Caray, Caray!

Hi Hombre. Here's what I would love to know...about each one of our recappers and bloggers.

What made you decide to start learning Spanish? Motivation, how you went about it? etc.

I'm sure there are many different reasons and many different methods (other than telenovelas).

Inquiring minds want to know!
 

Oh and Jeff...waaay to go! Your game was on too late for me to watch, but beating Michigan State...awesome. Now I have to go back and check on Bayor.
 

Darn! Sorry Carlos, I understand Kansas State is a very strong team. Something about that state!...I dunno...
 

Why did I decide to learn Spanish? I just wanted to learn some language other than English. All of a sudden, in my 50's I just wanted to learn things. I had been watching a lot of Teaching Company Courses, learning philosophy, history, science (all the things that bored me in my youth), and I felt I should learn a language. Spanish was the natural choice, since there are so many Spanish speakers in the US now, and I also heard it was easy (I wish).

I started with a course called Visual Link Spanish, then Destinos. At some point I realized I could watch Univision, and then I really got hooked, not only on the language, but also on the culture and music. It's as if a whole new world has opened up for me.

I'm also now learning Italian and German, and refreshing my high school French, but the only one I'm near fluent in is Spanish, thanks in no small part to the novelas, which are enhanced so much by our discussions here.

BTW, the Maryland Terps lost in the ACC tournament. Hard to believe they beat Duke a few weeks ago, just goes to show how strong the home court advantage is. Spirit and emotion really seem to play a big part in college basketball victories.
 

Good morning Judy,
As you know, both the guys and yhe Girly Bears lost. Bummer. I hope that both last a little longer in the NCAA Tournaments.

Good luck to Ohio St. today. I'll be watching. Do you think ET has anymore tricks in his hat?

UK/Tenn, tough one. Mike and Emilia on one hand, Sandy on the other. Be a fun game to watch. I must admit, life at the office will be more pleasant if UK keeps winning.

Hombre, I hope that you had a great night off.

Good luck to everyone who has a team playing today. I haven't checked the schedules yet.

Carlos
 

Good Morning/Afternoon, thanks Judy. Good luck this afternoon. Looks like you guys play first and then us. Surprised we won it after MSU came back at the end of the game. We got up by 10, then they outscored us 15-5 down the stretch, tied it up. They lost the ball out of bounds at the end to cause the over time. We had 3.9 seconds at the end to win in regulation, but we didn't have an Evan. :) Close, at least we got off a shot, but too much pressure. Then we did pretty good in OT. Still have a shot at NCAA. If we beat Purdue, could put us in. Loss, hard to say.

Carlos.. Sorry, both lost. Bummer. They'll both be in the NCAA, so more chances to watch.
Also.. You were bummed at the apparent demise of Mabel in CS, Ivonne Ley. She is on Tormenta right before Gancho. Plays a character called Celina. Looks to be love interest of one of the Bravo hermanos, Lisandro, played by Ferdinando Valencia (German in ENDA).

Things don't look good in the avances for Cris. I always think of him as the 'hardest working cop' in DF. He everywhere fighting crime.. or at least there when Gancholanders get into trouble or cause trouble. Depending on what happens to him, that may cause Pau to help him and have them get back together. Or, perhaps it'll knock some sense into him? :) At least, hope nothing too bad happens to him. How dark will they go here at the end?

I think perhaps they are trying to align Gancho up so it finishes on a Friday? Could be why they didn't have it on on Friday.
 

Congratulations Mike...
 

Hombre d'M, I'm surprised by how much my story is like yours. I LOVE The Teaching Co! What are your favorite series? I like McWhorter's Human Language, and I'm liking Conn's Bestsellers more than I thought I would.

Back in '05 my son needed foreign language for homeschool high sch, so we took Spanish together at the local adult sch. He covered his 2-year requirement and quit, but in '07 (in my late 40s), I got a sudden PASSION to get good at it. It kinda' fell on me, clear out of the blue.

A classmate recommended TNs, and I discovered Fea. I loved it so much, my comprehension doubled in two months. I quit classes because they took time away from my novela, which was producing much better results. I went from understanding almost NOTHING when I started, to 18 months later being able to recap, even without CCs.

My best friend is a recent immigrant, I volunteer at the local elem. helping new arrivals learn English, and I have a study partner in Mexico with whom I practice on Skype twice a week. My life is richer because of Spanish. And like you, Hombre d'M, I fell in love with the culture as well. Además, I was never a music listener before, but now I have an iPod full off A. Fernandez, D. Torres, Arjona, more A. Fernandez, et al. and I love it.

