La Sociedad Hispanica de Hong Kong News

Thank you to those of you who made yesterday's Get Together such an enjoyable occasion; especially Demaris and the six of you who spoke about your experiences learning Spanish. We didn't have a guest speaker, but Demaris, from Venezuela, took the bull by the horns and organised an impromptu tertulia (look it up) which demonstrated just how far we have advanced. People spoke confidently and well in Spanish in front of about 40 people. Well done everybody, it was great.

Next time, on September 8, we should be a bit more organized. Professor Eduardo Gonzalez, who on June 30th gave a wonderful talk on "La Nao de China", has kindly agreed to speak about the 200th Anniversary of Mexico's Independence, which will take place the following week. Eduardo is a first class speaker whose previous talk was characterised by its interest, clarity and logic - please come along. Native speakers are especially welcome. You have been an important and welcome element in out gatherings from the inception.

Please remember, if this will be your first time of attending, that the gatherings take place in CultureClub (www.cultureclub.com.hk), 15 Elgin Street lower, Soho District, Central (map attached) every three weeks, starting at 7 p.m.. Early attendance is appreciated because most of those attending have to go to work next day. We have a very supportive host; Lennon, who owns the CultureClub. He opens the whole area to us, as well as offers us free snacks and drinks at Happy Hour prices, after the first. Of course, we are expected to replicate by buying at least one drink. There is no need to register - just turn up and enjoy yourselves. As you can see we have got to No. 75 and one can only be enchanted by the warm and friendly atmosphere. If you are a learner it's a great chance to become more confident in your use of a beautiful language.

Please make a note in your diary - see you there.

Yesterday almost 50 of us enjoyed a wonderful talk given by Eduardo Rodr?guez on "La Nao de China"; boats that took emigrants from China to Mexico many years ago. The talk was characterised by its clarity, interest and logic and was enjoyed by all the people there - thank you so much Eduardo!

Next time, on July 28 (note 4 weeks after the previous one) we hope to have Glorimar, from Puerto Rica, give a talk on her country. Because of a possible trip this isn't completely certain, but is highly likely. Glorimar is a very popular member of the gatherings and her talk should be most enjoyable - please make a note in your diary to attend. Unfortunately I cannot be there as I'll be in the UK, so THERE WILL NOT BE A REMINDER). Ronaldo has kindly agreed to be the host! He always does a splendid job in this role, so please try to attend to support him and Glorimar.

Until I get back in mid-August you won't hear from me, so also please make a note about the Get Together on the 18th of August. Hope you can make that also. If anyone would like to give a talk at that one then let Ronaldo know on the 28th.

Remember, the Get Togethers take place from 7 p.m. onwards in CultureClub (www.cultureclub.com.uk) , 15 Lower Elgin Street, Soho District (map attached) and all with an interest in communicating in Spanish are welcome to attend. There is no need to register or pay any entrance fee, although everyone is expected to buy at least one drink in order to support our friendly host, Lennon.

Yesterday, June 9, we were treated to a fine talk on Argentinean worker cooperatives given by Doris Lee. It was well structured, easy to understand and interesting - thank you Doris.

Eduardo Rodr?guez, a Professor from Mexico, also made a valuable contribution during question time, so we are lucky that he has kindly agreed to give the next talk on the 30th. He is mulling over the theme, but it might be linked to the effect of Chinese immigration into Mexico. I'm sure that whatever he chooses will be interesting to listen to, so strongly recommend that you make a note in your diary to attend.

Thanks go to Lennon for the tasty snacks and kind hospitality.

Please remember that Get Together No. 72 will begin at 7 p.m. on June 30 in CultureClub, 15 Lower Elgin Street, Soho District (www.cultureclub.com.hk) (map attached). Hope to see you there.

