Classes & Programs for Spouses & Partners
Winter 2012

On This Page:
Friday Morning Coffee Spouse Workshops, Groups & Events Classes & Activities: Language classes Cooking classes Arts & Crafts Especially for Children Career, Education & Information Resource Center for International Families Contact Information

Friday Morning Coffee

This informal gathering is an ideal way to meet other spouses and learn about the many options for enriching your stay in the Stanford area. Conversation tables offer an informal way to meet others, practice English and share experiences. Join us every Friday, between 10 a.m. and noon! Also join Chula during the Friday Coffee for Songs for Children, around 11:00 am in the Back Lounge! We each bring a snack or fruit or juice to go with the coffee and tea provided by the I-Center. Volunteers are always needed to help set -up (at 9:45 a.m.) and put away afterward! Everyone (with and without children, new and returning) is equally welcome.

 

Spouse Workshops, Groups & Events

• Bollywood Workout Class: With Sayali Goswami, Wednesday, starts February 15, 5:00 to 6:00 pm. Dance your way to your fitness goals. The participants will be acquainted with basic Bollywood and Indian folk dance moves. They will be able to perform these moves at individual level and as a group. Will gain appreciation of south Asian music. Will improve fitness level and co-ordination. This class is open for beginners. No past experience in dance required. Participants will get to show their moves at the end of the session dance performance to their family and friends
• Career Group for Spouse partners:. With Melissa Saulog and Amy Brierley. Thursdays, 2:00 to 3:15 pm at the 2nd floor conference room of the CDC from January 19th to March 29th. Now that you are living in the United States, do you feel the need for help finding job and volunteer opportunities? Want guidance on how to write a stellar American resume and cover letter? We can help! The Career Development Center is hosting a Career Group for spouses and partners of international students. The group will meet weekly from January 19th through March 29th. Each meeting we will cover a different career topic - everything from identifying your career interests to how to successfully network and interview in the U.S. Additionally, members of the group will receive an individual appointment with Melissa or Amy. We hope you will join us!

Planned Sessions: (Session topics may change depending on group’s interests)

• 1/19 Exploring your interests
• 1/26 Exploring your values
• 2/2 Job & Volunteer Strategies Part I: Networking
• 2/9 Field trip to "Liberal Arts & Internship Career Fair" (It is suggested that you attend the previous workshop before attending the fieldtrip)
• 2/16 Job & Volunteer Strategies Part II: Finding Opportunities
• 2/23 How to Construct a Resume & Cover letter
• 3/1 Resume & Cover letter Clinic: Have Your Resume Reviewed!
• 3/8 Preparing for Interviews
• 3/15 Keeping momentum & Goal setting
• 3/29 Wrap up & Potluck

To register for the group, please complete the registration questions and email them to Melissa Saulog, msaulog@stanford.edu. Deadline to register is Wednesday, January 11, 2012. Questions may also be directed to Melissa.

Registration Questions: Name| Home country | Degree(s) Held| Career Interests| Length of time you’ve been in the U.S. | Questions you have | Are you able to legally work in the U.S.? | What are you hoping to gain from the Career Group? | What sessions are you most interested in attending?