As for study methods, I've gotten lazy lately and don't do much deliberate studying. But when I was in the steep part of the learning curve, here's what seemed to help most.
1. Get a hairy dictionary. That is a friend who is a native speaker. Where I live, many immigrants are eager to practice English, so it wasn't hard.
2. Grammar is boring but necessary. I memorized the most essential part of the conjugations, and I read through Countdown to Spanish by Stein and Practical Spanish Grammar by Prado (I strongly recommend both).
3. I memorized sentences from 1001 Most Useful Spanish Words, a marvelous little two-dollar book. It helped my vocabulary, grammar, and syntax. I have some spares on hand if anyone is interested; $2+actual postage.
4. I still keep a personal glossary. Every time I learn a new word I think is useful, I add it to the list.
5. Personally I love dichos, so I learned a bunch of them. If dichos don't light your fire, find something that does (poetry? songs? educated talk radio?), and delve into it.
6. This is really geeky, but sometimes I transcribe a favorite scene verbatim from a favorite novela. It requires a lot of play-back, but it focuses a spotlight on things I don't understand as well as I thought I did. It also forces me to focus on grammar items like tenses and pronouns. It's work, but much more fun than writing a report in Spanish for class!
 

Okay. I've had two answers on what started you learning Spanish. Hombre and Paula. Very interesting. Need more.

I am physically and emotionally exhausted from the double overtime! But at least we won. Illinois played very well. And we were struggling for much of the game.

Going to root for Minnesota now Jeff. Although they know how to beat us which isn't good. Don't look forward to another meeting with you guys. And with our super-short bench, our guys have to be feeling pretty ragged.

Carlos, so sorry about Baylor but with Brittney back, I expect good things in the NCAA.

Sandy. Sorry Tenn. lost. Doubt if you care but it's no fun having grumpy out of sorts menfolk skulking around the house.
 

Congratulations Judy. I bet you're exhausted. Quite the ebb and flow in that game. A lot of runs. Depending on how this game goes, good so far, perhaps I'll wish you good luck tomorrow. ;)
If we play you, it will be our 4th game in 4 days, so I'll shed no tears about your condition. :)
Very surprised at the Tenn/Ky score, the difference. Thought it was pretty close early.
Thanks to Houston, makes it tougher for us to make the NCAA.

Still struggling to learn Spanish. Don't apply myself enough. :) Have various books, partly done. I really have trouble understanding what is being said. My main understanding is reading the captions. My biggest understanding of what is happening comes from my wife. She is from New Mexico. She is hispanic and knows Spanish. She translates a lot of what is happening. I've always wanted to learn another language and since she already knows Spanish, that's where I've gone.
A big reason we started watching TNs is because she felt she was losing her Spanish. Starting putting Univision on in the background just to hear it and then started watching LFMB because we heard how good it was.
 

I've always wanted to learn Spanish, though for some reason I studied German in college. This was a bit unfortunate as one of the most charismatic and popular profs at Baylor at the time was the chairman of the Spanish dept. He avowed that Spanish is the language spoken in Heaven. I actually was able to speak German a bit though I was much better at reading and writing it.

A few years ago I ordered the first of the Pimsleur Spanish Courses from Sharper Image. I did the lessons on the commute to and from the office each day. I went through all 3 courses and a supplemental. By then I was speaking it fairly well and had begun watching TNs (before discovering CCs). At that time I had not read nor written the first word in Spanish. I wanted to progress and one of my patients who teaches Spanish introduced me to Adriana, a wonderful retired Spanish teacher originally from Guadalajara. She introduced me to Spanish art, literature... and grammar; I introduced her to TNs. It's been a wonderful adventure. I discovered Caray Caray looking for Cocolbosh, a mythical chocolate from a TN. I adore mariachi, ranchera, and regional Mexican music like son Huasteco, salsa, tango, and Carribean music, Spanish music, but sadly, I don't care much for Tejano or conjunto which are so popular here (Texas). I suspect Sylvia would like both since the accordion is central to both as well as the bajo sexto, a 12 string guitar.

Though I love the TNs, I think my reading and study of literature is my favorite and the thing for which I have the most pride.

udy, wow, not one but two narrow escapes. I almost felt sorry for Ill.

Jeff, good luck. Looking good so far.

Carlos
 

CARLOS! Podría pedirte algo? It sounds like you know more than me about the traditional music styles. Do you have any input for my page on that topic? Styles you know about that I don't? (You listed some.) Further info on those I listed? My format is:
A. Instrument mix
B. Other distinguishing characteristics.
C. & D. Representative artists.

I'd welcome input from anyone else too. If you don't want to answer on-board, my e-mail adr is on that page.
 

Okay, here's my story:

When I was in college, I made a lot of friends from Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America. They introduced me to the music and dancing and foods of their cultures. Salsa dancing was my primary hobby in school...we'd go two or three times a week, sometimes. Often they would speak to each other in Spanish. I wished I could understand, but I'd taken French and Russian in school and never attained anything near functional comprehension, so learning a whole new language seemed impossible.

Years later, I was in Madrid for a few days. I knew hardly any Spanish, but I was determined to use everything I did know. So I was in a shop one day, and the clerk came up and started talking to me...lots and lots of words, really fast. I apologized and tried to say "I don't speak Spanish" and she suddenly looked really offended and wrapped up the transaction very brusquely. I was confused. Later, I figured out that (due to my mangled verb forms) I had basically told her not to speak Spanish. Oops.

