International Student Mentoring

One of the aspects of my job that I love the most is the chance to mentor International Students. I currently mentor a student from Japan. Over the past summer, I became the "American Mom" to two young women from Turkey (yes, I also taught them to speak some Spanish!). I look forward to hearing from these Turkish students, who have returned home to further their university studies. Both are Mechanical Engineering majors. Although Turkey is not currently at war, Syria is its neighbor and the political situation there is volatile. Bloodshed has already spilled over the border. You might enjoy learning the place names of other countries as they are expressed in Spanish. You will find a nice list below of country names along with the word used to express nationality. Use the Spanish verb ser to express origen. I am from Spain. Soy de España. I am Spanish. Soy espñola. Ceren (pronounced like the English "Jedda") is from Turkey. Ceren es de Turquía. She is Turkish. Es turca. Country País Nacionalidad Afghanistan Afganistán afganos Africa Africa africanos Albania Albania albaneses Algeria Argelia argelinos America América americanos Andorra Andorra andorranos Anguilla Anguila anguilenses Antigua and Barbuda Antigua y Barbuda antiguanos Argentina Argentina argentinos Aruba Aruba arubeños Asia Asia asiáticos Australia Australia australianos Austria Austria austriacos, austríacos (The) Bahamas (las) Bahamas bahameños Bangladesh Bangladés/Bangladesh bangladesíes Barbados Barbados barbadenses Barbuda Barbuda barbudeses Belgium Bélgica belgas Belize Belice beliceños Benin Benín beninenses Bolivia Bolivia bolivianos Bolivia Bolivia bolivianos Bonaire Bonaire bonairenses Botswana Botswana botswaneses Brazil Brasil brasileños British Virgin Islands Islas Vírgenes Británicas virginenses británicos Bulgaria Bulgaria búlgaros Burma Birmania birmanos Burkina Faso Burkina Faso burkinabés Cameroun Camerún camaruneses Cambodia Camboya camboyanos Canada Canadá canadienses More...

El Nuevo Semestre

Empezamos el nuevo semestre el día 17 de enero de 2012.

iOS and Android Apps

Android Me encanta... Univisión (with videos) New flashcard app from dictionary.com radios de españa iOs Emergency Medical Spanish Twitter (profejulia) (I retweet current events and interesting comments from Hispanic personalities like HIlda Solís, Soledad O'Brien, George Lopez, and more) Do you know of some quality language learning apps on these or another platform? Please comment.

Tortilla de patata

Tonight I am cooking tortilla de patata. Perhaps fittingly, I am also making a German chocolate cake. This situation speaks to me of the perfect combination of my two heritages.

Por fin I have both enough patatas and enough huevos left in the house. With four, sometimes five boys living here, comida in any quantity doesn't last long in the cupboard or on the table.

Tortilla de patata is a matter of both national and family pride for the Spanish. I hope that my children will say that I make a good one.

Kicking it Old School with Direct Object Pronouns

Direct and Indirect Object Pronouns have always been something of a "sticky wicket" for non-native speakers of Spanish.

In plain English, they're difficult to master.

The DO (Direct Object) is found by asking taking the verb and asking the question: _____ who? OR _______what?

"I see the mountains." (I see what? Mountains)

The IO is found by asking "To whom or for whom?"

Randy told Jowell a joke. "Told a joke to whom?" Randy.

In this song by Jowell and Randy (old school!) He says, "No te veo"

"I don't see you."

Te vas no me dices nada que pasa que ya no te veo
no te veo
te vas no me dices nada que pasa que ya no te veo
no te veo
te vas no me dices nada que pasa que ya no te veo
no te veo
te vas no me dices nada que pasa que ya no te veo
no te veo

My suggestion? Read, watch and listen to the ways that native speakers use DO's and IO's.

Feel free to comment if you know of another song that exemplifies the use of DO and IO pronouns.

Freedom! Libertad!

I've just become familiar with Google Talk and video chats. I imagine this would be a nice way to listen to distance learning student oral presentations or to have on-line office hours.

