitymembers.With the caste system being atit peak upper castes used to dominatethe lower caste people andthus the sufferings of lower castes grew day by day. This wasan added cause of miseries of our family members. My fatherwas highly professional, but very poor financially. Our familyconsisted of eight members: three brothers, three sisters, andparents. Although my father did not have an academic education,he had a great love for knowledge, moral values, honestyand integrity. He had a great love for his tailoring profession.His tailoring skills were so great that on seeing the photo ofMrs. Nixon, wife of the then President of the America, in thenewspaper, he stitched a pair of britches (a trouser which isused when riding a horse) that fitted her very well and UnitedStates sent him a letter of appreciation. Anyway, but this didnot change our family financial difficulties. It was really hardto make our both ends meet, so I, being the eldest son, somehow managed to enroll in a Municipal School. The school hadno tables and chairs. The teachers had rods and canes to beatthe students. The students had to bring their own mats to sit onand carry them from class to class. Sanitary conditions of thethen Municipal Schools often invited various diseases fromtime to time. Teachers were permitted to beat the students withcane and rods. Municipal Schools were some sort of imprisonmentswhere the teachers made frequent use of canes and rodsto beat even girl students. In spite of these difficult situations,I passed my 10th class examination. Unemployment rate beingvery high in those days, it was almost impossible to get ajob. Therefore, I accepted the job of a gardener, which paidme one Indian Rupee one day. (Today 45 Indian Rupees areequal to one American dollar) You can well guess the value ofone Rupee then. Because of these poor economic conditions,I was left with no choice but to live on the outskirts of thecity where there were no homes, no water connections, andno electricity—only garbage peals. I built a small hut on anunauthorized piece of land, which was subject to demolition atany time. The hut was made of mud and uneven stones. Thishut had only four walls, no doors, no protection from sun,rain, or winds. This roofless mud-hut was made by my familyand me. The only roof I could afford was reed grass. Thisroof used to fly when strong winds blew or storms used tocome. Whenever it rained water mixed with dust poured in us.There was no wooden door for this hut had only hard curtainused as a door. There were no streetlights. The only sourceof light was natural light by sun in the day and by the moonin the night. Insecurity of our family members was a realconcern; any time any body could attack on us. Fear, tension,and stress affected our family. By the grace of God all theseunfortunate circumstances did not deter my determination toacquire higher and higher education and get ridPage 14 (Continued on page 15)ConversationCafeBy Geri Rhosen, InstructorA wonderful conversationclass is being offeredevery Monday afternoon atPlummer Park in the WestHollywood. ConversationSofia Dragileva, Geri Rhosen,Mila Elkin, and LorraineCafe has been going strongfor eight hears helping nonnativespeakers learn everydayEnglish Conversation.This class has a credentialedLos Angeles UnifiedInstructor and wonderfulEnglish-speaking volunteers.In addition, coffee and cookiesare part of the curriculumwith a variety of topics fordiscussion. Despite the warmand welcoming setting, learningto engage in English conversationis the primary goal.The class meets Mondayafternoon from 2:30 to4:40 pm in the West HollywoodCommunity Centerbuilding, Room 6, in PlummerPark at Santa MonicaBlvd. and Martel Avenue.For additional information,please call us at (323) 653-4085.My Life in Los AngelesBy Gwynn Lewis, ESL 1B instructor at the Hamilton Campus“Life in LA” was the title for our writing exercise in our ESL1B class. After much hemming and hawing on their part andcajoling and calming on mine, I received a set of class papers.As I read through them, I was surprised by how well theyactually were able to communicate an idea as well as expressa feeling. For the most part the students wrote about their ownlives in LA. I chose a couple of representative papers:“My sister borrow the money for come to here. WhenI here, I disillusion because is not how I think. My fir jobwas dishwasher. I worked for #3.75 for hours” (Juan RamonGomez)Jose alberto Santiago, who just 19 years old, writes, “Ilike my school because is good. My Uncle help me when comehere. My life in LA is work everyday. I’m want my family.My brothers they misses because I am far from they.”The good news is that there is work for them to do;but, the bad news is that they miss their life with their familyand friends.I can’t close without sharing my Japanese student’sessay about “Life in LA.”“I’m tired today. I bought juice in gas station a fewminute ago. I have gum. I eating gum. I’m sleepy.” (YukiIchiban Takehara)This student provides a way to, perhaps, avoidirremedial suffering by staying in the moment.I m p o r t a n t D a t e sAug. 28, 2006 • Admission’s DaySept. 4, 2006 • Labor DaySept. 5, 2006 • First Day of SchoolOct. 2, 2006 • Lincoln’s BirthdayNov. 11, 2006 • Veterans DayNov. 23-24, 2006 • ThanksgivingDec. 18-29, 2006 • Winter RecessJan. 15, 2007 • Martin Luther King Jr.Feb. 19, 2007 • Presidents’ DayApril 2-6, 2007 • Spring RecessMay 28, 2007 • Memorial DayJune 22, 2007 • Last Day of InstructionAdrienne Omasky’s Acting class in Holloween costumes