So, I decided that if I was going to try to speak Spanish, I needed to actually learn it. At that point I was looking for something to learn anyway, since after all that time out of school I felt like my mind was starting to atrophy. So I checked out some beginner textbooks from the library.

Right now I'm working my way through Correct Your Spanish Blunders. It's pretty helpful, but I think it'll take 7 or 8 times through before it all sticks.
 

Judy, good luck tomorrow. Figured you would have it easier with us than with Purdue, but too bad you didn't get to face Purdue. They didn't have it today. We may need to beat you to make the NCAA. Maybe they'll give us extra points for beating Purdue easily. Took Purdue until 2:05 left in the game to reach our first half total. Good luck! .. maybe. ;)
 

Judy and Jeff,
This is tough. I've become a big fan of OSU the past few weeks and ET in particular, but... Judy, perdonamé, I'm gonna pull for Minn. tomorrow. I'd like to see Minn in the NCAA Tournament, especially since our U of H Cougars (no, not a bunch of old ladies who prefer young boys) might have spoiled there chances otherwise. Minn certainly has it's work cut ou for it however.

Paula, I really just enjoy Mexican music and am more a fan than someone with a lot of knowledge on the subject. Here's a great link to an article about son Huasteco and Huapango. I'll bet Jarocha is very familiar with this type of music since it developed near Vera Cruz.

Carlos
 

Wow...I've enjoyed reading all these stories about how you all got into studying Spanish. And it's the language spoken in heaven, you say Carlos?

Now doc,say it isn't so! You're not gonna root for Minnesota. Puh-leeze. Minnesota is already slated to be in the NCAA, sez so on the TV, so I don't doubt it. Minnesota's the last in; Illinois is the last out.

Basically I am just hoping they don't injure one of our star players. They took out Robbie Hummel earlier in the season, and two more Purdue players went down today with injuries.

See, I become very nasty when facing an opponent. And paranoid. And aggressive. Not my best side. Jeff, if you win tomorrow I'll kill you. (just kidding well...only a little bit) Wish we were playing Purdue 'cause I really don't want to root against someone in our Gancho family. In all honesty, I'm a bit rabid. Apologies in advance for any bad things I may be thinking and saying tomorrow.
 

Paula, some of my favorites from The Teaching Company were History of the English Language, History of European Art, Great Minds of the Western Intellectual Tradition, The Joy of Science, and just about any classical music course (I think I bought almost all of them!) Of course, since I started studying Spanish, I haven't had time for those courses.

As for Spanish music, I tend to like the heavier, rock music groups. My favorites are Jaguares, Cafe Tacuba, Aterciopelados, Laura Pausini and Alejandra Guzman. My absolute favorite is Mago de Oz, which is really almost heavy metal (sort of like Yes on steroids). I like the traditional Mexican music, too, and I want to learn the accordion, as soon as I can convince my wife that it's not a crazy idea (she's not convinced yet).
 

Judy,

You crack me up. You sound like the Kentucky fans I know and love. Heaven help me if by chance Baylor ends up facing OSU and ET in the NCAA Tournament. I'm guessing that you won't be thinking that Tweety is so cute after all. What seems all too more likely is OSU and UK face to face at some point. Troubled waters ahead for Club Gancho?

Carlos
 

Hombre,

Even I think learning the accordion is a crazy idea... all the more reason to do it. Here in Texas, guys who bring their accordions to parties are very popular... veritable babe magnets. Our own Sylvia admits to a weakness for the accordion.

Carlos
 

Mike and I aren't rabid sportspeople but we certainly hope UK wins. We won't pout and curse if they lose, though. ( OK, not too much!)

My mother was Cuban but I grew up in the wilds of WV among my father's family. I took Spanish in high school (after leaving WV) and for a couple of years in college but it faded away. Mike and I discovered TNs with Juan Querendon and CarayCaray soon after. We are getting much better at Spanish but it is slow going. Mike got me Rosetta stone a year ago. I did great with it but have slacked off and really need to pick it back up. That's more or less our story unless Mike wants to add anything.

I'm in NC until tomorrow. A bunch of us women of a certain age went to see Menopause the Musical today. What a hoot!
 

Our younger son wants to learn the accordian. I'll have to tell him it will make him a chick magnet. He needs that - he's sooooo shy.
 

Hi Carlos. Glad I'm cracking you up. I went back to watching some more basketball (Kansas and Kansas State) and then got to thinking "WHAT DID I SAY???!!!" Thought I'd sneak back and delete my incendiary comment but alas, it's been read and documented so I'll just have to let the ugly truth stand...I'm a demented fan.

Emilia...what do you think about the Rosetta Stone. Lord, it's so darned expensive! That's what's holding me back although a friend of mine got the Italian version on ebay for a lot less.

I do have an interesting story about a friend's son who landed a plum job, with only a so-so background, beating out Harvard and Yale grads, simeply because he'd studied the language of the parent company through Rosetta Stone and did a little conversing in that language in the interview.

Oh my...my word to log in is "ranterw". Yep, I can rant and be a shrew, when it comes to Ohio State. The gods have spoken.
 

