Dramatc Performance: Complicated Love

On Monday, April 30, the students in the Advanced Listening/Speaking class of the Loyola Intensive English Program, taught by LIEP instructor Jess Haley, completed their semester with two dramatic performances: Complicated Love and Horrible Bosses.

This post will share with you some scenes from Complicated Love. Our next post will share scenes from Horrible Bosses.

COMPLICATED LOVE

Complicated Love follows the love-life of a young man named Vincent who professes love for three women in his search for one true love.

First, Vincent declares his love for Vita.

James Zhang of China as Vincent and Helena Posada of Nicaragua as Vita

But then Vincent notices Clare, whom he has for years believed to be his sister. Clare surprises Vincent with the news that she is not related to him after all.

James Zhang of China as Vincent and Ying Liao of China as Clare

Vincent's third love interest is Karen, Vita's boss.

James Zhang of China as Vincent and Nicole Rios of Nicaragua as Karen

Vincent decides to marry Vita, but Karen storms into the wedding and attacks Vincent! She knocks him out, and he ends up in the hospital in a coma!

James Zhang of China as Vincent, Jinhee Lee of Korea as the priest, Helena Posada of Nicaragua as Vita, Nicole Rios of Nicaragua as Karen, and Marietta Rivero of Mexico as the Narrator

The doctor announces that it is not known if Vincent will ever wake up. Vita is not willing to spend her life caring for Vincent. She says goodbye and leaves him.

Jinhee Lee of Korea as the doctor, James Zhang as Vincent, and Helena Posada as Vita

Ten years later, Vincent wakes up from his coma to find that Clare has cared for him all this time. The two profess undying love!

Ying Liao of China as Clare and James Zhang of China as Vincent

Our thanks to the cast of Complicated Love and to LIEP Instructor Jess Haley for a very enjoyable performance!

Our next post will share scenes from the second play, Horrible Bosses.

Easter Egg Dyeing

On Wednesday, March 28, Loyola Intensive English Program (LIEP) students spent an hour dyeing Easter eggs!


Below we see eggs in preparation.

James Zhang of China dyes an egg.

CoCo Zhao of China dyes an egg.

An orange egg with yellow lettering 

An egg with a face

The dyed eggs are displayed for all to see.

Eggs are set out to dry.

We arrange our egg display.

Eggs to admire!

And now we show off our individual eggs!

CoCo Zhao of China has won a chocolate Easter bunny for the best egg!

Each of us has an egg to show off!

Dear World at Loyola

Several Loyola Intensive English Program (LIEP) students participated in the "Dear World at Loyola"  body art project on Wednesday, March 21. This project is the creation of Robert X. Fogarty, who photographs people with a message for the world written on parts of their body, usually their arms and hands. Fogarty publishes these messages at his "Dear World" website.


Below are Fogarty's photos of LIEP students, displaying their messages for the world.

Fahad Almutairi of Kuwait

Inajara Da Costa Nunes of Brazil

Alhousseyni Gallo of Senegal

Ying Liao of China

Alicia Lucidi of France

Ahn Nguyen of Vietnam

Helena Posada of Nicaragua

Nicole Rios of Nicaragua

Serena Wang of China

A very special CONGRATULATIONS to Serena Wang, who spoke about her experience as a traveler and student in the United States at a Dear World gathering for members of the Loyola University New Orleans community on Thursday evening, March 24.

A big THANK YOU to Serena Wang for speaking so movingly of her experience, to all the LIEP students who participated in the Dear World project, to LIEP Instructor Christina Indovina for arranging LIEP's participation, and to Robert X. Fogarty for his creative artistry.

Saint Joseph's Day

Monday, March 19 was Saint Joseph's Day, a very important day for people of Sicilian descent in New Orleans. Many years ago, Sicily suffered from a severe drought and famine. Sicilians prayed to their patron, Saint Joseph, and finally the long-awaited rain came to bring life to the crops and relief to the people. In gratitude to Saint Joseph, Siciians prepared an altar to honor their patron saint and to display the bountiful harvest, of which they distributed a large share to the poor and needy. This became an annual tradition, which was brought to the United States with Sicilian immigrants.