PROGRAM FOR OLDER ADULTSPoemsI Must Go OutBy Larry John Soronen fromGeri Rhosen’s classWhen time has walked acrossAnother last goodbyWelcome seems tohide its faceI’ll peep out throughmy window blindTo see where otherlives are moving onThereOut thereBeyond the courtyardA robin’s perchedupon the wire highAwaitingPerhaps the nextstrong windTo carry him acrossthe streetOr over buildings tallNo telling where he’s boundNew places he hasnever been?I must go outMust push myselfTo seeTo feelTo touchTo say helloHello, my friendHow does it go today?TodayI must go out.I must returnTo live.Feel the SandBy Larry John SoronenThere are timesToo many timesI cry to seeThe spring budgrowthUpon the treesHear the robin or theblue jay singBuilding their nest ofgrassOf stringsTo smell the burning leavesof fallSee my brother in thehallFeel the sandBetween my toesMake small circlesWith the garden hoseTo feel that life is right againI am safeTo just lean backRestLaughTalkKnow that I am homeagainAt last.StudentTheaterReviewsAll My SonsReviewed by Kay Roberts fromAdrienne Omansky’s actingclassSunday afternoon, I wentto the Geffen Playhouse tosee three long-time favoritesof mine perform in ArthurMiller’s All My Sons, a relicof the late 1940s. However,Len Cariou, Laurie Metcalfand Neil Patrick Harris werenot there; there were no actors,there was no set, just theKeller family and their backyardand their family problemsand their neighbors andme eavesdropping on theirintimate goings-on. It couldhave been last year or nextweek and not nearly sixtyyears ago. My suspensionof disbelief was near total. Iwas moved and thoroughlyenjoyed it. What more can Isay but, “BRAVO.”•••Reviewed by Jean Tanner fromAdrienne Omansky’s actingclassFrom the opening sounds, anindeterminated mixture ofthunder, bombs and gunfire,to a closing postol-shot, “AllMy Sons” resonates with itsaudience.The Geffen Playhouse showcasesthis Arthur Miller play,which successfully debutedon Broadway in 1947 to immediatesuccess.Laurie Metcalf as in-denialKate Keller effectively bearslittle resemblance to her comedicconstarring role on the“Rosanne” television show.Neil Patrick Harris, also astage veteran, has handsomelymatured from his days asABC’s “Doggie Howser,M.D.”A less-familiar sctor, Tony-Award winner Len Cariou,believably inhabits the roldof blue-collar protagonist-patriarchJoe Keller.In these times of moral compromise,“All My Sons”timelessly rings true. As Joestates, “Sure, he was my son.But I think to him they wereall my sons. And I guess they,were, I guess they were.”Laurel’s First Acting JobBy Laurel ShapiroLaurel Shapiro is a student in Adrienne Omansky’s Actingclass. Also read her winning essay “Happily Every After” onthe front page.April 9, 2006—a day to go down in history. That wasthe day Laurel had her first acting job. Three years ago, if youhad told me I would have a job acting, I would not have believedIt. Now, my agent calls me from time-to-time and says,“Laurel, I have an audition for you.” Occasionally he calls meand says, “I have a call back for you,” but this was my firstpaid acting job.The original call was for a little old lady who had acrush on her butcher, dress casual. I don’t know why theynever send me out on calls for teenagers. I went, it took a fewminutes and I was home going about my regular chores. Thenext morning I got a call that I had gotten the party. The shootwas Sunday, and the costumer would call me. I was so excitedI could hardly breathe.The costumer called and asked what dresses I had,what sweaters, pocketbooks, shoes. She picked out a selectionfor me to bring. I was told to definitely leave my AirJordans home. Little old ladies don’t wear Air Jordans. Whatdo I know? I was also told that they would have a selection ofclothes to enhance my wardrobe.Sunday dawned bright and scary. First task, find thesite of the shoot. I went to Mapaquest and printed out directions.I got there on time. There was a corner grocerystore that was still padlocked. After a few minutes, the manwho was playing the butcher showed up. We stood aroundand talked for about a half hour before the crew started to arrive.The store was unlocked; equipment was unloaded andput in place. The costumer arrived and looked through thewardrobe I had brought. We worked out of trunk of her car.She picked a floral print that I had brought. Then she tried afew hats, decided against them. Then some shawls and finallyan ugly brown sweater that everyone declared was perfect. Ialso had a hairdresser and makeup artist. Every step was runby the director for his approval. When Jamie thought I wasready, we started. All I had to do was wheel my cart in, andlook sweetly at the butcher as he handed me my meat. Then Ipaid him with bongo drums and walked dreamily away. Thebongo drums were a metaphor. Everyone flitted around meconstantly. Was I tired? Did I need something to drink? Werethe bongo drums to heavy? We did this about twenty times.Then we did it with a bean bag chair. Then we were finished.They gave me a contract to sign. When I asked to read it, theywere astounded. The contract included a reference to stills. Iremembered what Adrienne Omansky had said about print adsand I told them to sent it to my agent before I could sign it.Then they paid me, everybody kissed me goodbye. My firstacting job was history.WisdomFor LifeBy Guenther A. Keuneckefrom “Senior Moments”Do not necessarily thingabout yesterday,For it is gone.Do not necessarily thinkabout tomorrow,For it is not here yet.But do experience the momentof your life,For you are in its presence.LimericksBy Selma Mannheim fromAdrienne Omansky’s ActingClassNow that I’m retired,I’m looking to be hired.Something new,Is what I want to do,So help me get inspired.•••By Katherine Davis, ESLsubstitute teacherThere one was a womanfrom ParisWhose tweeds were exceedinglyHarrisShe shopped till she dropped,In the Tea Room she floppedTo abuse all the staff like anheiress.•••There was a young lady fromCannesWho desperately wished fora manI’m an unpicky chooser—I’ll take a produzer,Or an actor with both depthand span.•••An artist once gazed in themirror,Then he raised his thick eyebrowsto peerOh it’s dreadfully wierd,To see gray on one’s beard,And he wept all that night inhis beer.