It is so interesting to hear how you all started learning Spanish. I'm very impressed by your dedication and interest.

Let me just say Paula: wow, I bet your Spanish is even better than mine at this point!

Hombre I like your choices in music. And you like Aterciopelados! I also liked them alot and while by now they are very well known I still don't consider them anything close to mainstream.

Carlos, yes, I'm very familiar with Huapango and Son Huasteco. The Huasteca covers the north part of Veracruz and it's almost half of the state. The dress Blanca Estela Pavón was wearing in the movie clip is very simmilar to the typical Jarocho gown. Other popular music here are the Son Jarocho also called Zapateado and the Danzón that's only instrumental.

Here's an example of Son Jarocho/Zapateado by Yuri. The most popular Son Jarocho is "La Bamba" because Richie Valens made it a rock song.

Here's an example of Danzón.

Jarocha
 

Judy, Rosetta Stone is expensive - maybe that helps 'guilt' you into studying! I do like it. It might have been Paula who doesn't like it but it sours my learning style.

Mike has a much better memory for languages than me. He used to be a Thai linguist. He's just a smart fellow!
 

Wow Judy! I'll have to run and hide until next month or so.. unless OSU wins. Enough about that game.

Anyone watching Hasta Que El Dinero? It's a nice little comedy. Doesn't have the depth of character, characters you care about (it has a lot of characters), as Gancho. But the leads have great chemistry. Quite a hoot when they get going good. For the musically inclined, they had a wedding reception that they attended. The male lead is Pedro Fernández and he is a singer. He sang a couple of times and he also had a duet with Itatí Cantoral, the female lead. I thought they did quite well together. A good time. Supposedly it won't get dark, probably no one killed. Sure you say, what kind of a TN is that. But, still has its moments.

Jeff hiding out in undisclosed location..
 

Hombre, I meant to add at the end of my paragraph that I'm impressed that you found Aterciopelados and can appreciate their music.

Jarocha
 

"Use an accordian, go to jail."

I have a theory. Ever notice, US music had lots of accordians through the 1940s, but none thereafter. Whereas Japanese music had plenty of accordian in their music throughout the second half of the 20th century.

My theory is that after the war, as war reparations, we shipped all our accordians to Japan as vengence for Pearl Harbor. Germany got divided. Japan got accordians.
---
But I must confess. Alejandro Fernandez is far-and-away my favorite musician. There is a fair amount of accordian in his music, and I actually enjoy it. In fact, the accordian lick in Eres almost makes me want to take up the squeeze box. Or maybe not.
 

I usually hate accordeon but I like it the way Julieta Venegas uses it. Like here.

Jarocha
 

Or here if you prefer romantic music.

Jarocha
 

Jarocha, you're too kind. If my Spanish were half as good as your English I'd be in hog heaven! Thank you for the music links and info.

The only kind of Mexican music I really can't tolerate is Banda. I'd rather listen to someone jackhammering a cat. Or scraping a blackboard... with a dentists's drill! Anyone care to guess, the preferred music style among immigrants around here???
 

Carlos.. Before I forget, gracias for supporting Minnesota to beat OSU. People just want to support the underdog, a real underdog. Hard to believe we'll be on the same floor as a very superior Buckeye team. :)
I was looking around, one guy was making up his brackets and had Baylor against Houston in the first round. :)

Jarocha.. Thanks for the music links. That another thing I like with the TNs. I generally like the opening music. Miss the music after the TN is done.
The accordian music is good. We were raised on Lawrence Welk music in my neck of the woods. Or is that why it is amazing I still like it?

Jeff still hiding in undisclosed location
 

Thank you Paula, but you are the one that's being too kind. I still cringe after some of my responses here because I forgot to proofread them before posting.

I hate Banda too. That's a type of music that originated in the northern states and it only became popular in the rest of the country after the media started forcing it on the radio. Most of the people in the southern states consider it "musica naca" but in the north it is the most popular, even among kids in the higher classes.

The worst type of Banda: the "narcocorridos".

I also hate reggaetón. That's not Mexican, but unfortunately it's another genre that has conquered the radio here.

Jeff I think producers of novelas always put effort in finding the perfect song for the credits because it sets the mood for the story. A good opening song is always atractive.

I forgot that I also like the accordeon in some vallenato songs (that's from Colombia). Maybe I don't really hate it so much as the music I usually hear it in.

Jarocha
 

Jarocha,
Thanks for those clips. I enjoyed all of them. Julieta Venegas is a favorite of mine. I love her videos and Andar Conmigo is my favorite of her songs. She seems so untamed, so ... silvestre.

I have mixed feelings about banda, It's not a style that I enjoy all that much, but it reminds me of Czech music I grew up with on Saturday nights at the SPJST Hall. I love tubas.

Carlos
 

Looking forward to listening to the music links once the rest of my family gets up. Unfortunately that will not before 10 am!

Jeff, glad you're taking my remarks in the spirit of fun. Love your "hiding in an undisclosed location:". Yes, if Evan Turner gets hurt in that game, the whole state of Minnesota will have to go into the Witness Protection Program. 'Nuff said.

