Are you going to NASK?
NASK is the North America Summer Esperanto Course. It's the longest, most intensive program of its kind, and it's been creating Esperanto-speakers for almost 40 years.
I've had the good fortune to attend NASK six times (in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007). The last two times, I wasn't a student, but the "helpinstruisto", who arranges afternoon / evening programs and weekend excursions.
I'm a huge fan of NASK, and I think it really is the best way to quickly become fluent in Esperanto. NASK is long enough and prestigious enough to attract students from other countries -- you being to see the value of Esperanto as a way to bridge the borders between countries and cultures.
But NASK is a significant investment. It can be fairly expensive (although a number of scholarships are available). One of its strengths is the duration -- in three weeks, you become immersed in Esperanto. However, the duration is also an obstacle. Three weeks is a long time to be away from family and work.
More and more people are learning Esperanto through great sites like Lernu, where you can study Esperanto in your pajamas, for free, without leaving home. While Lernu is great, it lacks the camaraderie of the classroom, the dining hall, the evening games, the weekend trips.
Have you attended NASK in the past? Are you planning on attending NASK in the future? Why or why not?
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Mi esperantegas
Sed ĉar oni transloĝas la lokon de NASK (el Teksaso al Kalifornio), la probablo nun estas tre malpli. Eble, se oni povas havi 2 lokoj. Unu okcidente kaj unu oriente, por oportunigi ĝin por ambaŭaj marbordloĝantoj. Prefirinde mia urbo :)
Formikoj en miaj pantolonoj
December 22, 2008 by formiko, 1 year 12 weeks ago
Planning for NASK
When NASK was in Brattleboro, I would have liked to attend but, unfortunately, it always overlapped with family vacations or professional conferences (or both). It didn't help (when it was in Brattleboro) that the dates were unpredictable from year to year. And, even with financial assistance, the times I checked, the cost was very nearly prohibitive for me.
Partly, however, I've also not felt the need to improve my ability to speak Esperanto. I speak very fluently, although I do make a fair number of grammatical mistakes -- I'm not convinced taking a course would really help me improve that (more than just spending the amount of time proofreading the stuff I write).
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Steven BREWER
December 21, 2008 by limako, 1 year 12 weeks ago
NASK ĉiam estas in mia memoro
I first attended NASK back when they offered a beginner-level intro course.
One half to two-thirds of the way into the three weeks of complete immersion, I found that I was thinking in Esperanto, I was dreaming in Esperanto, and I was speaking to the checkout clerks at the local convenience store in Esperanto. I had to make a concerted effort to speak "English" for them, which at that point seemed like a very heavy, strange, and awkward language. By the end of the course, Esperanto had become my first language, albeit temporarily.
I don't believe that I could have achieved that same level of skill through any other mode of study.
Many of the students had absolutely no knowledge of English, so we really had no choice but to make Esperanto work during that time.
I last participated in 2000 and I hope to make it back this year.
March 6, 2009 by Torĉjo, 1 year 1 week ago
You're right, the total cost
You're right, the total cost is quite high. There's tuition, room & board, travel, and the cost of missing work if you can't take paid vacation (not to mention the opportunity cost of missing conferences or other vacations). The summer Esperanto-calendar can get very full, with LK, UK, NASK, IJK. One year I did them all, but it was too crazy, and I don't think I'd recommend it.
Would a shorter NASK help this? I don't know. I worry that a shorter NASK would take away from the experience -- the length is one of the things that makes NASK unique. It would also be harder to offer university credit for a shorter class.
One of the reasons for the high cost is that all NASK courses are sponsored through a university (originally, San Francisco State University, then the School for International Training in Vermont, and now the University of California - San Diego). Students who complete the program receive 3 - 4 hours of college credit for the program.