•••There once was a singerfrom Boise,Whose band was a little bitnoisyOne hot summer’s night,They got in a fight,With the small hairy Jewishman, Moishe. (Trevor,Katherine’s son)And the lead singer messedup his voicey. (Katherine)(“Determined To Do More”continued from page 14)myself of poverty.I started studying at 5:00 a.m. in the natural light ofthe day and then at night I used to study on roadsides underthe streetlights. Although miseries were great, I had agreater determination to acquire higher and higher education.Ultimately, I passed my bachelor examination. I earned twomasters degrees one in Public Administration and the other inSociology. I earned three years professional Law Degree andbecame an Indian Attorney.I earned a postgraduate diploma in Labor Laws and PersonnelManagement. I learned English shorthand and passed the testwith 98% accuracy at the speed of 120 w.p.m. After all thesedifficulties, I’m still determined to do more. Today my desireis stronger and stronger to work for eradicating illiteracy, sonow I am a substitute teacher with LAUSD.Page 15

FROM THE ESL DEPARTMENTA Sad-Happy Storyby Ali Langroudi in Vaishie Ratzinger’s classAbout 6 years ago, I wentdowntown to the ImmigrationDepartmentto have my fingerprintstaken.I was excitedabout becominga U.S. citizen.After beingfingerprinted, alady using a tissue,helped meto clean my fingers. After Ireturned home, I realized mywedding ring was not on myfinger. I then realized thatThis is a story of aman named Ramya. Heworks in a restaurant as awaiter. He serves pasta andsalads. One day after work,he hot on the bus and hesat right behind the driver.Suddenly, the driver faintedand the bus got out of control.Ramya moved quicklyPage 16because my ring was loose, itcame off when the lady wascleaning my fingers,I thoughttoo much timehad passed. So,I did not go backto the Immigrationoffice.I was verysad because Ilost my weddingring, but I was very happyabout being fingerprinted tobecome a citizen of the UnitedStates.I n A p p r e c i a t i o nby Ahmad Farahani from Vaishie Ratzinger’s ESL class atStoner ParkMy name is Ahmad but many times they solveFarahani. I was born in problems in our lives.Iran. I have a degree in Right now, we are learningliterature and history, which English at Stoner ParkI received fromthe UniversityR e c r e a t i o n a lCenter and ourof Tehran..teacher and ourWhen I cameprincipal areto the Unitedvery kind. OurStates, I wasteacher givesnot able tous grammaru n d e r s t a n dand writing asEnglish. Atwell as storiesfirst, I attendedan English classin New YorkCity. The teacher workedto read aboutfamous people.So, now we canunderstand many statementswith me and my classmates. and conditions of ourThen, in the summer of2000, I moved to Californiasociety. We appreciate ourteachers and other Americanand continued learning people who help us.English.My teachers have beenvery kind and faithful at allI wish to say to allstudents who are learningEnglish, that they shouldn’ttimes. They try to teach us be discouraged fromwith passion and sincerity. learning English. In theWe will never forget ourteachers. They are the bestUnited States, everythingto progress is ready andof our friends. Not only available!do they teach us English,Ramya, The HeroBy Odalys Farinas in Candace Whittemore’s ESL classto the driver. He put hishands on the steering wheeland his left foot on thebrake pedal. He steered thebus to the right side of thestreet and stopped. Finally,all the people got out ofthebus and they thanked Ramyafor saving their lives.Ramya was a hero.Dear FriendBy Elena Kalovshy from“Senior Moments”Dear Friend,I want to tell you aboutEnglish.To study English isn’t easyWhen you get olderIt makes you tired and busy.But I know how to studyEnglish very, very fastFor me to be a good studentIt is interesting and the bestFor me it isn’t hard, mysecret to keepI put it in my brain very, verydeepBut, you my best friendI have a secret to share withyouYou should take my adviceAnd do what I do.Every day I go to schoolI study hard and try to bepatientAnd never take from schoolA long vacation.But, today, I wasn’t in myEnglish class.I was very tired.The drunk man who livesnext to me.Made in the middle of thenight a big fire.He is lazy and a drunk manAnd a bad husband.It is bad for the childrenAnd for their mother.She is a beautiful womanAnd a good wife,But she isn’t happyWith her life.It is a big shame.I can’t remember what is hisname.All the people who live inour neighborhoodWe try to help with thisfamily,But what can we do?Please trust and believe me.It’s right and it’s true.Fables RetoldThe Rabbit and the TurtleBy James Calderon in Candace Whittemore’s ESL classOnce upon a time there was a rabbit and a turtle (tortoise).They decided to have a race. The rabbit laughed at theturtle. The next morning, the rabbit ran very fast and he gotaway. He ran in front and sat down under a tree. He ate carrotsand took a nap. He turtle passed him then the rabbit wokeup. He ran and ran as fast as he could, but he couldn’t catchthe turtle. To everyone’s surprise, the turtle won the race.The KingBy Estela Hernandez in Candace Whittemore’s ESL classOnce upon a time there was a king. He was a very,very bad king. He was unpopular. No one liked him. Oneday he went swimming and when he got in the water, he felta cramp. He began to drown. He was scared and yelled forhelp. Nearby two farmers were working and came to helphim. The king gave them two wishes. One farmer said, “Iwant a water buffalo.” The other one said, “Don’t tell anyonethat I help you.”How Spider Got a Thin WaistBy Sandra Pacheco in Candace Whittemore’s ESL classOnce upon a time, Spider lived in the forest where hehad lots to eat and thus he had a nice, round body. One day,he heard two villages were going to have a festiva. He couldsmell the food from the two villages, but he didn’t know whichfestival to go to.Suddenly, he had