• Dance Exercise Class. With Vida Revilla. 5 sessions. Thursdays starts January 19th, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Various dance videos like Bollywood, hip-hop, merengue, salsa, jazz steps, zumba will be viewed on the screen and participants can follow the steps. Wear comfortable clothing, shoes, and bring water.
• Financial Talking:. With Claudia Brenner. Tuesday, March 6 10: to 11:30 am. Claudia is a professional in finance. Her field is corporate banking and financial mathematics. She would be happy to talk about the basic ideas of the financial system and what the changes in that system might lead to. She appreciate every question/ idea we could talk about. She would be happy to offer more classes if there is interest. Free
• GRE Math preparation Class. With Esra Sagkol. Mondays, 10 to 11 am, starts January 23rd (new). In this class Esra will help with the GRE math preparation by following Barron’s GRE book.
• Guys Night Out: With Jasper van der Bruggen. Join other male spouses for a beer to meet others and share ideas about possible future activities. Contact Jasper at jasper1976@hotmail.com for more details and the next date.
• Hiking Group: With Annette Potvin . Meeting time: Mondays, biweekly 10am. Location: Palo Alto Square in front of the cinema. Join us for our biweekly hike to explore the spectacular nature of the bay area. Typical hike length is 2-5 hours (3-8 miles) and range from easy to moderate. Please note for longer hikes good physical fitness and sturdy shoes are highly recommended. Also suggested are: snacks/lunch, water, sunscreen and sunglasses, a raincoat, hat, camera, and binoculars if available. For more information and to join the hiking email list please contact Annette Potvin (annette_potvin@yahoo.ca). RSVP required 2 days prior to each hike. Fee: Gas contribution and occasional parking fee contribution required depending on park location. Hike and Transportation is each person’s own responsibility.
• Hiking Schedule:
  • Tuesday, January 17th at 10am: Sam Mcdonald county park - McDonald Loop – easy hike, 4.8 miles, 2.5 hours. Return to Palo Alto Square by approx. 2:30pm
  • Tuesday, January 31st at 10am: Monte Bello - easy to moderate hike, 2.5 hours, 5.9 miles. Return to Palo Alto Square by approx. 2pm.
  • Friday, February 10th at 9:30am: Jasper Ridge – Docent Lead Tour, 2.5 hours. Return to Palo Alto by approx. 1pm. Cost $5 per person for non Stanford affiliates (researchers and students free). Maximum 15 participants. Please sign up for this hike at least 1 week prior to scheduled date via email or Facebook..
  • Monday, February 27th at 10am: Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve – moderate hike, 3 hours, 6.3 miles. Return to Palo Alto Square by approx. 3pm.
  • Monday, March 12th at 10am: Coal Mine Ridge – easy hike, 2 hours, 4 miles. Return to Palo Alto Square by approx. 1:30pm
• Interview Coaching. With Denisse Gonzales. Mondays and Wednesdays, 10 to 11 am, starts January 18. Coaching for students and spouses on how to manage a job interview. Types of questions, way of dressing, practice interviews to feel more comfortable when going to an appointment with an employer. I person per day, to make an appointment contact Denisse directly: denisse_gzz@hotmail.com.
• Mathchallenge. With Amina and Pasha Stetsenko. CANCELLED
• Movie: “Women in a New Land”. Wednesday, February 15, 5.30 to 7pm. Join us for the screening of this film featuring the lives of four spouses who came to Stanford to accompany their husbands. Created and filmed by Maria Vaccaro, herself a spouse from Belgium. The film illustrates the many challenges faced by women (with and without children) whose lives and careers are interrupted by this international experience. After the screening, share your impressions during an informal discussion with Gwyn Dukes and Anna Fernandez, who were involved in making the film.
• Night at the Movies. With Verena Hohensinner. Every four to six weeks on Thursdays we are going to the movies! Join us to see the latest movies or documentaries at Century Cinemas 16 in Mountain View and other locations, or classical films at the Stanford Theatre. If more than one film option is available, please tell me which one you would like to see because the majority decides (verena@hohensinner.cc). Of course, I will let you know in advance which movie has been selected.

• Nightclubbing. With Claudia Brenner: When: every second Friday of the month; meet 9:30 p.m. at the Stanford Shopping Center Parking Lot (Sand Hill Rd. at Vineyard Ln.). Loc: San Francisco . Intention: We are living so close to this fancy, sparkling, cosmopolitan City. Let's use the possibilities, let’s meet to check the clubs out. We can car share, but transportation is each person’s own responsibility. For more information contact Claudia (cla.die@gmx.de).

• Prenatal and Postnatal Yoga with Babies: With Yuko Ikeda, on Thursdays, 12 pm to 1pm. This prenatal yoga class is moderate -it involves stretching exercise along with mental component of deep breathing and other relaxation techniques. It is doing yoga to help you stretch, relax and strengthen as you hold your baby, have your baby next to you. Please don’t eat anything heavy 3 hours before the class. A light snack is ok. Bring your yoga mat! Free.