On Dinero...I usually don't watch but I did see the wedding/getting drunk night and it was charming. Their duet knocked my socks off.

The rest of the cast I don't much care for. And I have to leave the room whenever his squeky-voiced fiancée and her repulsive father and brothers are on scene. Retch-worthy.
 

Jarocha, one of the ways I've found out about different musical groups was through amazon.com. Lots of people make lists, like "My 10 favorite Colombian rock groups", "Best Rock Latino", etc. I think that's where I discovered Aterciopelados. Another group I like is La Oreja de Van Gogh, which also has a female lead singer.

I like Julieta Venegas too, and the fact that she's a woman, who writes her own songs, sings lead and plays the accordion, makes me appreciate her talent even more.

Jeff, I've been sort of watching Dinero without sound. Huh? Well, from 8-9, I'm usually doing an Italian or German lesson on my computer, listening to headphones. But I still have the TV on in the background, and I'm half watching it. I've been keeping up with the recaps somewhat, too. The plan is to watch full time when Gancho ends.
 

Happy Sunday from a lovely and sunny Yorktown! I missed the UK game yesterday as I went to spend the day w/ our son in Richmond which suited me just fine.

Nathan and I discovered a little tienda/bakery called La Sabrosita and there a couple of nice pastelitos awaiting Emilia's return this afternoon. Next door to La Sabrosita is Chicken Fiesta (why they couldn't use Pollo, no se) which had some really excellent rotisserie chicken and yucca chips.

Nathan's very close to buying a beginner model accordion, by the way. He's wanted to play an accordion for many years. Cuidado, El Señor Myron Floren!!

You know, it's fun to watch UK win, but there a host of things that Kentucky needs more than basketball. 'Nuff said.

Learning Spanish: as Hombre said, I wanted to learn something new and for a number of reasons, Spanish seemed like the natural choice. I'd like to get good enough at it that Emilia's Mom (the best suegra any guy ever had) would be proud. I had three years of Latin in high school, had no luck whatsoever w/ attempts at German and French in college. I had enough time going in and out of Germany when I was in the flying game to pick up a little "G.I. German". The Thai thing Emilia mentioned was from 42 years ago when I first went in the Air Force. Paula H was, IIRC, a Korean linguist in the Army. But you lose those skills over time.

Another reason is that, at 62, I'm trying to work what's left of my mind to stave off the deterioration my mother's going through.
 

Good Morning Everyone and happy Daylight Saving Day! :)

I finally finished watching my recordings of Gancho from this week. I too am tired of the Angry Monkey. Time to get her back into some her other modes/moods. Can't wait for the Nieves/Jacky/Marcos meeting at the restaurant. Fireworks for sure. Loved Beto "training" Connie- if ogling and groping qualifies as training. :)

As to the question at hand, let me think way back. Having grown up in L.A. when it came time to take a foreign language in high school, Spanish was the most logical choice, considering so many people I knew growing up were from Mexico and Central America. I took Spanish all four years in high school from two eccentric teachers- Professor Cauz (pronounced Cauth), a Spaniard who looked down his nose at the barbaric Spanish spoken by people in the New World; and Professor Lopez (Crazy Lopy) who punished slow answers and grammatical errors by overturning unsuspecting students in their chairs, throwing chalk and chalkboard erasers at their heads, and yelling. He called all of us by title and last name- I was Señorita Café (Miss Brown). He was also a black belt in karate and would spend part of each morning punching a tree in the center of campus (it was a boarding school). In contrast, the French Department consisted of two slim, elegant, soft spoken, snooty, artsy women- one from Russia and the other from Belgium. The obvious choice for me was Cauth and Crazy Lopy. Not the easiest teachers, but way more exciting. :)

By the time I got to college, I had such a solid base in Spanish (and the AP exam scores to prove it) that I was able to take graduate school level Spanish Lit courses and make it a second minor- my other minor was Latin American Studies and my major was International Relations, so it all fit quite nicely. Like Julia, I also took up salsa dancing, along with merengue, cha-cha and tango, in college. Then it was off to Ecuador for 7 months my junior year, and my college roommate sophomore-senior year was from Ecuador.

I had Spanish fatigue by the time I decided to go into the Peace Corps, and that's how I ended up in Haiti, and my life took other twists and turns since then where Spanish has either been on the backburner or forgotten. I've got lots of friends from LatAm, and sometimes we speak Spanglish to each other, mostly dominated by English. For my M.A. degree five years ago, I had to be at fluency level in a language. I decided to refresh my Spanish, so I went to Costa Rica for a month, took some refresher language courses and traveled. I passed the exam (oral and written) and am now back to being pretty lazy about Spanish- I'm using my Haitian Creole more and more these last few months for obvious reasons. Whew! That was a long explanation. :)
 

As for LatAm/Spanish music, here is a listing of some of my faves: Carlos Vives, Chayanne, Celia Cruz, Mana, Aterciopelados, Manu Chao, Ozomatli, Juan Luis Guerra, Los Amigos Invisibles, Bebe... I could go on and on. These are just some of the ones I feel are good enough to put on my Ipod. My most favorite is Lila Downs. I see her everytime she comes to DC or NYC- she is such a dynamic performer.
 