Finally! Por fin! I can rid myself of my avatar (as in Second Life) and just be me.

Yo.

Baja. Morena. Contenta.

The college was, and still is, supportive of the Second Life format. Instructors and students walk around (as avatars) in a virtual world. I took a class in order to familiarize myself with both the culture and the tools involved. My name was "Aracely Highfield." (Don't bother looking for me in Second Life, however.)

Flying off of buildings was fun. Seeing "myself" walking under the ocean and navigating through strange virtual cities was, well, strange.

I'm using a tablet with front and rear facing cameras for the video chat. It's easy to carry around and I'm freed from sitting in front of a desktop for extended periods of time.

Students- Contact me in the course space for my gmail address. I'd be more than happy to set up a time to give this idea a test run.

RELAX!

Tengo que relajarme. Sé esto porque hoy me encuentro anxiosa y enfadada incluso con el tiempo. Quién se enfada con la nieve? Pues yo. Hoy nieva mucho y es muy peligroso viajar. Acaba de nacerse mi nueva nieta "Collette" y quiero ir a la casa de mi hermana para conocerla. Y no me atrevo.

Every Tuesday morning I take my oldest son to school for early morning band practice. This morning the roads were snow covered. The van doors were frozen (Picture me trying to shove the younger children, half asleep and wrapped in blankets, into the back of the van by way of the driver's seat).

I had plans to travel today. I have a new niece, named "Collette" (her father is French-Canadian) and I had hoped to drive to the Niagara Falls area to meet her. But when I set out this morning I found that travel is dangerous. It's very cold outside and the blowing wind is causing drifts. I don't dare drive.

And I'm mad. I'm mad at the weather. Like many people who live in the Northeast, I'm simply tired of the snow and cold.

I really should find a way to relax.

How do you relax?
¿Cómo te relajas?

Pasando mucho frío

De verdad prefiero no quejarme...pero tengo que decir que en estos momentos...estoy pasando mucho frío.

Tengo muuuuucho frio.
Me muero del frío.
Frío... frío...frío.

Perhaps I should buy myself a gadget or two to help me with this problem. Something like mittens or a big sweater, or like the objects featured on the blog "Todo Cute"

Ayer tuve un sueño...

I have a plan to help me through the coming Western NY winter...ir a Andalucía.

Such a trip is complicado y caro. But, my sister IS a travel agent in Spain. Should I take along my oldest children? The youngest are 3 and 5 years old. Not one of them has met my family face to face.

I haven't proposed the trip to mi esposo yet. For now, sufro una meloncolía profunda y eschucho la música del grupo El Barrio.

Aventura

I've recently discovered the music of "Aventura." Their official web site (available in English and Spanish) describes their musical style as...their nouveau sound fuses bachata (a guitar-based Dominican folkloric music sometimes called the “Dominican blues”) with R & B, hip hop and other American pop and urban styles.

I particularly like the series "Amor de Madre" (Parts I and II). The songs tell the story of a fatherless boy who runs with the wrong crowd and lands in jail, only to find himself face to face with his father, who suffered a similar fate.

Escucha aquí

NPR Mexico

NPR is my preferred source for information and news surrounding the drug wars in Mexico.

I find it difficult (but important) to teach on this topic, if merely for the fact that it is such a horrible, sad situation

WORLD
Mexico Drug Cartel Territory
Mexico is the top supplier of marijuana — and also a major supplier of methamphetamines — to the United States. In addition, it is a major transit country for other drugs, including cocaine and heroin, coming from other countries. Mexican cartels have now displaced Colombian groups as the dominant cocaine traffickers in the world. Several drug cartels in Mexico have a part in the process, and often war over territory. As Mexican President Felipe Calderon's administration has attempted to clean up the country and to rid Mexico of the top narco-traffickers, other cartel members have killed thousands in an effort to swoop in on the territory and trafficking routes left behind.

Foreign Service Institute Course Material

The foreign Service Institute has made its foreign language training materials public. The audio of taped courses as well as texts and workbooks have been digitized. These are available free to the public.

