The GSLL first annual Multilingual Fitness and Yoga class was held on Nov. 13 in the CU Rec Center. In honor of International Education Week, fitness instructors representing Sweden, Germany and Russia instructed the class in their native languages. The hard-working participants experienced the three Indo-European languages in a linguistically and physically engaging workout of warm-up exercises, interval training, martial arts movements and yoga. The instructors challenged the participants to follow their movements while listening to the distinct phonological system of each language. The fitness instructors were Caroline Åkesson (YMCA Louiseville), Rebecca Logevall (Tran's Martial Arts & Fitness Center), Annette Tånnander-Bank (RallySport Boulder), Berit Jany (GSLL), and Polina Novikova-Kinney (The Russian Center). The event was hosted by Merete Leonhardt-Lupa, Berit Jany and Galina Siergiejczyk, language instructors at GSLL.
International Education Week (IEW) is a joint initiative organized by the U.S. Departments of State and Education. It serves as “an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide… [and promotes] programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences.” For more information, see the International Education website.