Absolutely loving these stories. Such a delight. Thank you all for sharing.

I'll have to check out Lila Downs since some others you've mentioned, Vivi, are favorites. Just getting to know Latina music and love Chayanne, Mana and Juan Luis Guerra.

Vivi...does Haitian Creole bear much resemblance to French. One of our pastors and his wife help run a school in Ouinaminth (I know I spelled that wrong) and the students write to us in French, but I don't know if that language has had any influence on Creole or not.
 

Judy- Yes, Haitian Creole (Kreyol) is mostly French with many African and English words and Africa syntax. Both Kreyol and French are the official languages. Kids start to learn French a few years in to elementary school. And you got the name of the town right. :) Definitely check out Lila. You won't be disappointed.
 

Thank you, Judy, for starting the discussion. Wow! I'm amazed by your reasons for learning Spanish. I thought that most of the reasons would be career related, but instead most are rooted in a love of learning and a desire for personal development, not career development. My immigrant friends are amazed when I tell them about the education level of the novela-fan gringos here on Caray - doctors, lawyers (Indian chiefs?), univ. professors, etc. (One woman flatly thinks I'm lying, but she's a grosera de frontera so ni modo.) Most educated Mexicans consider TN's to be strictly for the uneducated; certainly not a source of education!

Ya! Uncle! I'll check out Aterciopelados. If so many of you like them, there must be a reason.

Two lesser-known artists I'm glad I found:
1. Diego Torres - similar to Juan Luis Guerra, but I like him better. His Calor esperanza and Por ti yo iré should give you a good taste of his music.
2. Luz Rios. Powerful like Arjona. So many Latina singers are so bubblegum, but she breaks the mold.

If you don't know about Pandora.com, check it out. It's like your own personal radio station, and it's free. You create a "station" with your favorite artists, and then Pandora sends you those artists plus others that you should like, based on your tastes. As you give thumbs-up or thumbs-down to songs as you hear them, Pandora refines its profile and gets better and better at including things you'll like. Very cool AI. That's how I found both Torres and Rios.
 

Congratulations Judy. Looking good right now. I think I'll be able to come out of hiding.

Wouldn't want to hurt Evan. Would like to have a chance for the TimberPuppies to draft him. :)
 

Wow! So many good stories!

I'm also a fan of Ozomatli, Aterciopelados, Julieta Venegas, etc. One day my manager at work was saying something about how no one plays accordian anymore, so I made him listen to Julieta Venegas on my Ipod. He liked it. Ozomatli puts on a way fun concert, and I highly recommend going if you get the chance.

The only radio station in Spanish I get here plays mostly norteña and ranchera, ugh. Fortunately Comcast has some music channels where I can discover some good stuff.
 

Sorry Jeff. I hope Minn still gets a spot in the NCAA Tournament. As you saw during the game, it looks like Ill and Minn are vying for a single spot. Good luck.

Congratulations, Judy. Nice win and everyone is still healthy.

I really enjoying reading how each of you became interested in learning Spanish. For anyone who hasn't delved into Spanish literature... do it. A while back I recommended el Sombrero de Tres Picos. Well here it is in one of those dual language books coupled with another of Alarcón's novellas. It is masterfully written and wickedly funny. It's a great way to painlessly dip a toe into Spanish literature.

Carlos
 

Hi folks. I want to thank you for all those great music links that I was finally able to listen to after the game.

And Carlos, I found the link telling the story of how the music evolved very interesting. So much more to learn, so little time!

Jeff, I too am hoping Minnesota gets in. With all my heart. As you know, I really like Tubby Smith and he's brought on a defensive intensity in his team that makes them very disruptive. I like Seth's assertion that BOTH Illinois and Minnesota should make it. Ojala!

Julieta Venegas is a new one for me. Lovely. Something of both a Brazilian and a French vibe in the way she sounds and sings. Jarocha, I like the Danzón demonstration as well...looked a lot like the box step we learned long ago (when people still danced together).
 

Jeff,
Minn made it! ¡Lley!!

Hombre,
Sadly, Maryland is set to play U of H in the first. U of H is a local source of pride. We all have memories of Phi Slama Jama, Hakeem O, Clyde D,you'll understand if I feel compelled to pull for the Cougars (no, not those).

Judy, Mike and 'Melia, Güera, Sandy, no surprises though Ky really got some breaks.

Elna June,
Cal is in the tournament, also. Cornell (Julia, time to jump on your AM's bandwagon. By the way, do you like this style of ranchera?) your Cinderella choice plays Temple (I think) in the first round.

Judy,
Don't forget the Fem Buckeye's,

M&'M,
The Kittycats,

I'm not sure which other ladies' teams we have represented here.

Should be fun.