an idea and he called his two sons toask for their help. He tied a long rope around his waist. Hetold his son Kuma to take one end of the rope and go to thefirst village and when dinner is ready, he said, pull on the ropeso I will know it is time to eat. Spider gave the other end ofthe rope to his son Kwaku and told him to go to the secondvillage, and pull his rope when that dinner ready.A funny thing happened. The feasts began at the sametime. They each pulled and pulled. And that is how Spidergot a thin waist.Distance LearningThank You For Being My TeacherDear Mrs. Tyndall,Thank you for being my teacher. Thanks to you, I was selectedas a top student. I was on the top of the world and it was a perfect proofof believing a proverb “Doing something hard gets reward”. If it was aselection of a person who speaks English the best within 1 year of study, Iwouldn’t be the selected but I can tell that I studied the hardest. Your constantpraises encouraged me a lot and the summit of it was the prize of lastOctober. I also thank you for giving me a book titled “The Now and FutureParent”. Even though I have completed the Distance Learning English, Iwas experiencing difficulties understanding TV or movies. When I firstmet this book, I was embarrassed to see its thickness. When I watched thevideotapes, I thought it is far to go yet. But after struggling with the help of adictionary, I found out that the textbooks so far were for conversation. Thebook you gave me teach us how to deal with lovely innocent children. Ofcourse, my children are grown up but still it will help me to improve myhuman relationships in the future. If majority of people read this book andact as they should be, the whole world will be different. There wouldn’t beany children who want to run away from home or commit suicide. In thelong run, there would be a genuine peace on the earth. I think your choiceis excellent. I appreciated your kindness and thoughtfulness. I look forwardto learning more from you when I return from Korea some time in thefuture. Thank you again for your infinite help. Thanks to you, my stayingin the U.S.A. is a fruitful one.Yours, PARK, Keon-Seop

Vocus on Culture: IranIranian Holidaysby Iraji Biglari from Vaishie Ratzinger’s ESL classM yname is IrajiBiglari. I amfrom Iran. Letme tell you aboutthe holidaysin Iran. Thereare 25 holidaysin a year; 16religious and9 national orhistoric.These holidays arenot on weekends. The NewYear in Iran, starts on thefirst day of spring; usually onMarch 21st. This holiday iscelebrated for 4 days. This isconsidered a “long holiday”.People usuallygo away fromtheir cities andvisit historicaltowns likeIsfahan, Ahwas,and Shiras.Many peoplevisit religiouscities like Ghomor Meshed.Some people travel to northIran to visit the Caspian Sea.Each Iranian has between21 to 30 days vacation timeeach year. Many peopletravel to European and otherAsian countries.Tourist Destinationsby Helen Pirouzmanesh from Vaishie Ratzinger’s ESL classMy name is HelenPirouzmanesh. I’m fromIran. There are many placesof interest in Iran; especiallyin my town,Shiraz. I loveShiraz, becausethis town, hada lot of famouspoets. Thereis a cemeterycalled Hafazie,which containsthe tombs ofmany famouspoets. This cemetery has abig, very beautiful gardenwith colorful flowers. Thisgarden is very attractiveto everybody. This is apeaceful place, where thepeople of Shiraz go to relax.It is s place of sightseeingfor tourists.Another place of interestis PerspolicePalace. Thispalace wasbuilt overtwo thousandyears ago forKing DariushHakhamaneshi.It is a historicalmonument. Itis located in avillage called Marvdasht. Itis near Shiraz. Tourists areable to go inside the palaceruins. If you go to Iran, besure to visit these places.Education Is MoreValuable Than MoneyIn 1953, I was studyingin high school and was goingro go to a university. Atthat time, my father wasa merchant and owned afactory. He was quite active.When I turned20 years old, Myfather asked meto take over thebusiness, becausehe had becomeill. He wantedme to follow hisway. I informedhim that I wanted to attendthe university. My fatherinsisted so much, that Ichanged my mind. I couldnot reject his request. Whenhe died, I worked very hardand expanded the businessby Mansour Alaghbandfrom 100 employees to 200employees,Gum tragacanth was theprimary material which mycompany processed. Thismaterial became so rareandhard to obtain. So,I decided to sellthe factory. I thenworked the stockmarket. It wasvery satisfactoryuntil 1976, whenthe revolutionoccurred. Itbecame detrimental to workat the stock market. So, Iretired.My special thought to thereaders of my story is: “To getan education, is more valuablethan money.”Health TipsDental HygieneDr. Nourani Pirouzmanesh fromVaishie Ratzinger’s ESL Intermediateclass at Stoner Park inWest Los AngelesMy name is Nourani Pirouzmaneshand I am a retired dentist.I am from Iran. My dear teacher,Vaishie Ratzinger, wanted me towrite about some of my experiences.I happily accepted thisinvitation. I have been livingin West Los Angeles, Californiasince I arrived in the U.S.A.,about 4 years ago. I have beenstudying English for over 3 years.I’m very glad that after passingseveral classes, I can almost besatisfied and afford all my needsby using English and have agood life in this country. I have a“Green Card” and I’m going toget my citizenship soon. I’m marriedand have 3 children; 2 sonsand 1 daughter. My daughter ismarried and she is a dentist. Oneof my sons is an ophthalmologistand the other is studying atUCLA. He plans to be a doctortoo. We are proud of them andwish them a successful future.At this time, as a dentist whohas 40 years of experience, I’mgoing to explain something aboutdentistry, which is obviouslyvery important in our lives. If wewant to live for a long time andbe healthy, we should considerthe following: Of course, havinggood nutrition and