  Yoga for all. With Yuko Ikeda, on Thursdays, ongoing, 10:15 – 11:45 a.m. This yoga class is Level 1 to Level 2! Please wear comfortable clothing which is suitable for stretching and ease of movement. Please don’t eat anything heavy 3 hours before the class. A light snack is ok. Bring your yoga mat! Free.

• Woman’s Night Out. With Ragna. Every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month, starts January 10th, 8 p.m. The Woman´s Night Out is an informal get-together for international spouses at Stanford and a wonderful way to exchange experiences. We will meet at 8 pm every second and forth Tuesday of the month. For more information, especially about the changing locations, and to join the Woman´s Night Out email list please contact Ragna (spousesprogram@gmail.com).

• Vocal Training. With Mete Tasin. Sundays, 5:30 to 7:30 pm, starts January 15th. Join Mete for vocal training including opera.
• ZUMBA. With Alice Kabwe. Wednesday, 6.15 to 7 pm, February 8, 15, 22 Are you ready to party yourself into shape? That’s exactly what the Zumba® program is all about. Zumba classes feature exotic rhythms set to high-energy Latin and international beats. It’s an exhilarating, effective, easy-to-follow, calorie-burning dance fitness-party™ that’s moving millions of people toward joy and health. There’s no other fitness class like a Zumba Fitness-Party. It’s easy to do, effective and totally FUN! Bring water and towel and wear any type of fitness clothes to anything comfortable and cool. Wear shoes with little tread, lateral support and cushion. Free!

Top of page  

---

Classes & Activities - The red arrow '' indicates a new or updated class

• Language classes
• Cooking classes
• Arts & Crafts

Top of page

---

Language Classes

Informal English Classes

Basic French for daily living (Beginners) With Sylvie Delpierre, Tuesdays ,12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. January 10 to March13. Free

French throughout games (Intermediate) With Sylvie Delpierre, Tuesdays, 2:00 p.m.– 3:00 p.m. January 10 to March.13. Free

French Conversation for Intermediates With Marie Laval. Thursdays, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. January 12 to March 15. Fee: $ 3.00

Basic German II . With Ray Deutsch, Mondays, 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. January. 9 to March 12. Fee $3.00

Übung macht den Meister - German Conversation Class (Advanced). With Britta Janssen, Thursdays 2:00 to 3:00 pm. Jan. 19 to March 15. Free

Japanese for Everyone With Yumi Kobayashi. Fridays, 9:30 am – 12:30 p.m. Jan 20 to March 16. Fee $3.00 (per section).There are three classes; Intermediates (approximately 1h), Beginning (approximately 1h) and Character & Writing (30min). Time schedule will be changed for each week, contact to the instructor in advance; stead0210_2@yahoo.co.jp

Top of page

---

Cooking Classes:

Please note: For most cooking classes there is a fee (exact cash only!!!). If you do sign up for the class and pay, you cannot get your Funds back if you cancel less than 48 hours before the class starts. The reason is that the teacher uses the funds to purchase the ingredients for the class.

• American BBQ Cooking Class. With Robert Paugh. Thursdays, Jan. 19th, 26th, Feb. 2nd and 9th from 11am to 1pm. Join Robert to learn more about American BBQ cooking.
• January 19th BBQ steak on the grill outside.
  
• January 26th BBQ chicken on the grill inside (Using the broiler)
  
• February 2nd BBQ side dishes, Hawaiian Beans, Green Salad
  
• February 9th BBQ side dishes and desserts, herbed potato salad and apple cake
  
• Special: 18th Dinner at Roberts house for class members and spouses.
  
