Amazon’s Kindle!

Amazon has come out with a great new gadget-Kindle! And we are on it!!!

We are proud to announce that our book Real Estate Spanish is now available via Kindle 

 Check it out & see what the buzz is all about:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FI73MA?tag=allseasonsles-20&camp=15309&creative=380093&linkCode=st1&creativeASIN=B000FI73MA&adid=11QJYR8893PBK2H26AM0&

The unfortunate rising costs of gas have put extreme limits on individuals and families.  People are cutting back on outings, vacations, and any vehicle usage that is not directly related to work.

Therein lies the beauty of learning Spanish online: Save money and time by learning online! Our online lessons and tutoring are one-on-one and customized to fit our clients’ needs.  You tell us what you want to learn and we find the resources  to help you reach your goal

We use a variety of web meeting and audio communication websites to ensure your time is used efficiently.

Our sessions include access to a virtual whiteboard, ability to upload and share pdf’s, and clear zero cost audio communication.

In addition, we work with our clients to set meeting times that work with their busy schedules.

Please contact us for more information!

megan@allseasonslessons.com

480/330-9551

Cinco de mayo-fifth of May (yes, mayo is written in lower case because the months of the year are not capitalized in Spanish like in English).

Cinco de mayo is not  Mexican Independence Day (Mexican Independence Day is September 16th). Rather, it is the day in the town of Puebla that the Mexican Army of 4,000 defeated the French Army (led by Napoleon) which was twice its size!

Cinco de mayo celebration recipe

Carne Asada Tacos 

 INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless beef top sirloin, cut into thin bite-size slices
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• crushed red pepper to taste
• 1 lime
• 1 (28 ounce) can tomatillos
• 2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded
• 4 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth
• 12 (6 inch) corn tortillas
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 avocado - peeled, pitted and sliced
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 lemon

DIRECTIONS

1. Place sliced meat into a shallow bowl, and season with salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Squeeze the lime juice over the meat, and turn until evenly coated. Cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. In a blender or food processor, combine tomatillo and jalapeno. Puree for 15 to 20 seconds, or until thick. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Carefully pour in tomatillo mixture. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Stir in beef broth. Reduce heat, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until mixture coats a spoon. Transfer mixture to a serving dish.
3. Heat tablespoon oil in a large skillet over high heat. Stir in 1/3 of the beef, and saute for 1 minute. Transfer to serving dish. Repeat with remaining beef. Meanwhile, heat tortillas in the oven or microwave, according to package instructions.
4. To serve, place two tortillas on top of each other. Add desired amount of meat, spoon over some tomatillo mixture. Top with onions, tomatoes, avocado and cilantro. Garnish with a wedge of lemon, to be squeezed over taco before eating.

Okay, the real estate market is not-um how do I say this? not what it used to be? not as reliable? Alright, so that is putting it mildly.

So, why should we spend money to learn Spanish when we barely have enough to pay our bills? Please, let me explain:)

Got floor duty? How often do you answer the phone when on the other line is a Spanish only speaker? Lord have mercy-you are stuck!! But, what if someone taught you the basics and you were able to communicate with the caller? What if you were able to find out the main idea of what they were looking for? Okay, granted, it wasn’t the smoothest conversation but you made it, right? All of this just for spending 25hrs of your life taking a Spanish real estate conversation class-no grammar, no subjunctive verb conjugating-just the meat and potatoes.  Okay, maybe you don’t leave the class speaking real estate Spanish as fluently as you do in English-that’s okay!!! You will leave the class being able to communicate with Spanish speakers. That is a huge tool and leg up that you will have on your competition.

But what if you don’t get the opportunity to use what you learned in class and start to lose it? Did you know that we offer free refresher courses for all of our returning students? I bet you didn’t!! No excuse! We’ll see you in class!!!!!!!! 

Why learn Spanish you ask? Why not learn Spanish is more like it!