Thank you to the close to 50 people who turned up to Get Together No. 70. We enjoyed an entertaining "charla" by Karen Romero, the theme being the Mexican obsession with tele-novelas, and we also said farewell to Paco, who will leave on Sunday for his new life in Poland. Paco has been such a positive participant in many of our meetings and will be sorely missed. We wish him the very best of luck and hope he will keep in touch.

On June 2, La Sociedad Hispanica will hold the annual Graduation Dinner; hence, the next Get Together will be in 4 weeks time, on June 9. Please make a note since you all welcome to attend in order to enjoy the social occasion, as well as to practise your Spanish. People who have graduated from their course will no doubt be eager to communicate, and test themselves, in the language with other aficionados and native speakers. The latter group which often include people from Uruguay, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Spain, are always very supportive and understanding about as to our effort in expressing ourselves well in their beautiful language..

We hope, depending on work commitments, to have Doris Lee give a talk, in Spanish of course, on factory occupations and worker-run cooperatives in Argentina in 2001 (during their economic crisis) and now. Please give her your support..

Please remember that Get Together No. 71 will begin at 7 p.m. on June 9 in CultureClub, 15 Lower Elgin Street, Soho District (www.cultureclub.com.hk). .

Because there was no speaker at yesterday's Get Together (21/04/10) there was a slight concern about a possible drop-off in numbers. However, this fear was unfounded. Thank you to the close to 50 people who turned up and had, I hope, such a good time. There certainly was a lot of Spanish spoken. An unexpected highlight was the presence of 4 Mexican gentlemen who turned up seemingly "out of the blue". They are returning to Mexico today, having been here on a business trip. It just goes to show that you never know who you will meet at the gatherings. In the future, we will probably have a few more social occasions that do not involve a volunteer speaker.

Next time, however, we should have the pleasure of a speaker. Karen Romero, who has given some terrific talks in the past, including one which prompted the then record number of people to turn up, has volunteered to give another one.

Thank you to Lennon, who provided really tasty snacks "on the house" yesterday.

The next Get Together might be the final time we see Paco, at least for a longish while. He is planning to emigrate to Poland shortly after the event in order to be with Katerina and find work. Paco has been a wonderful friend and supporter of the Get Togethers and I'm sure many of you will want to wish him a bon voyage. He will be greatly missed.

Remember then, we hope to see you, so that you may practise your Spanish, as well as enjoy the social aspect of the evening, at Cultureclub (www.cultureclub.com.hk) , 15, Lower Elgin Street, Soho District from 7 p.m on Wednesday, the 12th of May.

Come and sample some great Spanish wine and food in a relaxed and classy setting

¿Dónde? : Lockhart Room 2/F, Hong Kong Football Club 3, Sports Road, Happy Valley

Red Wines from Spain                                               White Wines from Spain

Thank you to the 40+ people who attended the Get Together on March 31st. Ronaldo, who hosted the event, wrote that the talk given by Michal and his friend, David, was "great". Apparently, in addition to the talk on Latin Music, they also sang some songs and played instruments. Participants at the talk have asked for a list of songs and artists, so here they are - Manana de Carnaval - Luiz Bonta; Bella Maria - Robert Kraft /Los Lobos; Esa Noche - Cafe Tacuba; Cuarto de Tula - Miembros de la club social de la Buena Vista; Todo Todo Todo -  Jorsasi. I'm really sorry I had to miss it and am grateful to the Michal, David and Ronaldo for helping the event to be a success.

The next Get Together will be on April 21st and I hope that all of you who wish to practise your oral Spanish will be able to make it. At the moment there is no speaker lined up, so it will be a purely social occasion - that is unless somebody wants to give a talk (please let me know before the 15th if you are willing - thanks).

Finally, as always, thanks go to Lennon for providing the venue, as well as extras such as free snacks and drinks at Happy Hour prices (after the first). The address of CultureClub (www.cultureclub.com.hk) , where the event takes place, is 15 Elgin Street (lower), Soho District, Central, and the evening starts at 7 p.m.

Hope you can make it on the 21st.