preventingdiseases are very important at anystage of life; prenatal, as well aschildhood through adulthood. Inow ask you to consider the followinglist:1. Mothers should have good nutritionduring pregnancy.2. Pay attention to children’s primaryteeth.3. Clean your children’s teeth andmouth after meals.4. See your dentist every 6 monthsor at least every year.5. You must brush or floss yourteeth at least 3 times per day orafter eating a meal.6. Don’t use your teeth to eat veryhard foods.7. Of course exercising and gettingproper rest are very importantto have a healthy and happy life.I hope everyone triesto do all of the above to have ahealthy and beautiful smile.Do YouBelieve inMiracles?Dr. Esmail Vossoghian fromVaishie Ratzinger’s ESL Intermediateclass at StonerPark in West Los AngelesWe are living in acountry, which is the mostcivilized in the world. Wehave excellent doctors andhospitals. We have everyfacility. We have the bestmedicine. However, we musttake care of ourselves. Forinstance, we must not smokeand we must not eat fat. Wemust exercise every day andeat healthy foods. If we fail,our health problems will beour own fault.I remember that whenI was working in a hospitalin Iran; one day a patient arrived.He was in a coma, dueto high blood pressure and severediabetes. After treatinghim for awhile, he opened hiseyes and asked, “Are you anangel?” I said, “No. I am adoctor.” Then he asked, “Areyou real or am I dreaming?” Ireplied, “I am real.” He thenasked, “Do you believe inmiracles?” I answered, “Yes,I do believe in miracles. It’s amiracle that you are all right.But, you must take care ofyourself.”HeartwiseFrom the “Hayworth TerraceTalk” by Gerie RhosenIn a women’s health study,researchers found that eatingwhole grains and high qualitycarbohydrates would lowerthe proteins that is a markerfor inflammation associatedwith coronary heart disease.Whole grains are the key.Do NOT throwthis Newspaperaway!Share it witha friend.Red DeliciousApples AreHealthierFrom the “Hayworth TerraceTalk” by Gerie RhosenDid you know that a recentstudy of eight popularvarieties of apples foundthat red delicious type hadmore than twice the cancerfighting antioxidants asempire apples? Accordingto scientist at the agricultureand Agri-Food Canadaeating any type of appleis still better than eatingno apples. Remember therhyme “An apple a daykeeps the doctor away/”Maybe this works after all.Health Tipsfrom KaiserPermanente1. If your tongue is coatedwhen you wake up in themorning, take a separatetoothbrush, wet it andbrush your tongue. Washtoothbrush immediately.2. Keep assorted size bandaidsin a handy place.3. Always wash your handswith soap and water afterusing the toilet.4. Use a nail file or brush toclean under your nails.5. Read the labels of all overthe-countermedications.6. Before you visit yourdoctor, write down a list ofquestions, symptoms andcomplaints you want todiscuss.CitizenzhipClassesDo you need aCitizenship Class?We are planning on openingup a few classes in the Falland would like to know fromour students the best timeto offer them. Let us knowthe best day of the week,what time of day, and mostconvenient location. Call(323) 653-4085 and leave amessage for Principal PaulHamel or e-mail him atphame1@lausd.k12.ca.usPage 17

SHENANDOAH FAMILY LITERACY NEWSHow the Program WorksShenandoah Family Literacy,a program of WestsideCommunity Adult School, usesfunds from First 5 LA to enrichthe Early Childhood Educationand Parent and Child Time(PCILA) components withfour multi-media computersas well as new books,manipulatives, and CD-ROMS.The program helps familiestransfer classroom learningto their home environment.Shenandoah Family Literacyhas a staff resource libraryand lending library includingbooks and manipulatives forthe children and accessiblereadings for the parents,together with motivating takehometote bags. The goal isto help parents create literacyand a learning-rich homeenvironment. The programalso addresses barriers tolearning. The teachers, in closecollaboration with the familyliteracy coordinator, identifiesneeds for support services andmake referrals to communityagencies. Nutritional snacks forchildren and their parents alsocontribute to more effectivelearning. The ShenandoahFamily Literacy programRole Modelby Violeta LiraI’m a mother of twoyoung children and a teenager.My 3 year old and I participatein this Literacy Program everydayand we are very happybecause the program is a bighelp to my daughter and me.We are learning English together.Our parenting teacherhas been providing us with avery warm environment and somuch information and parentingtips. My daughter learnedto be independent. She learnssongs, colors, sizes, dancingand reading.We take trips with thePage 18follows the Kenan Modelas promoted by the NationalCenter for Family Literacy,providing for the integrationof early childhood education,parent education, and adulteducation with a unifiedfocus on family literacy.Parents attend a centerbasedprogram with theiryoung children four daysa week. They participatein adult education classesapproximately seven hoursa week while their three-tofiveyear olds or toddlersattend a toddler or pre-schoolprogram. Parents also spend60 minutes daily in PACTtime activities, which arechild-centered and designedto help parents acquire andpractice the skills neededto serve as their child’sfirst teacher. In addition,parents attend a parenteducation/parent supportgroup class, which is offeredtwo hours each week. Afamily literacy coordinator,who is also responsible forteaching the early childhoodand parent educationcomponents, directs thismodel program.Violetta and Daniella Liraclass and discover new placeslike the farm, the museum, thelibrary, and the Eco Station.The most importantthing I’m learning is to be apositive role model for mychildren.Parents’ Opinions CountEncouragementby Ana SozoI was born in El Salvador.I have 3 brothers and4 