• Sign-up for an individual class: $10.00. Sign-up for all four classes**: $36. Maximum of six students per class. ** Cooking class students who sign up for all four classes will be invited (with their spouses or significant others) to dinner at Roberts home on February 18th at 7:00 PM.
• The Basics of French Baking I. With Navaline Quach, : Friday, January 27, 2012: 5:30-8:30pm. Join Navaline Quach for her French Baking class. Beside her research work at Stanford, she has a passion for food. She grew up in France and took classes in the Culinary School in Paris. In this class, you will make: Potage parmentier (Potato and leek soup) and Gâteau tout chocolat (Chocolate cake). You will bring home 3 portions of each dish. Max 6 people. Sign up at the second floor front desk at the I-Center and pay. Fee: $30. “Due to limited number of spots, please register for no more than one French Baking class per quarter”.
• The Basics of French Baking II. With Navaline Quach , Friday, February 10, 2012, 5:30-8:30pm. Join Navaline Quach for her French Baking class. In this class, you will make: Crème de petits pois (Cream of pea soup) and Gâteau marbré (Marble cake). You will bring home 3 portions of each dish. Max 6 people. Sign up at the second floor front desk at the I-Center and pay. Fee: $30. “Due to limited number of spots, please register for no more than one French Baking class per quarter”.
• The Basics of French Baking III. With Navaline Quach , Friday, March 2, 2011, 5:30-8:30pm. Join Navaline Quach for her French Baking class. In this class, you will make: Quiche au saumon (Salmon quiche) and Compote de pommes (Apple sauce). You will bring home 3 portions of each dish. Max 6 people. Sign up at the second floor front desk at the I-Center and pay. Fee: $30. “Due to limited number of spots, please register for no more than one French Baking class per quarter”.
• Japanese Cooking Class. With Yumi Kobayashi and Ryoko Sakai, Mondays, Jan. 23, 30, Feb. 13 and March 5 from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. There is no other healthy and delicious dish than Japanese. We cook popular and traditional Japanese cuisine as a combination meal. Since we have two Japanese teachers, people can learn cooking very well. As a first menu, we cook TWO kinds of SUSHI with combo! This class will include demonstration, participation and sampling. Max 4 people. Contact the instructor (stead0210_2@yahoo.co.jp) and sign up for the class. Then, sign up at the second floor front desk at the I-Center and pay. Fee: $15/class..
• Chinese Dumplings. CANCELLED

Arts, Crafts & Photography. Check board for details about materials you’ll need to bring to class.

Knitting for Beginners II. With Olga Ertz Starts January 20, Fridays 2.00 p.m. – 3.00 p.m. We will continue to learn different design patterns, how to create our own patterns and styles. Our goal is that everybody in our group will produce something for themselves. Fee: $ 3.00

 

Top of page

---

Especially for Children

• Fun for Kids (and Parents). With Monica Piacentini and Barbara Vida. Fun for Kids is an outing-series for parents with kids. We will make the outings every Thursday of the month at 10:00 am. Each family provides its own transportation, or you can arrange to carpool or get a ride with others. Please see the bulletin board for more details or contact "Monica Piacentini" for more information.
• The next outings:
  • Thursday, January 19, 2012: Aquarium of the Bay, San Francisco
  • Tuesday, February 14, 2012: Randal Museum, San Francisco
  • Thursday, March 15, 2012: CANCELLED
  • Thursday, April 19, 2012: Hidden Villa, Los Altos Hill
• Baby and Toddler Group. Meets Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. to noon in the I-Center patio or assembly room. Contact Monica Piacentini (monica.piacentini@gmail.com) with questions. All are welcome at this informal playgroup!
• International PlayGroup in the Park. Will return in spring
• Running for Kids. Will return in spring

Top of page

---

Career, Education & Information

• The Resource Center for International Families provides information about getting settled in the Stanford area and building your life here. Spouse volunteers are available to speak with you in many languages about continuing your education, volunteering, employment, recreation, & travel. Hours are posted in the lobby and on the website.
• Spouse Education Fund. Modest grants to assist wives/husbands in furthering their educational and/or career goals while here. Spouse Education Fund: next grant cycle in Fall 2012.
• Professional Liaison for International Spouses. Meet a local person with similar career interests. This program is for spouses who are not eligible for employment. Application forms are in the I-Center lobby.
• Professional Liaison Career Hours: CCIS is sponsoring a series of informal discussions - Career Hours - during the Friday Morning Coffee at the Bechtel International Center. The discussions will allow international spouses/partners to exchange information about careers and professional practices in their home countries. Next career hours January 13 and February 24 from 10.30 am to 12pm.

.

Top of page

---

Contact information

For more information and updates, contact Susanne Maas, smaas@stanford.edu

For advice, send email to stanfordfamilies@gmail.com

To receive email notice of  programs for spouses, subscribe to our mailing list here

Top of page