Maria asked me to read “Los Zapaticos de Rosa”…in English. “Can’t, Ma. It’s a poem. Have to read it in Spanish.” “But, then I can’t understand it!” “Look at the pictures and I will translate as we go.” “But, I can’t understand!” “Just listen to the rhythm and keep your ears open, you’ll get it.” [...]

click to enlarge. it’s worth it. So ya, se acabo the school year. What a delight. Maria got to sleep in until 8:30 a.m., and I myself didn’t roll out of bed until nearly 8 a.m. It is Saturday, but I hope the trend continues. We both have been dragging. And, while I am all [...]

Hey, amigos. Happy Monday. My voice-over career has started. I had the pleasure of doing the audio recording of the sweet new book, “Before you were here, Mi Amor”  by Samantha R. Vamos. The free download is available on the awesome site, Cody’s Cuentos, which offers Spanish podcasts of traditional children’s stories. Subscribe, subscribe, subscribe. [...]

There are some wonderful things about living in The South — magnolias, croaking frogs and green hills. And, “Thank You” cards. People still send them regularly and oh happy me, look at the one I just got: “Grasias Pel Webos!” Which translates from a 5-year-old’s phonetics to “Gracias por los huevos.” (Thanks for the eggs) [...]

Two of my favorite and dearest friends in Nashville are German. The next time I see them, I have an experiment to conduct. We will shout out words in Spanish and German, consider whether they are feminine or masculine and talk about how those words make us feel, what characteristics we would give them.This NPR [...]

…can be easier said than done for some of us.If you’re not a regular reader over here, I give some background and tips today over at Spanglish Baby,  everything from using free podcasts to spraying my Tennessee cubanita with Agua de Violetas.I told you a couple of days ago, how cool Spanglish Baby is. I hope [...]

Happy Monday. I hope the sun is shining and the birds singing wherever you are. It is bright and beautiful in the Boonies — a lovely reward for the gray season we have endured. The only negative I’ve got going on: The floor in my office is covered with folders for unfinished business taxes. The  mess [...]

A few feet from the cubicle I called home for many years, there was a Free Table. That’s where all the “graft” PR people sent the newsroom got put up for grabs. There were CDs, books, T-shirts, toothpaste, cookies. You name it. It was excessive and ridiculous and very fun. We got to try out [...]

Via a favorite site, Hispanic Trending, I found this column “Is the Latino Community Losing its Identity?”  by Zayda Rivera. A Puerto Rican by descent, she didn’t grow up speaking Spanish, but made the effort to better understand the language and her culture. She’s now making the effort with her 1-year-old. Part of the reason I want [...]

Last week a friend of mine asked Maria how it is she learned to speak Spanish.“I learned it at school,” she said.“Your mom didn’t teach you?” asked the curious friend.“No, I learned it at school. I learn it at school so I can surprise my mom,” Maria said. Today, another adult asked her the same [...]