Thank you to the close to 50 of you who attended yesterday evening's Get Together at CultureClub (www.cultureclub.com.hk), 15 Elgin Street (lower), Soho District. I hope you had plenty of opportunity to practise your Spanish.

In addition, I would like to thank Omaira for her talk on a distinguished Venezuelan and also Stuart for donating some Spanish books and games which we had a free draw for during the evening. We all wish Stuart the best of luck when he shortly leaves to live in Japan. He will be missed at the Get Togethers.

We are very lucky to have Michal Garcia as the person who will give the next talk on March 31st. Michal is a Photographer and Music Professional, as well as a lively conversationalist, and he has agreed to give a talk on "M?sica Latina". Please make a note in your diary to attend - it should be an enjoyable and interesting occasion.

Future Get Togethers are scheduled for April 21 and May 12, so if any of you are interested in giving a talk, please get in touch.

Another piece of information, sent by Ronaldo, is that both Hong Kong University and the Chinese University of Hong Kong are hosting "Hispanic Months". The websites are as follows - http://www3.hku.hk/smlc/news/detail.php?id=240 and http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/lin/new/en/events/festivals.htm.

Thanks to Lennon, the owner of CultureClub, for providing us with a comfortable environment in which to practise our Spanish and it is hoped we see as many as possible of you next time.

Thank you to the more than 40 of you who braved the cold weather to attend yesterday's Get Together (17 02 10) in CultureClub (www.cultureclub.com.hk).

We were treated to a memorable talk given by Ronaldo (see the attached photo) on learning Spanish in Hong Kong. Below you will find some links which can provide you with useful resources to expand your knowledge of Spanish in an enjoyable way in your own home. Regarding RTVE, may I recommend programmes such as "Informe Seminal", "Españoles en el mundo" and "El hombre y la tierra". For all, just press "TVE a la carta" on the home page of RTVE - you will then find access to 5 pages, so you will need to find the page with the programme on. If you have any more advice on the theme of good web resources please send me the link and I'll broadcast it in a future e-mail.

In the next Get Together in CultureClub, 15, Elgin street, Soho District, Omaira will give a talk on her native country, Venezuela. She wants to concentrate on the good things about her country. Please make a note in your diary to support her on March 10. I'm sure it's going to be very enjoyable.

Yesterday we had participants from many levels of Spanish - from a person who just wanted to listen, up to a group of native speakers of Spanish hailing from different countries. I think it true to say that everyone had a good time, as well as the learners of Spanish improving their confidence in speaking the language. Please do not be shy about attending. It has been really noticeable that people who come regularly have experienced a large boost in their confidence to speak Spanish. In addition, everyone enjoys the hospitality of Lennon, the supportive owner of CultureClub.

RTVE -- http://www.rtve.es

Telemadrid -- http://www.telemadrid.es/home.pag

CCTV- Spanish -- http://www.telemadrid.es/home.pag

VOA- Spanish -- www.voanews.com/spanish

Yesterday, January 27, we had an incredible Get Together, in that 70 people attended! Thank you so much to all of you who helped to make it a record attendance. Of course, a special mention must go to Sergio, who gave a most interesting talk on the Spanish Film Director, Almodóvar. Not only did we learn about the director, but also why he, as opposed to other Spanish directors, has become world famous. There was also interesting commentary about Spain and the Spaniards - altogether fascinating, and I am sure many of those present will be inspired to see Almodóvar's new film, Broken Embraces, which opens in Hong Kong today, the 28th.

In addition, thanks must be given to Lennon, the congenial owner of CultureClub, who provided us with free snacks and a warm and friendly atmosphere. Finally, regarding thanks, our appreciation must be given to all the Latin and Spanish native speakers who helped to make the event such fun, as well as provided support for so many of us learning the language.