December 22, 2008 by Tim Westover, 1 year 12 weeks ago
Value of university credit
I've been thinking about the value of university credit. On the one hand, by providing "credit", you can show that Esperanto has "real" value. On the other hand, who actually benefits from having the credits earned? When I have visited NASK, I haven't seen anyone for whom the credit actually made any difference (ie, toward an undergraduate or graduate degree). In point of fact, many of the students have seemed to be retired senior-citizens, for whom university credit seems superfluous.
What would really make a difference were if Esperanto could satisfy credit toward a university degree or language study requirement. If it did, we might get a growing pool of students who would study it since they have to study some language anyway. I've been working to get Esperanto available as an option in the self-study language program in the Five-Colleges (my regional higher-ed collaborative) as a first step toward that goal.
To a certain extent, however, it's a chicken-and-egg problem. You can't have higher-ed classes without people who can document their expertise in Esperanto but you can't have people with degrees in Esperanto without degree programs in Esperanto and you can't have programs in Esperanto without classes. It's a catch-22. Every little bit helps, I think.
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Steven BREWER
December 22, 2008 by limako, 1 year 12 weeks ago
The need for university
The need for university credit is debatable, you're right. I know there have been a few for whom the credit is attractive (Amanda Higley got a minor in Esperanto largely from NASK credits). For most people, it's unnecessary.
For documenting expertise in Esperanto, there's another option: the US Esperanto testing service administers examinations and will award certificates at three levels - beginner, medium, and advanced. They're not endorsed or sponsored through any national organization, so the utility to the outside is somewhat limited. But they do represent that some outside authority has reviewed an individual's Esperanto-speaking capabilities and found them be satisfactory.
UEA also has examinations. They used to have several levels, but I think it's been reduced.
Most people don't know about these examinations, I think. They used to be offered at NASK and LK, but I haven't seen them on the program in awhile. The US exams can also be administered by mail -- I recorded my voice onto a tape and sent it back. There is a "monitoring" requirement -- a qualified individual is supposed to proctor the exam in this case. I can find out more information if anyone is interested.
December 22, 2008 by Tim Westover, 1 year 12 weeks ago
International exams . . .
Tim Westover wrote:
"UEA also has examinations. They used to have several levels, but I think it's been reduced."
The international exams administered by UEA/ILEI are actually quite rigorous, definitely not for the faint of heart. They are usually given only at international gatherings. There have to be three approved examiners, and they must come from at least two different national language backgrounds.
The exams have been given at least twice at NASK that I can remember, once when we offered the special teaching course, and one other time. But it's totally dependent on who is there: if by chance the three instructors are approved examiners, then it's possible--although giving and scoring the exams is highly time-consuming.
The exams include written and oral components, and cover Experanto history, grammar, literature, and culture.
At present there is a single exam; an "advanced" examination has been in the works for a number of years.
More information is available at:
http://www.edukado.net/pagina/Internaciaj+Ekzamenoj/150//
Lee
December 23, 2008 by Lee Miller, 1 year 12 weeks ago
Examinations
Both ILEI and AAIE offer examinations, but neither organization is accredited, so I doubt the examinations would carry much weight with academic institutions in the US. Unfortunately, the AAIE website hasn't been updated in several years. They keep talking about making a new website but it hasn't gotten set up.
I took the AAIE advanced test a few months after I started learning Esperanto and passed it pretty easily, so I don't know how rigorous it is. I thought the Lernu tests were more difficult, actually. I haven't taken any of the ILEI tests -- they appear to be a good deal more rigorous and deal extensively with Esperanto culture and literature, as well as the language itself.
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Steven BREWER
December 22, 2008 by limako, 1 year 12 weeks ago
I'm curious about NASK, but...
I'm curious about NASK, but indeed it's pricey and 3 weeks is a long time, and there are always other conflicting events ... too much cool stuff happens in the summer. And I'm living in Poland now, which makes NASK a lot less convenient for me. It's also less clear to me how useful it is for post-progresantoj. (Perhaps you can give your thoughts on that...?)
