Tag Archives: USA

How Going to a New Country Can Change Your Tastes

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I used to hate olives.

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I used to hate red wine.

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(I used to be pretty awful at Spanish.) I mean, I took high school Spanish and majored in it. Yet I was still pretty damn bad. How does that work?

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No, but seriously. I was so terrible at Spanish. How does that work?

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Now, however…

I love olives. If you’re in Spain, please go to a bar now. Order some aceitunas pardas. Eat. Enjoy. Thank me later.

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Now, I love red wine. I especially love me some Elías Mora.

Go to Zamora. Go to any wine shop. Any. Find some wine, preferably Elías Mora. You won’t regret it. It was probably one of the wines that convinced me just how good wine can be.

I never have.

I’m actually better at Spanish. (Mario helps a lot.)

Plus, he’s cute.

I can converse with almost anyone, understand almost anyone, and even understand the majority of a soccer broadcast. (¡Hala Madrid!) For me, that’s pretty impressive. Being bilingual ain’t easy.

At the risk of being cliché, how has moving to another country (even if just for a year) influenced you? Do you like that influence?

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Interview with Mario

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Mario has been to the U.S. before, but I still loving seeing things with his eyes. I remember the first time we saw a big yellow school bus, a mail truck, and the Bean. You know, typical stuff.

He’s fun to listen to when he’s talking about the U.S. to his family. Just today, he was explaining things to his father and I want to laugh because, well, it’s kind of adorable. (His dad is probably the nicest man in the world. And funny…his jokes may be corny at times, but I still laugh.)

Thus, I decided to take a leaf out of Lauren’s book and interview my Spaniard.

        • What was your first impression of Indiana? It was February, were there corn fields? I would say there were fields, vast, acres and more acres of corn fields. People driving large trucks. Cold…since it was February. Nice people. People have been really friendly to me.

          • What did you expect, food wise? Was it what you expected? [Back when I first came to the U.S. in the 1990s] I expected poor quality food, like junk food, pizza, hamburgers. It wasn’t what I expected. At all. My host mother was a great cook. We ate vegetables, a varied diet, fairly healthy. As far as with Kaley’s family, it’s the same – healthy, a good variety, and of course lots of desserts made by Kaley and her mother.

        • What were some things you just had to see? I would like to see the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National Park. I liked seeing New York City, which is a place most Europeans want to see. (He saw this back in the 1990s when he stayed with a host family in upstate New York.)
        • What do you like most about Indiana/the Midwest? People are friendly and honest, plus nature in general is very nice.
        • What would you miss the most about living in Spain? My family and friends.
        • What is one food you would miss if you moved here? I would miss salchichón, but not just any salchichón, the kind made by my parents.
        • Do you think Americans are like how they are portrayed on TV and in the movies? Eh, so contrary to what appears in Pedro Almodóvar’s movies, Spaniards are not like that, but many American movies reflect the way people live here (i.e., people living in houses and driving because everything’s not within walking distance). The Simpsons can serve as a good “USA for Dummies” book. This is where I first saw tailgating, yellow school buses, and yard sales.

        • Will you continue to use the term rucksack for backpack and call the movie theater “the cinema”? Why? I would still be using rucksack, but I will say movie theater. The first one to annoy you. The second one, I like it better.
He would also like to emphasize that he likes football. Both kinds.

Welcome to the Midwest!

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No, it’s not Mario’s first visit to the Midwest. He’s been here twice before. Nonetheless, he was introduced to some very American/Midwestern tradition: tailgating, football, and IU basketball.With our food: veggies/dip, cheese ball and crackers, cookies (peanut butter and chocolate chip), pork sandwiches, etc.

Crazy hair. I know.

No, we didn’t win. But who cares about football (or, as Mario calls it, American rugby)?

We later went to the annual Cream vs. Crimson scrimmage, which was way more fun to watch. After all, we are a basketball state – always have been, always will be.

On My Mind

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There’s one thing on my mind right now…

This guy is flying across the Atlantic tomorrow!! (Two exclamation points in a blog post is really something.)