The next Get Together in CultureClub, 15 Elgin Street, Soho District (www.cultureclub.com.hk), will be on Wednesday, February 17, from 7 p.m. onwards. Please make a note in your diary. Ronaldo, a true friend of the group, who has attended a high percentage of the meetings, will give a talk on learning Spanish in Hong Kong without the aid of attending lessons. This was the theme of a Master's degree which he has recently been awarded. Please give him your support as he is obviously not a native Spanish speaker and he is going to work really hard on his presentation between now and then.

Hope to see you there. Don't forget you will have a truly wonderful opportunity to practise what Spanish you know amongst friends in a welcoming environment.

Yesterday, the 6th of January, 47 of us enjoyed the latest gathering in CultureClub (www.cultureclub.com.hk). Veronica gave a lively, interesting and amusing talk on Bhutan, and we thank her for it.

Our next Get Together will be held on the 27th of August from 7 p.m. and it is expected that Sergio Cardenas, Head of Spanish at South Island School, will give a talk (theme to be announced).

Please remember that everyone with a genuine interest in communicating in Spanish is very welcome to attend. We generally have some native speakers attending and they are invariably good company and very supportive of our effort to improve our grasp of their beautiful language.

Thanks go to Lennon, the owner of CultureClub, for being such a welcoming host. We especially value the free bocadillos!

Hope you can make it on the 27th.

Yesterday evening, Dec. 9, 46 of us helped Lennon, the owner of CultureClub, celebrate the 5th anniversary of that establishment. It was a very enjoyable occasion, made more so by a delightful talk from Jessica about her back-packing adventures in various Central American countries. Thank you, Jessica, for the work you put in to prepare for the talk and for "speaking from the heart". We all enjoyed it.

Our next Get Together will, because of Christmas time commitments, be in a month's time, on the 6th of January. I will be returning from Colombia only a few days before and could be suffering serious jet-lag, which will result in the usual reminder e-mail being later than usual, so please make a note in your 2010 calendar or diary NOW.

Veronica has kindly offered to give a talk about her trip to Bhutan. Her previous talk was most enjoyable - please support her.

Thank you for all the support and good friendship given in 2009. Let's hope that during 2010 we can continue practising our Spanish in CultureClub - a warm and welcoming environment!

Special thanks go to the hispano-hablantes who always give us so much support as well as make the gatherings truly international.

Feliz navidad.

Many thanks go to the 44 hardy souls who braved the cold weather to attend the latest Get Together. As usual I think it fair to say we had a very enjoyable evening, made more so by the lively and interesting presentation given by Sylvia on Latin American music. Our especial thanks go to her not only for the delivery, but also for researching the topic so thoroughly.

Our next Get Together will be on December 9th, from 7 p.m., in CultureClub, 15 Elgin Street, Soho District (www.cultureclub.com.hk), so please make a note in your diary to attend this event, which will not only enable you to meet and greet new and old friends, but also will give you the opportunity to practise whatever Spanish you know in comfortable and friendly surroundings. Members of the Society are especially welcome to attend. Get Togethers were started 5 years ago to give students a chance to talk Spanish outside of the classroom. Of course, anyone else interested in expressing themselves in Spanish, including native speakers, are also extremely welcome to come along.

Information should be available in the reminder e-mail about the theme and presenter of the talk on the 9th.

Thank you to the 50+ (I lost count after 50) people who attended the Get Together on the 28th of October. It was good to see new faces from levels 3 to 5 and it is hoped you will continue to come along to future gatherings, both to have an enjoyable time and also to practise and improve your Spanish.

Thanks go also to Billy Chan, who gave a comprehensive, well researched, talk on Guatemala. If we didn't know much about the country before, we certainly do now! At the next Get Together, on November 18, to which you are all welcome, Sylvia, who has links with Guatemala, Ecuador and the USA, and who previously gave a very interesting talk on Independence days in Central America ( 16/9/09), has kindly agreed to give a talk on a selection of Latin Music.