December 21, 2008 by russ, 1 year 12 weeks ago
University credits, post-progresantoj, reasons for attending
Hi all, and sorry for joining the conversation so late. Some thoughts in response to a few of the threads above:
Official accreditation is really critical for attracting college students. When I was an undergrad, I used credits from an upper-level summer Esperanto course at the University of Hartford towards my degree at the University of Rochester. Last year at NASK there were five undergraduates who will presumably be using their credits in a similar fashion.
I agree with Lee that the post-progresantoj probably get more out of the course than anyone. Beginning students certainly benefit enormously from having so many opportunities to use the language, but the more you already know, the more you can profit from the experience. Having learned from both self-instruction and courses, I've found that even after supposedly reaching “proficiency” nothing compares to an immersive environment like NASK, where you have the continuous presence of skilled speakers to help you.
While I don't want to offend the organizers of other events (many of which are lots of fun), I wouldn't miss NASK for any of them. The experience has really that enjoyable—especially in the upper-level courses.
Where else can you... joke with a brilliant instructor like Birke Dockhorn over breakfast; spend three hours in class learning about literature, art, journalism, etc.; spend your lunch arguing about the software industry with a skilled polemicist like Lee Miller; stroll to a pristine beach after lunch while peppering the author of PMEG with your thorniest grammar questions; get your copy of Being Colloquial in Esperanto signed by David Jordan at an afternoon talk; learn about astrophysics from Amri Wandel at dinner; and spend the evening learning to swing dance and/or sampling the refrigerator-full of beer stocked by friendly Esperantists from San-Diego?
All in a single day!
Okay, so the fridge-full of beer was in no way sponsored or sanctioned by NASK or UCSD, and past performance is no guarantee of future returns. It was noteworthy, however. :-)
December 24, 2008 by hoss, 1 year 12 weeks ago
Post-progresantoj . . .
I actually think NASK is most useful for "post-progresantoj". NASK no longer offers a beginner's level course, because there simply isn't a need: enough resources are available in print and on the internet that someone can master the basics without the complications of traveling to a campus-based course.
Tim notes that the "post-baza" course usually includes some beginners, and that's true, but the course content and material do not focus on that level and it's genuinely a struggle if someone hasn't already mastered at least the very basic basics of the language.
For those who have a foundation in Esperanto, the mid-level courses offer an opportunity to a) firm up the knowledge acquired by previous study, b) receive feedback about language use and level of mastery--a critical component in language learning, and c) use Esperanto in spoken, interactive form.
The "supera" course always focuses on some aspect of Esperanto culture, literature, or history. It's an opportunity to study Esperanto via Esperanto, and provides the same benefits as the mid-level courses in terms of active spoken use of the language.
Steve's comments about not feeling a need to focus on improving his language knowledge are valid. Not everyone is interested in or feels a need for "perfektigho". But many people come to NASK who have not used the language in any kind of dynamic way, and for them it provides an opportunity to experience it that way. To me the most valuable benefit that someone can take away from NASK is the memory of the sounds and rhythms of the spoken language. That can provide a solid basis for continued use of the language for many years.
Lee
December 23, 2008 by Lee Miller, 1 year 12 weeks ago
For post-progresantoj
NASK usually has three levels of instruction - post-beginner, intermediate, and advanced. In reality, the post-beginner course usually includes complete beginners as well, and advanced isn't necessarily comprised of 100% fluent speakers. But in the advanced class, all instruction and discussion is completely in Esperanto. The advanced class takes on topics like literature and culture. One year, Bertilo Wennergren taught a seminar on advanced Esperanto grammar and usage. Perhaps some other students or instructors can weigh in on their experiences as post-progresantoj.
It's also worth noting that at NASK, you're using Esperanto all day, every day. You get that same immersion that you do when attending the UK - and more of it, since it's a three-week program. You interact with a range of Esperanto-speakers, both more experienced and less experienced, from breakfast to trips to the San Diego Zoo to playing games in the evening.
December 22, 2008 by Tim Westover, 1 year 12 weeks ago