sisters. I was the youngest.My family lived on a farm.My father worked on thefarm. He had his own farm.He raised cows and grewAna Sazo and Karina Orozocovegetables. My mother madecheese for sale. My father andmother never encouraged meto go to school. That’s why Iquit when I was in the sixthgrade. My father didn’t go toschool and my mother didn’tgo to school, either. Now I’min the Family Literacy programto improve my Englishand my husband and I workhard. We always encourageour children to go to schooland tell them how importantit is.EducatingMy Childrenby Estela PerezI’m from Mexico and I havebeen in this program 3 years.I like this program becausethe teachers are very nice.They help me very much withmy children to learn Englishand how to read and play.I’m learning how to educatemy children.Estella Perez, Jacquelineand Edward GomezOur Schoolby Maria RamosMy name is Maria Ramosand I’m from Mexico. Ihave been in California since1996. I’m married and nowI have two lively kids. Mydaughter Liliana is 6 yearsold and my son Christopheris 4 years old. This year he isin this program and I’m veryhappy because I have seenhow he has learned to behavesocially. Now he’s learninghow to speak, color and sing.Also, he is practicing writinghis name and the ABCs. Healso knows that he needs to bepolite with all the kids and hedoesn’t fight anymore. Anotherimportant thing is thathe is learning to share toysand food with everybody.Also this programhelped me learn how to be abetter mother and how to bevery patient with my kids,how to help them with theirhomework, also play withMaria and Chistopher Ramosthem. I’m very thankful formy English teachers becausethey help me a lot. Now I feelbetter with my English. I cantalk to other people withoutbeing nervous, and I love toread stories. So I just want tosay thanks to all the teachersin this program.Sylvia Zalma has been workingwith the Shenandoah Familyliteracy Program for five years.“We are so fortunate to haveSylvia as a teacher’s assistantin our program,” CandisWhittemore exclained. She isable to teach with the expertiseof the best teachers. Alwayssmiling, positive and helpful,she makes each student feel athome. She patiently answerstheir questions and assistsMy Experienceby Angelica RomeroIn my experience theShenandoah Family LiteracyProgram is an excellent programand I’m very gratefulto have this opportunity forme and my children, whohave been learning withcomputers, our own library,Angelica and Francisco Romeroand literacy materials. Thechildren use manipulativesand educational toys.We go with our childrento exciting places andevents. In parenting class themothers are able to discussinteresting issues and solveproblems so we can develophappy and healthy families.All our teachers arespecialists who truly careabout us and our children.They work as a team to providethe best for our children.I’m thankful for ourEnglish classes which havehelped me a lot in my personallife and to develop ideasand goals for the future. Forthese things and much more,many thanks.Sylvia Zalma: Positive and Helpfulthe teachers with their manypaperwork tasks. Sylvia is ajewel. Thank you very much.

A Great Learning Opportunityby Tae BruhwilerI was born and brought up in Japan. I came to thestates 12 years ago, after graduating from high school. Ihad earned bachelor’s degree in psychology, and worked asa preschool teacher for 5 years.My husband, Mario, and I got married in 2000. Wehave a 5-year-old daughter, Nadia, and a 3-year-old son, Julian.Currently, I am working part time for a Japanese preschoolon Saturdays, taking child development courses at localcommunity college, and I am a stay-home-mother duringweekdays.Our two children and Ihave been attending the FamilyLiteracy program for twoyears. We love the programfor many reasons.First of all, our childrenhave been learning so much.They have learned the joy ofreading, singing, sharing, andlearning. Their teachers arevery enthusiastic, encouraging,and understanding. TheyNadia, Tae and Julian Bruhwilerlisten and communicate wellwith us, parents. They aredoing such a remarkable job,preparing both the children and parents for a better future.Our daughter has been recently awarded for her exceptionalacademic achievement from her Pre-K. She has made friendswith many of her classmates, and she is really enjoying herschool life. Our son has also been learning so much. Wecan see his development in his speech, cognitive skills, andsocial skills. My husband and I are very happy about theirgrowth, and feel very appreciativeof the Family LiteracyProgram.Secondly, we love theprogram for providing greatlearning opportunity for us,parents. We learn variety ofthings in English, such as literature,history, and world geography.We also learn practicalskills such as typing andcomputer. Our ESL teachersare very warm, encouraging,and fun!In addition, we attendJulian, Mario, and Nadia BruhwilerC a n d i d C a m e r aYour Success Is Our Successby Smadar CohenMy name is Smadar Cohen. Iam the mother of three children.I arrived with my familyfrom Israel because myhusband will work here for ayear.The acclimatizationin this new country, with anew language was hard inthe beginning, but as I joinedthe project ofESL class Ifeel positiveenergy withthe teachers.They give somuch love,a t t e n t i o n ,concern andsupport andmake everything more easy.In addition to studying thelanguage, I’ve learned alsogeneral knowledge, history,and geography.The group guidancewith a lot of love, comprehensionand warmth as if wewere a family. This classhas such a good atmosphere,making studying a good experience.Candis is a personalityby herself. She is willingto give everything forher students and to the class.All the timeshe does herbest in endlessdevotion.No doubt thisyear is a successfulyearto me.I appreciateallthat I get and I hope thisproject by Candis continuesto prosper and more peoplecan benefit from this goodproject.There is no place inthe world that has such aproject that is as equal andgives the feeling of belongingand mostly the feelingthat your success is our success.Well done. Keep doing.Good luck.