Today, Sicilian Americans in New Orleans prepare colorful altars with statues, holy pictures, candles, and elaborately decorated breads, pastries, and other foods. Some families open their homes for people to view their altars, pray, honor Saint Joseph, receive something to eat, and perhaps make a donation for the poor.

Loyola Intensive English Program (LIEP) students and instructors visited two Saint Joseph altars in homes in uptown New Orleans, where we received a warm welcome, heard the story of Saint Joseph and the Sicilian famine, and admired the beautiful altar. We each received a bag containing a Saint Joseph prayer card, some Italian cookies, and a fava bean. We learned that the fava bean, usually used as food for cattle, was the only plant that grew during the famine and kept the people alive. Today it is considered a lucky bean, and whoever carries it will have good luck.

Below are photos from our visit to the Saint Joseph altars.

The Italian flag marks a home where a Saint Joseph altar is displayed

View of a Saint Joseph altar in an uptown New Orleans home

Another view of a Saint Joseph altar in an uptown New Orleans home

Nicole Rios of Nicaragua holds the gift bag she received with a Saint Joseph prayer card,
several Italian cookies, and a lucky fava bean.

Upon our return, LIEP Instructor Christina Indovina had an additional treat for us. She had assembled  all the ingredients for us to learn to make the traditional Italian fig cookies called cuccidati. Below are photos of our cuccidati making.

Ying Liao of China, Felix Garmendia of Venezuela, and LIEP Instructor Christina Indovina
mix ingredients.

The dough is rolled out, eventually to form a rectangle.

The fig stuffing is added and rolled up in the dough.

The cuccidati are carefully cut.

Alicia Lucidi of France prepares to take a baking sheet of cuccidati to the oven.

Alhousseyni Gallo of Senegal waits for the cuccidati to bake.

The cuccidati are ready to eat!

CoCo Zhao of China enjoys one of our just-baked cuccidati!

VISIT TO MARDI GRAS WORLD

Mardi Gras is just around the corner - on Tuesday, February 21 this year. Last week the students in the  Loyola Intensive English Program (LIEP) visited Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World, the den where floats are assembled and decorated for many of the carnival parades.


Our visit began with a film on the history of Mardi Gras.

LIEP students are ready to view a film on Mardi Gras history.

After the film, King Cake was served.

Our guide serves us King Cake.

Olena Kashirny of Ukraine and Irma Chavez of Venezuela enjoy King Cake together.

After the film and King Cake, we entered the den, a huge warehouse-like area filled with floats and props. The props are large figures of fiberglass or papier-mache which can be installed on different floats from year to year. Below you will see some of the props and floats in Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World den.

A long view of one section of the den, filled with props

Flowers for a float

Pol Salvador and Victor Messa of Spain watch as artists install flowers on a float.

Xiang "James" Zhang of China poses with a train float.

A mermaid prop

Helena Posada and Nicole Rios of Nicaragua pose with a Mr. Potato Head prop.

Cuicui "Coco" Zhao of China poses with a prop.

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Cuicui "Coco" Zhao and Xuan "Serena" Wang pose with a pelican prop.

We concluded our visit to Mardi Gras World with some time in the gift shop, where we were able to try on various Mardi Gras accessories.

Helena Posada and Nicole Rios of Nicaragua and Marietta Rivero of Mexico
model Mardi Gras headpieces.

Cuicui "Coco" Zhao of China, Luiza Azevado of Brazil, and Xuan "Serena" Wang of China
show off their alligator hats.

Hao "Kevin" Li of China poses in a Mardi Gras costume.

Finally, we gather to say goodbye to Mardi Gras World.

LIEP students pose for a final photo before saying goodbye to Mardi Gras World.

Our visit to Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World was fun and informative. Seeing where and how the floats and their props are created and assembled will increase our enjoyment during the carnival parades that begin this weekend, continue throughout next week, and culminate on Tuesday, February 21, with Mardi Gras itself!