Carlos
 

Carlos.. Yep, Minnesota made it. After that last game, not sure if we should have. :) Hard to believe Miss State didn't make it. Played KY close in the conf final. Seems like they should be there. Sounds like some of the picks were somewhat suspect. But.. probably teams that wouldn't win it all anyway. Baylor a number 3 seed, playing Sam Houston in the first round, teams in your area, as well as Houston. Since you were pulling for Minn, I'll have to pull for Houston. But, I'll pick Maryland in the pool picks. LOL

Judy.. Sort of seems like Illinois should have made it as well. But then who do you leave out, Minnesota I suppose. :) OSU looked good in the 2nd half, couldn't miss while we couldn't hit and just we were in a giving mood. OSU will have to get past Kansas, I think they can do that.

Elna June.. Cornell's leading scorer, Wittman, is from Minnesota.

I probably will be pulling for KY, Syr, Kansas as I am pretty sure I'll pick them to go quite a ways in the tourney. :)
 

Carlos, don't worry, you can root for Houston over Maryland. As you know, I'm not really a diehard fan. Did you know there's another team from my area in it? Morgan State, which is from Baltimore, MD (my city), who will probably lose early, but one never knows.
 

What fascinating comments to savor this morning. Thank you everyone for sharing your stories and experiences. I am humbled by your dedication and your penchant for learning.

I am in awe of those of you fluent in several languages, Judy, Carlos, Hombre, Julia.

Paula, I am so impressed you took Spanish with your son. I laughed at the fact you dropped classes as they were interfering with your telenovas. I can certainly understand that! You are so accomplished...

Emilia, if I ever fully embrace the 21st century by buying a newer computer, I would like to purchase Rosetta Stone.

Sigh. My reason for trying to learn Spanish? Truth? To understant telenovas! I studied French in high school and college (although not anywhere in the same league as Judy). Although I've always felt drawn to the beauty of the Spanish language, felt my first real compunction to learn when I saw my first TN, Destilando Amor.

I think you are all marvelous and very gifted. Above all, thank you for sharing your linguistic gifts with us daily.

I wish everyone the best of luck with your teams. I am a pro basketball fan and watched our beloved Celtics succumb to yet another loss to LeBron and the amazing Cavs. But, it ain't over til it's over. ;)

Diana
 

Sorry about the Celtics Diana, but have to support our Cavaliers and above all LeBron. If he's traded, I won't feel the same though. He's an Ohio homegrown knock your socks off phenom. Wish he'd decided to go to Ohio State before turning pro, but those are the breaks.
 

Judy, LeBron is remarkable and is, I believe, the best player in the league today. Period. Kobe who?

I thought the Cavs would win it all last year. I think this may be their year - he's got the fire.

Diana
 

Diana, you don't need a new computer to improve your Spanish. As Carlos said, the Pimsleur course (my library has it), is just cd's that you play in your car, or in a cd player. It's all audio, and I really liked it. I wasn't wild about Rosetta Stone (I know some people like it, tho').

When I was a kid, Baltimore had an NBA basketball team, the Baltimore Bullets. They became the Washington Bullets, now known as the Washington Wizards. One might think Baltimore and Washington are so close (45 miles), I could still root for them, but no, Baltimore and Washington are two separate worlds.
 

Dear Gancholandia:

Wonderful stories, all. I have been AWOL on the road the last two days, stuck at O'Hare with weather delays and canceled flights for 14 hours. I love Chicago, but 14 hours at O'Hare is not how I prefer to remember my latest "trip" to Chicago.

Judy, I don't know what to say about your team except that I will send the players my kindest thoughts and continue my BB learning journey.

Jeff, I am back in Cal from Minnesota, Otherwise I would have offered to join you in your undisclosed location.

Carlos: Glad to see Cal made it to the Tourney, but I am confused again. They just lost to one of the Washingtons, didn't they? Were they allowed in because of their delightful alumnae or their season record, or was there a little mordida involved?

My Spanish learning story...I always loved the language. To me it sounds like rivers of words and it just delights my ear. My family is Irish, so nobody spoke it at home. a couple of the Grandparents spoke Gaelic, which was not help at all.

Although I took Spanish in high school and all through college, my real interest in learning began when I worked in a battered woman's shelter in San Francisco. In those days (1980's), many of the women in the shelter were from El Salvador and Nicaragua and they kindly corrected my rookie language mistakes. I quickly discovered that book-learnt Spanish was not up to the task of the language of feelings. Since, as a psychologist, I was supposed to be helping these women, I quickly hired a therapist whose first language was Spanish and committed to learning the language.

I traveled a lot for work for many years, and whenever I could I went to Spanish speaking countries. I developed friendships with folks from Mexico and fell in love with the culture and history of that beautiful country.

My commitment to become conversant and (MAYBE SOMEDAY???) fluent in Spanish began when I stopped the everlasting traveling and heard from my a friend that her Mother learned English by watching television. I thought maybe I could do that in reverse, and I saw the ads for MEPS and decided to tune in. I soon found the Caray community and began lurking on the blog.