“Mom, TryYour Best Todayin Your Schooland I’m Goingto Try, Too.”By Llen PerezMy name is Llen Perez andI’m from Oaxaca, Mexico.I’m really happy to stay inthis school because I learn aIlen and Randi Perezlot. In my opinion, the firstthing I like about family literacyis you can leave yourchildren there while you arestudying English. For me, itis really important. Whileyou are learning your childrenare, too.In our ESL classeswe learn many different subjects.Now I speak moreEnglish than last year. I nowneed to practice more. Thatis why I try to come as oftenas I can. I think everythingyou learn from schoolis very important in your lifebecause you have more opportunitiesin your work. Athome you can help your childrento read and write andhow to do their homework.My oldest son is very happywith me and every day tellsme “Mom, try your best todayin your school and I’mgoing to try, too.” I’m veryproud of my son. Thank youfor everything.When I was young inmy country, before the program,I went to school forabout 6 years. Then I had togo to work when I was only12 years old because myfather didn’t have enoughmoney for food. That’s whyI had to help them. When Iwas 22 years old I got married.After that I came to thiscountry because it has moreopportunities, especially towork and study.Now I have two boysand I want to help them.That’s why I stay in this wonderfulprogram. Thanks.parenting classes once a week, where we develop our knowledgeabout child development, and how we can provide thebest learning and nurturing environment for them. We also of Candis gave me muchdisscuss our concerns and challenges about raising children. more in another matter. IIt is very informative and assuring to attend the class. It is feel satisfaction when I comeso wonderful to have a place where we can listen and learn to class and I do not want tofrom other parents, with the guidance of knowledgable and miss even one day. The goodunderstanding parenting teacher.feeling I have because theyThanks for this program, I was inspired and motivatedto set goals for myself. I am studying to acquire certi-are glad to see me. They acceptme and all the studentsfication in teaching, and the license to open my own school.I will be able to accomplish this goal in one year. This is justone of the many goals I have. One of the most important A Field Trip to the Eco-Centergoals for our family would be to create happy and harmoniousfamily, through developing ourselves and appreciatingeach other. We would like to see every one of us making themost of ourselves, and contributing to our community. Ourdetermination is to overcome challenges in life with courage,perseverance, and the power of unity, and spread hopeand joy to our community.Lastly, I really would like to thank all the peoplewho have been making this wonderful program possible;especially our wonderful program director, Miryam Tarica,Westside Adult School Principal, Paul Hamel, ESL teachers,Candis Whittemore, Sylvia Zalma and others, IT specialist,Sima, and our children’s greatest teachers, Julie, Armida,Sharon, Rosa, Yolaidis, Maria. Thank you so very much! Page 19

Have We Changed?(continued from page 7)the home in which they livedue to the three fold increase invalue over the last few years,Phil Gleason explained. Who,thirty years ago, could everimagine million-dollar homesalong Sweetzer, Havenhurst, orLa Jolla Streets? Wil Kinsley,a thirty-year resident onNorton Street, believes that thearea will eventually become“East Beverly Hills.” Kinsleybelieves thatl o n g - t e r mresidents areg r a d u a l l yb e i n gsqueezed outby a younger, Wil Kinsleym o r emoneyed professionalgeneration. “People are buyingfor investment, not to live here,”continued Kinsley, and addsthat this is such a great placeto live that even straight peoplewant to live here. He jokes,“ L o v e l ycity! But,where’s theaffordablehousing?”R a eM i t c h e l l ,a localresident ofRay Mitchell31 years,also agreesthat more professionals andGays are moving in. MsMitchell is noticing morelicense plates with doctor’ssymbols in her building’sparking garage.TrafficA third major issue that hasworsened over the years istraffic. The density of thearea didn’t seem to botherthose questioned, but notbeing able to get aroundquickly and comfortablyis a growing concern. WilKinsley asked, “Where’s thesubway?” Thanks to methanegas and the explosion at Ross’sDepartment store in the 1980s,a subway in the area has been adead issue. Only recently, withthe support of CongressmanHenry Waxman, a proposedsubway is now being talkedabout again.Phil and Carrie Gleasondon’t worry about the traffic;they like taking the bus andwalking. Phil takes a bus todowntown Los Angeles everyday and enjoys it. He says it’sconvenient. Carrie takes a busfrom West Hollywood CityHall to Fairfax and then walksto her favorite weekly activity,Page 20 S a t u r d a yPhil and Carrie Gleasonafternoon ballroom dancingat the Fairfax Senior CitizensCenter on Melrose. SofiaGelman, a retired doctor, likesthe new buses because thereare no stairs.Social ServicesSocial services,especially for senior citizens,have steadily increased overthe past 25 years. SofiaGelman points out that the localgovernment is closer to thepeople, listens,and providesthe neededsenior citizenservices. Sheadded thatthese servicesalsotouchthe youth byp r o v i d i n gSofi a Gelmanthem with a teen center wherelocal boys and girls can play insupervised activities, in whichthey learn how to interact witheach other and with seniors.Gelman said that this hasimproved the behavior of manychildren, especially in showingrespect for others.New TechnologySurprisingly, all but twoof the residents questioned had acell phone. None have recentlyused a public phone. Mostbegrudgingly have a cell phoneout of necessity, especiallyduring an emergency.Computers have notonly become popular with theyouth, but also with the oldergenerations. Except for twopersons, everyone questionedhad a computer and knew howto use it. One only has to visita morning computer class forsenior citizens at PlummerPark or Park La Brea to realizethat no matter what the age,we can still learn to use newtechnology.