For most Upper Arlington residents, “hello” is a suitable welcome, but for some, greetings such as “nei ho” and “hola” come more naturally.

Cambodians, Chinese, Hispanics and many other immigrants have made UA their home and enjoy a great number of resources to aid their transition into the community. With more than 8 percent of the UA population speaking a language other than English at home, according to the Census Bureau’s estimates in 2000, it is no wonder that so many public venues provide language services.

The Upper Arlington City School District employs several English as a Second Language (ESL) intructors who serve approximately 70 students throughout the district, according to Melissa Gordon, director of intervention services. The district provides individual attention and remains committed to bringing ESL students’ content vocabulary and grammar up to par.

Resources also exist through a number of local churches, including Holy Trinity Lutheran Church at 2001 Northwest Blvd., which offers ESL and conversation classes.

But perhaps the most extensive opportunity to learn English comes courtesy of the Upper Arlington Public Library System, with locations at 2800 Tremont Rd., 1945 Lane Rd. And 1901 Arlington Ave. The three locations offer a number of educational and entertaining English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) programming. Christine Minx, communications specialist for the UA library, says the library has “always served a diverse patron base.”

Its ESOL events began “at least five years ago,” based on staff estimates, when Barbara Wookey rented rooms at the library to meet with and tutor non-English speakers. The idea took off from there as the library incorporated the sessions into its programming, now under the direction of Nancy Brown at the main branch and Rhoda Simon at Lane Road.

Brown heads “English Conversation” classes on Monday mornings that focus on everyday dialogue and help participants practice speaking in a comfortable environment. Minx says most classes include about 25 participants, which creates an intimate setting within its traditional classroom structure.

The main branch is also currently hosting an ESOL Book Club on Thursday mornings, which allows patrons of other ESOL courses to dive into an American novel without trepidation. The club reads one book each season, usually nonfiction, historical or biographical books. Brown recently led her pupils through the mind of a genius as they read Albert Einstein: A Photographic Story of a Life by Frieda Wishinsky.

The library also helps its international patrons feel right at home with an extensive collection of books written in foreign languages.

At the Lane Road location, Pam Cole, a programming coordinator, says the ESOL program is very popular with demand increasing frequently. Simon leads two weekly sessions of “Let’s Speak English” courses, which divides participants into small groups based on ability and sets them up with trained ESL tutors. These discussion groups help build confidence and enforce learning with social interaction, Simon says. Most patrons hear about the meetings, which can often include as many as 40 participants, through word of mouth.

Simon’s participant list represents a broad range of origins, with members from South Korea, China, Japan, Burma, Mexico, Eastern Europe and South America, among others.

According to Simon, most of her pupils are not immigrants, but long-term visitors to America. Many are young people whose spouses are visiting scholars at the Ohio State University or are academics themselves studying abroad. Others come to work under a short-term contract with area companies, or are parents making an extended stay with their children.

Through conversations about current events, Simon and her team of volunteers coach those with all levels of English, from beginners to advanced students. Simon even offers test preparation for the Test of English as a Foreign Language Exam.

She emphasizes the ESOL program could not continue without her five volunteer tutors, and that her own experience serving and educating international visitors has been “unbelievable and immensely rewarding.” She believes the students’ experiences are just as rewarding.

“Not only is the social aspect really important, but the classes are a chance to bond,” Simon says. “I have seen amazing friendships develop and that makes it worthwhile.”

For more information about Upper Arlington Public Library’s program offerings, visit www.ualibrary.org or call 614-486-9621.

Anastasia Glogowski is a contributing writer for Upper Arlington Magazine.