As you can probably guess, I’m pretty damn excited. I’m excited because:

  • It’s been more than four months since I’ve seen him.
  • He’s pretty much the best guy in the whole world.
  • He’s bringing queso zamorano, my favorite cheese in the whole world.
  • He may or may not be bringing my favorite budget wine – Elías Mora.
  • He’s cute.
  • I love him.
  • There’s probably 1000+ more reasons, but right now I’m way too excited to go all in depth on you.
Anyway. I’m sure some of you have or have had a long distance relationship (otherwise known as an LDR). How did you survive? What was the reunion like?
And…
Should I just kidnap him and never let him return?
(I’m seriously thinking about it.)

The Worst Part of Traveling is Traveling

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I like traveling. I also hate it.

Now, before you write me off as completely crazy (I take it for granted you already regard me as slightly), let me explain.

I like traveling. I like this part:

You know, doing something you’ve only seen in movies. For me, this involved, yes, getting my picture taken inside a red phone booth. Forgive me, I lose all fear of being a cliched traveler when confronted by such things. Mario is fascinated by other sorts of things. See:

Yes, yellow school buses. For us, they are ubiquitous and not particularly noteworthy. For him, they are were something he had only seen in movies.

Also, this:

You know, finding myself in places I had only seen in photos. The Arc de Triomphe, the glass pyramid at the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, La Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell, etc.

I love learning new languages, eating new foods, soaking up the culture. My mom experienced a fried calamari sandwich in Madrid. I’ve eaten steak tartare in France, jamón serrano in Spain, and super fresh prawns in Lisbon.

You may be thinking, Um, Kaley, it really seems as though you do like traveling. All of it. What gives? 

What gives, my friend? I’ll tell you what gives: I hate the part in which I actually have to get from place. I don’t particularly love buses, airpots, and impatient tourists waiting in long lines. I could deal without Ryan Air’s famous “customer service.” I really don’t care for jet lag.

(Side note: this graphic is so true!)

In about a week (October 25th, to be exact), Mario will be packing his bags into a car, then a bus, and finally a plane to cross the Atlantic. Once he has done all that, he’ll arrive 8 hours later, only to pack his bags into yet another vehicle and drive 3 more hours. He’ll finally arrive at my house, something like 18 hours after he started. And he’s lucky. It’s a direct flight.

I’ve mentioned on occasion that I wouldn’t mind teleportation being invented. Any day now.

Seriously.

They Still Speak Spanish at Home

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I talk a lot to my fellow teachers, and many of them comment to me, “The family only speaks Spanish at home,” and look disapproving. They then glance at me, as though to elicit a similar disapproving response from me. I admit, I don’t give it to them.

The advantages of being bilingual are well documented.

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I won’t reiterate what these articles say, except to emphasize that being bilingual is an advantage. No bones about it.

foca

A funny bilingual cartoon I enjoy.

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So, I get frustrated when the teachers insist to me that a child not speaking his/her native language with his/her parents is detrimental. What good do they expect to come of it? They will probably not learn English any faster from non-native speakers who do not benefit from 6 hours a day, 5 days a week language instruction like they do. Instead, the child spends time building up his/her skills in another language, exercising his/her brain synapses, improving many skills: multitasking, listening, speaking, etc.

The sad thing is many new immigrant parents insist on not speaking Spanish with their children, fearing that their children will not learn English. This is patently untrue and a bit disheartening. Every time a child loses the ability to communicate with relatives in their native language, it’s a loss. They can no longer hear the oral histories, listen to their relatives in their comfortable language. This is upsetting to me. However, I understand their motivation, as many English speakers here in the U.S. insist on the superiority of the English language. While I understand that immigrants should learn English, I don’t think anyone comes to the U.S. without that intention – it’s life circumstances that get in the way (work, exhaustion, third shift, etc.). One student recently commented this his mother didn’t go to free English classes because she couldn’t drive there (no license) and, um, I doubt she was going to walk upwards of 8 miles round trip when she has a family to look after.

I wish we could reach some middle ground where English was important, but not the be-all, end-all. I wish the kids I work with would learn both languages – reading, writing, speaking, and listening. I wish they would get the opportunity to hear their grandparents speak of their home countries in Spanish. I wish they would grow up loving both, understanding both, living both.