“The Internet has madeit easier to meet people,” saysWil Kinsley. Kinsley, who tooka computer class at PlummerPark, was shocked to pay onlya few dollars for the WestsideCommunity Adult Schoolclass.The Russian CommunitySofia Gelman, aRussian-speaking, retireddoctor, and member of the WestHollywood Senior AdvisoryBoard, predicts that theRussian-speaking communitywill no longer exist in anothertwenty years. Gelman alsosuggest that future Russianimmigrants may not be Jewish.Raisa Chertok of Hollywood,explains that the elderlyRussian Jews are dying off andtheir children are moving tooutlying areas. Jolie Bechet,an English-as-a-SecondLanguage (ESL) teacher atPlummer Park, confirms thatthere is a change in the makeup of adult education studentsat Plummer Park. New Englishlanguage learners only includea hand full of Russian-speakersand fewer Spanish-speakers aswell. New students make upa diverse mixture of French,Italian, Eastern Europeans,Israelis, Koreans, Armenians,Japanese, Brazilians, and evenYemenis. The group is youngerand more professional andeven includes some “foreignwives” of American men. Inthe ESL, computer and artclasses at Park La Brea therehas also been an increase in thenumber of Korean students.Ron Studebaker, a 30-yearresident of the area, says thatnow the community is more“integrated” with variousgroups coming together.Three Communitiesin OneMost residents seemto agree that there are reallythree different communities inone: the residents, those whowork here, and the “evening”crowd. The residents still walkin the neighborhood, chat withtheir neighbors when walkingtheir dogs, and are diverse inlife styles. The second groupincludes those who work here.”“They look at West Hollywoodwith envy because they don’tlive here, says Wil Kinsley. The“evening” group brings money(through taxes) to pay for cityservices. These evening guestshave provided the residentswith an extraordinary level ofsocial services, which is theenvy of other municipalities.Shirley Franta, a photographerwho take photos in bars andrestaurants, says that “theevening crowd doesn’t dressup any more and doesn’t spendmoney like it used to.” Kinsleysees a change in how the eveningcrowd has fun. “Back then, itwas drinking to socialize, thenit turned to tweaking, and nowto awareness,” he said. Hebelieves that the crystal methproblem has greatly impactedthe community.The Gay CommunityThe Gay community hasflourished over the last 30years. As in many other citiesthe “Gay” area was usuallyfound in the “industrial” part ofthe city, today Gay businessesare at the center of the city andcommunity life. There’s evena Gay church, the MetropolitanCommunity Church and aJewish temple, Ben Ami.Ron Price, a formerMarine and 45-year resident,feels that he lives a better lifetoday. He says that he doesn’tthink of himself as only “Gay,”but as a “human being,” justthe same as everyone else.“Cityhood made the Gaycommunity progressive andmeaningful,”he added.“Yesterday’sf a n t a s yb e c a m et o d a y ’ sfacts. Welearned that Ron Priceeverything ispossible.”Park La BreaJoy Simmons, agraduate of Los Angeles HighSchool and a 30-year residenton Block 10 of Park La Brea,explained that Park La Breais always changing. Its latesttransformation includes anew generation of residents,especially young familieswith children. “Just look atthe number of strollers thatare around now,” says Ms.Simmons. She explained thatafter WorldJoy SimmonsWar II,Park LaBrea wasa housingproject forveterans.It was sop o p u l a rthat most ofthe residents stayed and aged,thus explaining why Park LaBrea was widely considered a“senior community” in the 70sand 80s. She also notes thatthere is more of an ethnic mixwith more Korean familiesmoving in. “I just look at thenew laundry room instructions,which are written in Korean, tosee who is moving in,” said Ms.Simmons. Still, with all thischange, she considers Park LaBrea to be a great place to live.“People are friendly, feel safe,and know their neighbors.”Ms. Simmons also pointedout that the place looks like acommunity—”a town withina town.” In closing, she saidthat Park La Brea still has that“village allure” that brought somany of the residents here inthe first place.So, have we changed?Of course we have. Howcould we not? Isn’t change theonly constant in the universe?“Maybe some things just don’tchange or shouldn’t change,”says Don Leach. Other issuesthat seem not to have changedmuch are the level of crime,tolerance, and diversity. Someof the best unchanged placesare Canter’s Restaurant, Pink’sHot Dogs, and Irv’s Burgers.Phil Gleason sums it all up bysaying that the best thing thathasn’t changed is our greatweather.What Got Better• Cleaner air• People’s attitudes• Police attitude• Cleaner streets• City garbage bins• More kids in the area• Recycling• No stairs on new buses• Wider sidewalks• More outdoor seating atcafes and restaurants10 Best Improvements• Smokeless restaurants• Internet• The Grove• Fairfax and Duran Libraries• Park La Brea renovations• Santa Monica Boulevard• Pan Pacifi c Park• Domestic Partnerships• Underground cables• Cell phonesWhat Has NotChanged• Weather• Allure of the area• Tolerance• Diversity• Level of Crime• Canter’s Restaurant• Pink’s Hot Dogs• Irv’s Burger• Hansen’s BakeryWhat Got Worse• Homelessness• Panhandling• Real Estate and rental prices• Methamphetamineproblem• Traffi c• Price of gas• Size of cars• Density of population• How people dress