Esperanto Antaŭen news!
Promise Project report
As you probably know, we are collecting promises from people to learn the international language Esperanto after 100 000 000 people have made this promise.
The first promise was collected on September 7, 2018. The first milestone (100 promises) was reached on October 16, the 250th was collected on November 7. We now have 483 – just 99 999 517 to go!
Anyone ready to add their promise to our growing list can do so on our website at http://ea-mondo.org/promise.
Upcoming events in Edmonton
Most Tuesday evenings a small group of people who speak or who are interested in Esperanto meet upstairs at the Strathcona Library (everyone welcome).
On Tuesday December 11, at 7:00 pm upstairs (wheelchair accessible) in the Strathcona Library (8331 104 Street NW, Edmonton), we will hold our first Esperanto Music Night – karaoke. Esperanto music and literature are two aspects of what is without question the most internationally representative culture of any language on the planet. On December 11, after a short introduction to Esperanto (including a pronunciation lesson) we will be listening to, and singing along with, a selection of translated and original Esperanto songs from around the world.
For people interested in learning Esperanto, we are offering ten-week courses, Esperanto: Fluency in Ten Lessons, beginning in January. Esperanto fluency really can be achieved that quickly. The entire grammar (simple rules with no exceptions) requires less learning than learning to make plurals in English. Thousands of words are required to become fluent in most languages and Esperanto is no exception, but in Esperanto learning thousands of words requires mastering less than 500 vocabulary items. To understand how this is possible visit the page “Word-building in Esperanto” on our website.
We have students interested in a Tuesday evening course beginning Tuesday January 8, and a Saturday morning course beginning Saturday January 12. If you are interested visit the “courses” page on our website.
Around the World
One of the most practical current uses of Esperanto is the “Pasporta Servo”. The Pasporta Servo is a listing of 974 Esperanto speakers from 81 countries who are prepared to host Esperanto speaking travellers. If you are familiar with Airbnb, the Pasporta Servo is similar but without the cost. Travel becomes much less expensive when you don’t have to pay for accommodation. It is a win-win arrangement. Hosts enjoy meeting Esperanto-speaking travellers from different parts of the world. In addition to free accommodation, guests often get inside information about the area they are visiting from a friendly local resident.
Following a decision of the Town Council in 2006, Herzberg am Harz, Germany now uses the official additional designation ‘Esperanto-urbo’ (Esperanto Town) http://herzberg.de. The decision, supported by all four political parties represented on the Town Council, was followed by congratulatory wishes to Mayor Gerhard Walter from all parts of the world.
(From: http://www.eventoj.hu/2018.htm) On December 14 – 16, 2018, Herzberg am Harz will host an Esperanto Study Weekend. Among the topics: Promoting Esperanto, Esperanto Literature, The History of Esperanto and The Esperanto Movement.
(Also from: http://www.eventoj.hu/2018.htm) Other multiday Esperanto events listed on the event calendar for December 2018 include: December 8 – 9 the 6th Esperanto Big “Lokŝoj” (a Slovakian speciality) Tasting Event in Bratislava Slovakia; December 13 -17 a meeting for Ecology and Nature Protection in Guantanamo, Cuba; December 15 – 16, the 2018 Esperanto Congress of India will take place in Puneo, Maharaŝtro, India; December 28 – January 4 the tenth Young Esperanto Week organized by Esperanto Youth from Germany and Poland will be held Storkow/Mark, near Berlin. They are expecting 200 participants from about 20 countries.
Website changes
In the last month, we have made several changes to our website. In addition to pages for upcoming courses, we have added a page “Word-building in Esperanto”. In addition to explaining how Esperanto creates thousands of words from less than 500 vocabulary items, it provides an opportunity for you to test your ability to build words the Esperanto way.
Help Wanted
We believe that our Promise Project has the potential to change the world as much or more than the Internet has; however, 100 000 000 is a huge number and a lot of work will be needed to collect that many promises. In addition to the frontline work of talking to people who might be willing to promise, there is a lot of behind the scenes work needed as well. If you are willing to help, please either call David 780-904-0363 or send a message to admin@ea-mondo.org. Volunteers can trade their work for a discount on the cost of courses and/or Esperanto Antaŭen products.
Can you translate?
We would particularly like the promise page to be available in as many languages as possible. Currently we have English and Polish versions. If you can competently translate it into another language, please do so and send the translation to admin@ea-mondo.org. Translators can trade their work for a discount on the cost of courses and/or Esperanto Antaŭen products.
Contact Frequency
All promise pages now include the note that we will send one email to everyone to let them know that we have received their promise. After the first message, you choose the frequency of future contact. There are three choices, no limit (currently that means 2-3 messages per month), monthly, and rarely (only after reaching major milestones – maybe once per year).
We have you recorded in the first group meaning that you will receive 2-3 messages per month. If you wish to change the frequency of contact, please reply to this message letting us know of the requested change.
Esperanto Antaŭen!