Spanish Phrases I’ve Learned

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Yesterday I wrote about the advantages and disadvantages of dating a foreigner. One is, as I’ve repeatedly said, learning a new language from said foreigner. That said, I know I have many American readers who either a) are learning Spanish or b) want to learn Spanish. I love learning new phrases from my boyfriend, ones that make no sense literally, but are used just the same. (Think “cut to the chase” – what am I cutting and what is the chase?)

I often want to learn new phrases in Spanish, but it’s not as though Mario can think of them off the top of his head (another set phrase in English!). So, I wait until they come up in conversation, as they inevitably do, and then pick his brain (+1 more for me), as you will see below. I suppose I could Google them, but the useful Spanish phrase websites are almost always written for beginners and it’s more fun this way as well as easier to remember.

Example of phrases I do not need to learn. Thanks, but no thanks.

  • a secas - Mario, of course, said this to me. Here’s how it went down, Spanglish and all. And yes, this is copy + pasted straight outta Gmail.
Mario: I hope my next mobile is a mora negra
Mario: o mora a secas
me: mora a secas?
Mario: a secas means “just that”
Mario: in this case, there’s no need to say “mora negra”
Mario: because blackberry means mora
  • pan comido - literally, “eaten bread,” but it means easy as pie / cake. Like, “Ese examen es pan comido” = “That exam will be easy as pie.”
Mario: ¿por qué es pan comido?
me: muy fácil de hacer. eso es lo que significa pan comido, ¿no? ¿fácil?
Mario: sí, aquí ya sabes que hay un culto hacia el pan
Mario: por eso, decimos pan comido
  • irse / marcharse con los bártulos a otra parte - take your stuff and go, but more in the sense of “this sucks, I’m gonna take off.” I love the word bártulos, by the way. Example from Cinco Días.
  • ser una piña - literally, “to be a pineapple,” but you use it to mean to be a tight-knit group. “Somos una piña” = “We’re tight.” Example from La Voz de Galicia.
  • a diestra y siniestra  - this one happened early on in our relationship/my Spanish learning. It means “left and right” in the sense of “The Spanish team is winning medals left and right” = “El equipo español está ganando a diestra y siniestra.” Example from El País.
So, fellow Spanish language learners / Spanish people who want to teach me a cool new phrase – what should be the next phrase I learn? I’m all ears.

From Castellano to Mexicano

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I’m starting a new job fairly soon. I’ll be teaching English. (Wait, again?) This time, though, it won’t be to surly, unwilling Spanish high school students, but to hyperactive elementary school children, mainly from Mexico. As a part of my job, I also work as the school liaison to the Spanish-speaking community.

Hopefully, my translating skills are at least better than that.

This Monday, as a part of my job, I worked for new student registration. My principal had asked me to do so, just in case any families came that couldn’t speak English. Only one did, but I soon realized I am very Spanish in my Spanish. (Confused yet?)

You see, in high school, they taught us Mexican / South American Spanish. So, when I went to Spain in the first time (2008), I had a lot to learn. After having spent a long stretch of time there, as well as having a Spanish boyfriend, my Spanish has been transformed. I speak Spain Spanish. While talking to this mother and her little boy, I tried (if somewhat unsuccessfully) to speak Mexicano and not Castellano (Spain Spanish). No go.


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Here’s how I know:

  • I use vosotros all the time. I like it; it’s useful; why don’t Mexicans use it? It makes no sense.
  • Ceceo. It’s not a lisp, and I hate it when people make fun of others for using. That’s how it’s done in Spain. It’s not being pretentious to mimic their accents. It’s how you sound good, near native. I don’t think it’s odd when non-native speakers mimic American accents if they live in the U.S. or English ones if they live there. It’s just what you do.
  • Leísmo. This one I know is grammatically incorrect, but when I hear people doing it daily, it’s hard not to mimic. (If you don’t know Spanish at all, you probably won’t get this.) Le veo…wrong, but oh so right (at least in Spain).
  • Coger. That word is another example of extreme usefulness. Coger el bus, coger una idea, coger una cosa. In Spanish, they mean get, catch, capture…in Latin American, the F-word. Yeah, so I’m going to try desperately to avoid using that one. Ever.
  • La jota. The J in Spain Spanish is very strong. I loved it when my students would pronounce ham like chhhhammmm (like in Chanukah – you have to haaack when you say it!). I tend to overdo it, even in Spain, so imagine what my hacking sounds to Mexicans. Ha.
I am trying to remember that people won’t necessarily think I’m weird/snobby for speaking this way. It’s a habit. A very ingrained one. Wish me luck!