Okay, yes we all have a myriad of excuses why we can’t do something but do we have the same amount for why we can? Maybe we should think about things that way…

The trend is that the Hispanic population is ever changing and increasing. This is quite the “tender” topic these days-I’m fully aware. Why can’t they learn English? How long did it take you to learn English? Personally, I’m still working on it.  Besides that, the Spanish language is a HUGE part of the Hispanic culture.  In addition, think of it this way:

You are learning Spanish as you are traveling to Spain on business. It’s difficult and down right embarrassing at times when you hear yourself, right? But, you plug along ever so determined to somewhat master it and be able to communicate beyond successfully asking someone where the bathroom is. You arrive in Spain and are feeling confident as you are able to navigate your way to your hotel, inquire about nearby restaurants and figure out how to use  public transit.

You are in town for an important business meeting. Problem? Nah! Look at you-you are THE Spanish speaker. You make your way to the meeting and seat your self at the conference table brimming with pride and then the meeting starts…holy crap! what are they saying? Is this Spanish? Or did they not tell you the meeting was going to be conducted in Greek-because that is what it sounds like to you. You’ve lost your confindence and you are fumbling, stumbling and sinking faster than a bottomless boat. But then, an angel appears in the room-SOMEONE WHO SPEAKS BOTH SPANISH AND ENGLISH! You are grateful, you are exuberent, you are once again feeling comfortable. Sweet sweet English! You sit through the meeting and are even able to throw in a few Spanish phrases here and there but don’t miss a thing because you have the English translation to piece together what you’ve missed.

Okay, now back in the United States and to the issue at hand. Spanish speakers may have little/minimal English experience. They have business to give you and money to spend but are so limited due to the language barrier. That is where learning Spanish comes in…learn the language, lower/eliminate the barrier. Speaking to a foreigner in their native language creates a comfortable environment-it creates trust. How can you trust someone if you don’t know what they are saying?

Top 5 Spanish Study TipsBy Megan McGuire/All Seasons Lessons, Inc. www.allseasonslessons.com 

1. Don’t get frustrated! Easier said then done, right? Well, I know all about getting frustrated while trying to learn Spanish. I come from a family where only English was spoken-so I know! There is no “set-pace” for learning Spanish. You need to learn at the pace that works best for you. That’s where taking community college/university classes can become difficult. They tend to move at a fast pace. If you can keep up with that pace-great! If you can’t, you may want to pursue other opportunities. There are tons of great online and private resources available. Check out my website: http://www.allseasonslessons.com. I have companies listed on my “Resources” page and also on my blog: http://www.blog.allseasonslessons.com. 

2. Don’t watch Spanish TV if you are a beginner! They speak extremely fast and are using an enormous  variety of grammar and vocabulary. It’s only going to lead to frustration and aggravation. Who needs it?! 

3. Study Study Study!!! Yes, you have to do it. No, you do not have to spend hours on end. Chunk your study sessions into short periods of time. If you have note cards with vocabulary to memorize, I recommend studying them during television commercials. Who wants to work all day and then come home and study all night? Not me! Keep your cards with you while you are watching TV and only study them during the commercials. Memorization is best achieved when you study for short, frequent periods of time. Please refer to my blog for other study tips: http://www.blog.allseasonslessons.com 

4. Only study what you need/want to learn, specifically if you are in business and are only interested in learning specifics related to your field. For example, a real estate agent doesn’t need to learn all about shopping at a grocery store if they are only interested in communicating with their Spanish speaking clients. There are many companies that offer career specific Spanish lessons. My company offers a complete Spanish for Real Estate program: http://www.allseasonslessons.com/products.html. 

5. Watch career specific Spanish television. What?! You just said not to watch Spanish television! Okay, let me explain: using real estate agents as an example, you can occasionally find cable access channels that will run local real estate shows advertising homes for sale in the area. They have the same type of shows in Spanish. It’s a great, safe way to utilize and recognize vocabulary you’ve learned. Once you have completed a career Spanish program, I would then recommend delving in and watching these programs on TV. The objective is to utilize your time and not waste it on something you don’t understand or will only frustrate you. The majority of the words being spoken will be ones you are familiar with and learned in your program. Plain old Spanish TV programs are not going to give you the same exposure or result. Another example: if you’ve completed a career specific automobile sales Spanish program, watch one of the dealership’s cable access programs. They run them in both English and Spanish. It’s a great opportunity to revisit vocabulary and phrases you’ve learned. Plus, it gives you the opportunity to listen to someone else, besides your instructor, and decipher what they are saying. Instructors enunciate and speak slower on purpose. Unfortunately, not all native speakers you will work with do that. 