My first glance is that some of the material is rather dated. But you might find something helpful in there or at least, feel like a future ambassador or better yet, a spy!

Find it here. Choose Spanish or another language from the extensive list. I can't recommend one Spanish course over another.

Univisión Android App

Droid does Apps

While I'm not a big fan of most of the shows from "Univisión," I'd like to acknowledge that watching (listening to) them might have value for the study of Spanish. I'm doing a test run of the Univisión app on my Droid.

How else might you use your cell phone/mobile device to study Spanish. The textbook might even offer some MP3's that you can download to your Ipod or cell phone (or computer). I'll check into it.

Los Aslándticos

Acabo de "descubrir" la música del grupo musical Los Aslandticos. La primera canción que escuché fue "El Primer Día." Escúchala. Te va a animar!

If you don't like the first song you hear, try another! This band really "mixes it up" with big band, reggae, rap, rock, and more.

They aren't the only terrific sound out of Córdoba either.

Juan Antonio Samaranch

In the news today...Juan Antonio Samaranch, long-time president of the International Olympic Committee, passed away today. I heard the announcement this morning on National Public Radio. The npr web site carries a story about the changes to the Olympic Committee under his leadership.

I'll be watching Twitter today to see what the newspapers and individuals might be saying. You can follow me (tweets in Spanish)at Profejulia.

Farm Hands

If you are local to the GLOW region supported by Genesee Community College, you might like to attend a book signing and talk by Tom Rivers, local reporter and author of the book Farm Hands.

Weds. April 7, 2010, 7 p.m.

This is a free program. Please register by calling 585-589-4246.

I just finished reading Farm Hands, although I've been following Tom's journey to live and document farm life and labor issues (including immigration issues) for some time. The book is an easy, enjoyable read and it is very informative.

Fiesta!

The following questions are from a "typical" Spanish 102 assignment designed by the FL Department. Students are asked to research a holiday or festival in a Spanish-speaking country and then complete a study guide.

I highly recommend that students conduct their research in Spanish. This is not meant to be a translation exercise. Similarly, starting in Spanish will give them the correct grammar and all of the vocabulary they need, saving time in the long run.

Use an "Advanced" Google search to find pages written in a particular country and pages written in Spanish.

As always, the basic grammar to answer the question is already "found" in the question itself. Take question #1:

1. ¿Cómo se llama el festival?

El festival se llama __________________.

Notice that you didn't have to modify the verb one little bit! It's a "fill in the blank" sort of thing.

Note: Remember to be aware of the gender of the word you choose for "holiday" such as la fiesta, el festival, el día de fiesta, etc.


2. ¿Dónde se celebra?

Se celebra en ___________________.

3. ¿Cuál es la fecha del festival?

La fecha es________________.

4. ¿Es un festival secular o religioso?

Es_______________ (ALL the words you need are already in this question)

5. ¿Cuál es el motivo del festival? ¿Qué celebra el festival?

Which verbs will you employ and which forms? Es and celebra....easy.

More to follow, provided there are comments and questions.

Study Guide Questions - Forming Answers

One CRUCIAL skill that I work to teach my students is "to take words and grammar from a question and use them to form the answer."

Let's look at this practice as it relates to a common SPA101 assignment, the Travel Essay Study Guide.

Study Guide Questions
SPA 101 Cultural Project

1. ¿Adónde vas a ir?

The answer to this question is basically, "fill in the blank" with the name, in Spanish, of the country you are traveling to.

Of course, you have to answer in the "yo" or first person form so you also need to adjust the verb.

Voy a ir a _______________ (Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, etc.)

2. ¿Cómo prefieres viajar? ¿Vas en tren? ¿autobús? ¿avión? ¿barco?

ALL the words and grammar you need to answer this question are right there! Only a small verb-form adjustment required.

Prefiero is the "yo" form of preferir. Are you using the resource "500 verbs in Spanish?" Look up the verb and then its present tense forms. There are many, many on-line resources that list Spanish verb forms.

Prefiero viajar en tren. OR Prefiero viajar en barco.

