Words of wisdom from ELC students

The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the National Football League. The Patriots may not be in the final game this year, but that doesn’t mean Boston won’t be celebrating! For the ultimate American Football experience, peruse this list of places to go, food to eat, and beer to drink so you don’t miss out on this time-honored American tradition!

What to eat:
Super Bowl Sunday is the second biggest day for food consumption in the United States (second only to Thanksgiving Day, of course). Traditionally, there is no meal on Super Bowl Sunday – we snack all day on finger-foods, appetizers, chips, dips, and beer. Prepare yourself for a day of delicious, fried food!

• “Sliders” – Mini hamburgers, turkey burgers or veggie burgers.
• Wings – Deep fried chicken wings, best when dipped in blue cheese or ranch dressing
• Dips & Salsa – You will find a vast selection of sauces, dips and salsa to slather over all of the delicious finger food!
• Chili – Chili is a thick, chunky meat stew that is often spicy. Be sure to ask how spicy it is and don’t forget to add cheese!! (*Remember – chili can often have pork in it! Check with your server if you do not eat pork!)
• Tacos/Taquitos/Nachos/Quesadillas – TexMex food is extremely popular on game day! These foods often consist of four tortilla, covered in or filled with ground beef, lettuce, tomato, cheese and guacamole!
• Beer – Boston is America’s beer city! Drink up and enjoy!

Where to watch the game:
Boston is home to some of the oldest & best sports bars in the United States! Pick any one of these well known pubs, grab a bar stool and enjoy the game!

• The Greatest Bar: (262 Friend Street) This bar celebrates the greatest aspects of Boston’s rich history in sports, politics, entertainment, and architecture. If you’re looking to watch the big game, you’re sure to get a great view with this bar’s 14-foot flat screen TV – the largest in Boston!
• GameOn!: (82 Landsdowne Street) GameOn! is the mother of all sports bars. This place is home to over 90 HD TV’s and a sound system that could blow out the windows. At this bar, you can find any game playing at any time; but on February 3, prepare yourself for Super Bowl Madness!
• McGreevy’s: (911 Boylston Street) McGreevy’s Irish Pub & Sports Bar is known as America’s first sports bar! Since opening in 1894, McGreevy’s has been Boston’s go-to bar for big sporting events!
• Cask’n Flagon: (62 Brookline Avenue) This world-famous bar is located directly across from Fenway Park – the epicenter for Boston sports fans.
• Jerry Remy’s: (1265 Boylston Street) Whether you’re searching for the perfect place to catch a game or a late night hot-spot, Remy’s is the place for you. With two 6.5 X 11 foot HD televisions and thirty 60-inch TVs, you wont miss a moment of Sunday’s big game!
• Brighton Beer Garden: (386 Market Street) The Garden is one of Boston’s best and oldest bars. They also have an excellent and extensive domestic and imported beer selection!
• The Four’s: (166 Canal Street) A Boston tradition since 1976! This bar was voted #1 sports bar in America by Sports Illustrated magazine!

I’m not sure whether all of ELC’s loyal blog followers have heard but here in Boston we have started a hot new club that is taking the city by storm. It has been called “one of the most exciting things” in Boston by a participating student and it is quite literally making people sweat with anticipation.

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, I am referring to none other than the ELC Running Club.

Founded by myself and one of the core teachers, this club has been up and running (get it?) for just about a month now. We run twice a week, usually on Mondays and Wednesdays, around downtown Boston and have found some of the most beautiful routes in the city. We have been doing 3 or 4 mile runs up and down the esplanade that runs along the Charles River and there are always points during each of our runs when we can’t help but stop and admire the view of the boats on the river and the city skyline.

When we started the club, we figured it would be a great way to get students out into the fresh air and exercising as the weather warmed up here in Boston. I figured we would have some seasoned runners mixed in with some students who wanted to try it for the first time. Little did I know that I would be joined by a Venezuelan tri-athlete, a Saudi Arabian professional gymnast as well as a Chilean half-marathon runner and would have to push myself far, far beyond my snail’s pace to keep up.

Our end goal is to complete the Run to Remember. This race takes place on May 27^th and gives you the option between a 5-mile race and a half marathon. With all of the proceeds going toward community and kids programs through Boston’s Police Department, it is a great way to have students put their hard work toward a great cause.

Overall, I think that it has been fun for students and staff alike to get involved with ELC’s Running Club and to get out and enjoy the city on some of the most beautiful days of the year. I know that I personally have had a wonderful time and have pushed myself harder than I had expected and I hope that the club continues to grow and that perhaps it can continue past our first race!

Written by Laura A., Student Services Coordinator

Geoffrey Mutai, Boston Marathon 2011

It was a wonderful experience to be here in Boston for watch the 115th annual Boston Marathon. I went with some classmates from ELC and our teacher Janet. We met at Kenmore Station, one mile from the finish line, and first watched the wheelchairs runners and then the other runners going to the finish line.

So many people were there to encourage the runners in their last mile. Everyone was cheering, whistling, clapping and making a lot of noise with bells.

Geoffrey Mutai from Kenya won this race with a time of 2h:03mi:02sec. In the wheelchair division the winner was Masazumi Soejima from Japan with 1h:18mi:50sec. In women’s division Caroline Kilei from Kenya was the winner with 2h:22mi:36sec. In women’s wheelchair division Wakako Tsuchida from Japan won with 1h:30mi:21sec.

More of 25000 runners participated in this important race, which is one of the World Majors Marathons (WMM) with New York, Berlin, London and Chicago.

When I arrived in Boston last January, I tried to register to run this race but the registration process was already closed on October 18 last year. It was the first time in the Boston Marathon’s history that this process only was 24 hours and over 25000 people registered.

I hope come back to Boston and run this important race but first, I will run the Berlin marathon in September 2011.

by Cesar Augusto Cardona from Colombia

ELC students delved into the exciting arena of intercollegiate sports by attending a Harvard University versus Colgate University Men’s Ice Hockey game. Harvard, the home team, won 6-2. Go Crimson! For a recap of the game see the Harvard Sports page.

Attending intercollegiate sports is a cheaper, yet equally enjoyable option to attending professional sporting events.

Soccer is a beautiful game and the World Cup is a wonderful international competition. People from all over the world spend one month watching games and cheering on their country. Even while studying in the USA, ELC students watched as many games as they could. Below are pictures of how our Spanish students (and supporters from other countries) at ELC  Boston celebrated Spain winning the World Cup!