What I Miss

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I am so happy to be home. There is nothing like my home in the summer – green grass, cookouts, margaritas made by my Uncle Steve (which we drink on the porch), sunsets, fireworks (even if I don’t like them), walks at twilight, humidity (ugh!), and more. I wouldn’t rather be any place else. However, having been home for almost a month, and having spent the last few days in Texas, I realize there are a few things I miss.

No, not El Escorial specifically. Rather, I miss beautiful scenery of centuries-old buildings. The U.S. is the toddler of the world, having only existed for 200-some years. Spain has universities that were established half a millennia before the United States. Now that’s old! I miss stepping out of my house, walking five minutes, and seeing a Romanesque church built in 1400. I miss every town having its very own Plaza Mayor. I especially miss Salamanca’s.

Ah, dando un paseo - taking a walk/stroll. Around 6 or 7 PM nightly, you can count on a large majority of the people you know to be out doing this very thing. Mario’s parents usually see at least 10 people they know. If you can cross the main street, Santa Clara, without seeing anyone you know, you’re basically no one in Zamora. You will see all types of people out strolling along the main thoroughfare: grandparents with babies, parents with babies in elaborate strollers, parents holding toddlers’ hands, teenagers laughing with their friends, old men with their hands clasped behind their back, old ladies gossiping, elderly women with their hand firmly grasping their husbands’ elbows – all kinds. This just doesn’t happen here, even if you do live in a town where strolling is possible.

Fútbol. I don’t always enjoy watching it on TV, but I love the excuse it gives people to get together, drink, and eat. It doesn’t hurt that when Mario’s friends get together, the food is good - no potato chips and soda here. Nah, we roll with empanada, salad, chorizo, jamón, tortilla de patata, and we can’t forget the always delicious red wine! I also don’t mind that soccer players are, ahem, attractive (a lot of times).

This guy. Yeah, I kinda miss him. By the way, anyone have a job for a cuatrilingual Spaniard (Spanish, English, French, and German)? He’s really smart, has three degrees, and, uh, just hire him! You won’t regret it.

The Secret

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No, I’m not talking about the book. I’m talking about the secret to getting comments/views. If we’re honest with ourselves, we bloggers love comments. I know I do. I get a fair amount of views – nothing huge, mind you – but few comments. A lot of those are from my friends, blogging or otherwise. I think many read and do not comment. Some posts get more comments than others, though. Why is that? Well, in my blog’s case, there are a few things that generate more comments than others…

  1. Posting lists. People love lists. How to Dress Like a Spaniard, My Top 10 Myths About Spain, 15 Rules to Thrive in Spain – all have generated many comments and views.
  2. Photos. People prefer posts with photos. Ooooh, shiny!
  3. Siesta. On WordPress, you can see the search terms people use to find your blog and my top search term is consistently “siesta.” I guess people like napping, and I can’t say that I find that off-putting. Who doesn’t love a good siesta after a filling Spanish lunch with lots of delicious red wine? Not me, my friend, not me.
  4. Mario. I kinda hate to admit this, most of all in a public forum, but posting about my bilingual relationship gets way more comments/views than normal. What gives, people? Are you trying to hint at me that you like him more than me? Seriously? He says “Espain” and talks with an adorable accent, I get it. But I’m the protagonist of this blog…well, I thought I was anyway.
  5. Food. People like to eat. As for this one, I’m totally on board. Spanish food is awesome, and if you think it’s just like it is in the tapas bars, you’re wrong. My Spanish almost-mother-in-law is probably the best cook in all of Spain, and na na na boo boo, she cooks for me. For free. Pepita, if you could understand this, I’d tell you I miss your lentejas terribly. I would definitely hire you to cook for me if a) I could afford it, and b) you would actually move here, which you never would, since you’re pretty damn popular in good old Zamora.
Oh, and here’s a picture. Just to keep you entertained.
Wine tasting in Zamora with my dad (left), Mario’s dad, and me.