3. ¿Con quién vas a ir?

Again, this is a "fill in the blank" answer. Follow the "ir + a+ infinitive formula to express the future.

Voy a ir con __________________ (mi esposo, mi prima, mi amigo, etc.)

Tomorrow, I'll speak to the next few on the list. Or, perhaps you'd like to ask about a specific question?

Remaining questions:
4. ¿Cuándo es la salida? y ¿Cuáles son las fechas del viaje?
5. ¿Qué tiempo hace en este sitio (this place) en esta estación (season)?
6. ¿Qué necesitas traer?

7. ¿Dónde quieres quedarte (to stay)?
8. ¿Cómo es el hotel?
9. ¿Cuánto cuesta el hotel usando la moneda del país o la región?
10. ¿Cuáles son dos atracciones que vas a visitar? (Un museo, un parque, un monumento etc.)
11. ¿Por qué quieres ir a estas dos atracciones? ¿En tu opinión por qué son interesantes o divertidas?
12. ¿Qué vas a hacer por la noche? (ir al cine, a una discoteca, comer, caminar, explorar etc.)

13. ¿Cómo se llama un restaurante famoso en este sitio (place)?
14. ¿Vas al restaurante para el desayuno, almuerzo o la cena?
15. ¿Qué comida típica de la región vas a pedir?
16. ¿Qué vas a beber en el restaurante?
17. ¿Cuál es la cosa más interesante de tu viaje?
18. ¿Qué aprendes de la cultura de la región que visitas?

El Móvil

You might be someone who still considers the cell phone a luxury. Or, perhaps, you consider it a "necessary evil" or even a good "friend."

I've heard many English words for "cellular device" including cell and mobile phone as well as the brand-specific names like "I-Phone," "Droid" or "Intensity."

In Spain, we refer to the cell phone as "el móvil." IN the States and Mexico, the word "celular" is more popular.


One of my favorite podcasts, "Spanish as a second language" has a wonderful episode where the narrator comments on the many features available on today's cell phone.
Camera. Blue Tooth. Video. Apps. Navigation.

You can read the Spanish version of Verizon's current offers and handheld devices. It's interesting to see how app titles and offers are translated from English to Spanish.

Verizon (Español)

I'm very interested in the ways that students might use their cell phones to learn Spanish. Podcasts and MP3's might be downloaded to the cell in order to study vocabulary and listen to grammar on the road.

Tienes tú celular?

- "Pop" Song in Spanish about the cell phone called "El Celular"

Flamenco Chillin'

GCC is closed today because of a big snow storm that is spinning over the the East Coast States. I'm snowed in and the house is cold.

To pass the time, I put on some "flamenco chill," a genre of Spanish music. It is, loosely defined, a fusion of classical flamenco, world instruments, electronica, jazz and African beats. Sometimes, I will admit, it's a bit too jazzy and new-agey for my tastes.

But I love flamenco.

Flamenco reminds me of time that I spent with my mother in Málaga during Holy Week (her name was Marivy). She took my sisters and me to the cathedral where Gernalísimo Franco was married (she was baptized there). We breathed the smells of the processions and the Mediterranean sea...sweet and savory street food, fresh fish, emormous blooming flowers, incense burning. And I felt for the first time the strange combination of pena and alegría that are simultaneously expressed by flamenco performers.

If you grow up in the south of Spain you know flamenco. Consider the high-school dances at my friend Alicia's shool. Interspersed between pop and rock songs, the DJ at these dances played flamenco and in seconds, the gym would be filled with heel-stomping, spinning teens with their chests high and their fingers fanned. Even the wall flowers were compelled to clap.

I especially admire the work of the lead singer of flamenco-chill's flagship group, "Chambao" (music video below).

At the height of the group's popularity LaMari was diagnosed with breast cancer. She writes about her experience and offers hope in her book,

Enamorá de la vida, aunque a veces duela.

"Fall in love with life (or better translated, love life), although at times it(life) hurts."

interview, Flamenco chill group








Another video:

Chambao - Comeme