The Get Togethers are always held in CultureClub (www.cultureclub.com.hk) where the genial host, Lennon, provides us with a comfortable environment, free snacks and drinks at Happy Hour prices (after the first). The gatherings start at 7.00 p.m. and because many of us have to work next day early attendance is appreciated, so please make a note in your diary. Everybody with an interest in communicating in Spanish is welcome.

2009 SPANISH FIESTA

Tantalizing buffet dinner with Spanish highlights

¿Dónde? : Poolside, ROYAL HONG KONG YACHT CLUB

¿Cuándo? : Friday, 20 November, from 8:00pm to 11:30pm

¿Cuánto cuesto? : $380 for members*; $480 for non-members

*To encourage our members to attend this fun filled Fiesta, the Society is heavily subsidizing the cost.

!!FOOD AND ENTERTAINMENT UPDATE!!

Live Afro-Cuban Music!

By popular requests we are again very excited to have renowned Canadian Afro-Cuban Musician David Chala performing. Born in Matanzas, Cuba, David inherited the roots of music from his Cuban fellow musicians and has over 15 years of experience in composing and teaching Latin music, and conducting professional performance in Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Canada.

Flamenco Dance

We are delighted to have the Spanish flamenco dance performance by our member to add the energy and romance to our outdoor party. Let's dance together!

Extensive Menu with drinks included

The Club has prepared a fantastic BBQ+buffet menu for us. Drinks will be served during the dinner (house red and white wines, beer and soft drinks). Optional drinks are available at the bar for purchase, please buy the coupon at the Society reception counter.

Simply download and fill in the Form . Send it along with a cheque (made payable to "La Sociedad Hispanica de Hong Kong") to G.P.O. Box 11751, HK or bank-in slip HSBC 002-329498-001 by 11th November. Please note that we must notify the Club in advance to enable them to arrange the catering, so please sign up before the deadline.

No walk-in is entertained.

Our next Get Together will be held at CultureClub, 15 Elgin Street, Soho District, Central, on Wednesday April 25, starting at 7.15.  Sergio, a Mexican gentleman , living in Hong Kong,  has said he will give us a talk related to his country of origin.  This should not be missed, nor should the opportunity to converse in Spanish in relaxing surroundings with a very pleasant group of people. Everyone is welcome as long as they have an interest in communicating in the language at whatever level.

In addition, Lennon, the friendly and helpful owner of CultureClub, will provide us with tasty snacks, "invitada la casa", as well as drinks at Happy Hour prices (from the second onwards).

The last Get Together, held on April 4, went very well with some people staying until  11 p.m.. It was very nice to see some new faces, especially Patricia from Spain and Jos? a Venezuelan,  who it is hoped will one day agree to be an invited speaker as he has lots of interesting things to say about his country. We are very grateful to all native speakers who attend these gatherings - it's wonderful to have the opportunity to speak and receive support from the very people we are striving to communicate with by learning the language. We are also grateful to the regular participants, who always give us a core of people attending at every session. Hasta la próxima.

The last Get Together, on 14 March, was very successful, both from the point of view of numbers (26 - a record) and the quality of the contribution from Angel, a Friend of the Society, who spoke about some of the changes that have taken place in Spain over the past 30 years. In addition, we were very fortunate in having 5 native speakers to support us - 2 from Argentina, 2 from Spain and one from Mexico. Sergio, from Mexico, a first timer at our reunion has promised to talk at the meeting after next, on April 25.  This should be put into your diary now.

Once again we were very grateful to Lennon, the owner of CultureClub, who supplied us with free, tasty snacks, as well as provided us with Happy Hour price drinks after the first drink. Also, of course, it was a pleasure being able to converse in Spanish in quiet surroundings.

The next Get Together will be held on April 4. We hope as many of you as possible can make it. It really is a marvellous opportunity to practise your Spanish in relaxing surroundings with a very pleasant group of people. Anyone welcome, as long as they have an interest in the language.

For newcomers, CultureClub is located at 15 Elgin Street, Soho District, and our gatherings start at 7.15.