Good Luck-Buena Suerte 

Publisher: Megan McGuire All Seasons Lessons, Inc.
Phone: 480-330-9551Megan@alllseasonslessons.com

Copyright, 2007 - www.allseasonslessons.com- All Rights Reserved 

I don’t own this program but it looks fun! I truly believe that singing helps with retention. Plus, it makes boring text work more enjoyable. When I taught 2nd grade I used a bunch of songs to help teach different concepts-and it worked!

Check it out:http://www.musicalspanish.com

All Seasons Lessons Labellezaazul.pps

Here’s a little power point presentation…its good practice! It allows you to control the speed so you can look up the words you don’t know. Plus there are a lot of cognates (words that look/mean the same in English and Spanish). My recommendation: Go through it once and see what you can figure out from the content clues (pictures and graphics). Second time through jot down/look up the words you don’t know. Don’t fret if you don’t understand what it is saying-that is how we learn-by practicing!!!!

Did you know…?!

The immense buying power of the nation’s Hispanic consumers is reshaping the retail and commercial landscape of the United States, and Selig Center projections reveal that Hispanics will control about $686 billion in spending power in 2004. In fact, Census 2000 showed that more than one person in eight who lives in the U.S. is of Hispanic origin. Moreover, the U.S. Hispanic population will continue to grow much more rapidly that the non-Hispanic population. By 2009, nearly one person out of every six living in the U.S. will be of Hispanic origin.Over the nineteen-year period, 1990-2009, the nation’s Hispanic buying power will grow at a dynamic compound annual rate of 8.2 percent. (The comparable rate of growth for non-Hispanics is 4.9 percent.) In sheer dollar power, Hispanics’ economic clout will rise from $222 billion in 1990, to $504 billion in 2000, to $686 billion in 2004, and to $992 billion in 2009. The 2009 value will exceed the 1990 value by 347.1 percent—a percentage gain that is substantially greater than either the 148.5 percent increase in non-Hispanic buying power or the 158.8 percent increase in the buying power of all consumers. U.S. Hispanic buying power will grow faster than African-American buying power (203 percent) and Native American buying power (240 percent), but will grow at the same rate as Asian buying power (347 percent).

In 2009, Hispanics will account for 9 percent of all U.S. buying power, up from 5.2 percent in 1990. Due to this relatively brisk growth, Hispanic buying power ($923 billion) will exceed African-American buying power ($911 billion) in 2008.
Of the many forces supporting this substantial and continued growth, the most important is favorable demographics, but better employment opportunities also help to increase the group’s buying power. Because of both higher rates of natural increase and strong immigration, the Hispanic population is growing more rapidly than the total population, a trend that is projected to continue. Between
1990 and 2009, the Hispanic population will increase by 121 percent compared to 14.1 percent for the non-Hispanic population and the 23.7 percent gain for the total population.

The relatively young Hispanic population, with more of them either entering the workforce for the first time or moving up their career ladders, also argues for additional gains in buying power, which will be even more important in this decade than in the 1990s. In 2000, 35 percent of the Hispanic population was under age 18 compared to 26 percent of the total population, and the median age of Hispanics was 26 compared to 35 for the entire population. Clearly Hispanics’ spending patterns will determine the success or failure of many youth-oriented products and services. The increasing number of Hispanics who are successfully starting and expanding their own businesses is another potent force powering the growth of this consumer market, as evidenced by the 1.2 million Hispanic-owned firms in the U.S.

Source: Selig Center for Economic Growth’s The Multicultural Economy, 1990-2009

Times are changing. Its hard to imagine trying to learn a second language, but get your feet wet! There are many great Spanish products on the market. I offer customized one-on-one lessons. If that doesnt work for you, choose an avenue that does. Check out my website: allseasonslessons.com and click on “Resources”. If you don’t find what you are looking for, drop me an email: Megan@allseasonslessons.com

Did you know that anyone that participates in any of our seminars are allowed to participate in upcoming seminars free of charge? We at All Seasons Lessons know that everyone can use a Spanish refresher course. It is our goal that our students retain what they’ve learned in our classes and be able to use in their personal/business lives.