Hummus in the Loon's Nest? Falafels in Billy's Bar???

Hummus Falafel

Dan Wascoe, Star Tribune

Amid pine trees and mosquitoes, Arabic will be taught in Minnesota's north woods starting in July as part of Concordia Language Villages' growing roster of language and cultural programs.

Officials of the 44-year-old Villages program and of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota will announce the addition of Al-Waha, The Oasis, today in Washington, D.C.

Executive Director Christine Schulze said she hopes the two two-week Arabic sessions next summer will draw about 150 students. The new village will be on leased property near Vergas, Minnesota, and will teach U.S. students ages 8 to 18.

The immersion courses will include colloquial phrases in several dialects. They also will include study of the Muslim faith and current events.

Arabic is the 14th language offered by Concordia in a program that draws more than 13,000 students a year from around the United States and from more than 30 other countries.

Several of the villages are built on the shores of Turtle River Lake near Bemidji. Others are leased in several northern Minnesota locations, as well as one in Savannah, Georgia. Another may be started in New Hampshire, Schulze said.

Staff members teach through songs, dances, art projects, games and daily activities, including meals. Many students attend two-week summer sessions in which they receive program passports, make purchases in foreign currency and eat foods typical of the countries where the language is spoken.

Nearly half the Concordia villages have permanent structures built in architectural styles reflecting the countries whose language is taught there. Early discussions have been held about what kind of building might be appropriate for an Arabic village -- perhaps a minaret, Schulze said.

Concordia also teaches English in China and Switzerland and offers language programs abroad in France, Germany, Japan and Spain.

56572 is proud to be the adopted Home Town of Concordia Language Village Founder Gerhard Haukebo. An Otter Tail County native, Gerry was born in Underwood, Minnesota. People with dreams live here. We nurture thinkers here just like they do in New York Mills. Great ideas on how to make the world a better place start in our backyards. Then we let them fly. Some ideas, like this one of Gerry's, have strong wings.