Now, thanks to some very kind advice from Hombre, I am finishing "Learning Spanish Like Crazy, volume 2". Carlos advised me to read "Tres Picos..", which I was able to download to my Kindle and I am reading it now. I watched MEPS and Sorti and I found my tribe over here at Gancholandia just a few months ago.

You guys are a complete inspiration! I am now digging into the language and committed to recap (if Melinama will have me) for La Dueña. Having a goal always inspires me.

Gracias a todos!
 

One simple question. A rich and wonderful diversity of stories. Thanks all! (And go Bucks, Gophers, Bears and Cornell!)
 

Glad you made it back safe and sound Elna June. It was 64 degrees in the Twin Cities yesterday. You left too early. :) You have a great Spanish learning story.
California made it because of their overall record (but, I'm sure their delightful alumnae helped). Most of the big conferences will get quite a few teams in the NCAA, but the Pac 10 didn't do as well as they usually do.
 

Carlos, I liked that song, but I like some of Paulina Rubio's other songs better. That's the thing about ranchera...every once in a while there's a song I actually like, so I keep tuning in to the station hoping to hear one of them, but generally end up hearing a lot of blegh and give up. Usually I listen while I'm driving, too, so I can't just make note of what the songs were and find them later. The DJs hardly ever identify them.

Mostly I listen to music I can dance to, or stuff more in the rock genre. I like variety. I've learned a little Argentinean from Yerba Brava. I also like Jorge Moreno's voice, and he does a variety of styles.

So. I am eager to get home and perhaps see a little inept villainy from Oski, after he MADE ME CRY on Friday's Mi Pecado.

I might have to get into this basketball thing, the way everyone talks about it. How would I fit in actually watching the games, though, with all the other television I already can't keep up with?
 

Julieta Venegas also plays guitar and piano. She is pretty talented.

My favorite Paulina Rubio song is "Tal Vez, Quizás".

After this talk and having watched the Angélica María marathon just last week I can't keep out of my mind this song where her character is trying to teach a group of street kids she found in a house she had inherited how to conjugate verbs. Not sure it could actually helpt to learn Spanish but it's catchy.

Jarocha
 

Julia,
Actually with basketball, you can tune in to the last few minutes of a game and see the important parts. Unfortunately, with fouls and time outs the last 5 min can last 30 min or so.

Carlos
 

Julia, Carlos is right. Something about the last few minutes seems to drive coaches into numerous time outs while they try every tactic they can think of to influence the outcome.

A good way to watch basketball is with an alumni group. You might see if your college has an alumni club in Seattle. I know UK does, so if you'd like to hang w/ some of my fellow toothless hillbillies let me know.

Elna June, why torment yourself w/ air travel when Amtrak's California Zephyr runs from Chicago to Oakland?
 

Mike:

You are sooo right. Amtrak would have been a better choice—had I intended to go to Chicago. Instead I was camped at my sister's house in the Minneapolis area, working. On the way back home, the United scheduling honchos (in their infinite wisdom) routed me through Chicago (yes, I know it's EAST of MN) on my way back to San Francisco.

I know there is a universe where this makes sense. It is the same universe in which the writers of Corazon Salvaje dwell, in which time and space are folded over one another and a 27 year old hunk is somehow made to appear as though he is a 49 year old aging leading man.

I know, it is probably not fair to complain about one TN on a different TN's thread, but I can't help it. CS is lamentable. Thanks all stars for Gancho.

Hope you and Emilia are doing great.
 

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Elna June, were you traveling yesterday? If so, too bad they didn't route you through LAX on your way to SFO. You might have considered the detour worth the trouble. See photo.
 

Paula, OMG, is that JC himself, The Lesser TBLMOE??
 

EJ, the Amtrak
Empire Builder serves Minneapolis going east down to Chicago or west to Seattle or Portland. Then there's the Coast Starlight from Seattle south through Portland to Oakland.

Now you just might get upset by the wine and cheese tasting the second afternoon on the Empire Builder because it features Washington State wines. Maybe the Minnesota cheeses will soften the blow.
 

Paula:

Jaime, Jaime, Jaime. A very good looker indeed.Does he now live in LA?
 

Hello everyone, I'm so sorry I missed this discussion. I left Friday after work and was stuck in a place with no wireless connection. Didn't get home until late last night then off to work very early this morning, gah!

Anyway, I really enjoyed everyone's stories of how they got involved in learning Spanish.


Carlos is right, I'm a sucker for good accordion. I love Julieta Venegas but I had never seen Jarocha's clip, it's awesome.

OK, I'm off to watch the other links...
 

How does JC manage to look so good while traveling? That is superhuman.
 

Mike:

You make a very persuasive case for taking the train. I am not picky about wine—I will drink good wine whether it comes from Croatia or Washington or my own back garden. I love Pinot Noirs and Washington State is the source of some very fine ones.

I am not attached to MN cheese. My sister is in MN due to her hot-shot hubby's J-O-B. They move all the time.

How is it that you are such an advocate of train travel? My husband LOVES trains and has made a hobby out of doing a number of the "classic" routes.

I have to admit I was pretty happy taking trains hither and yon when I lived in the UK. I just never think of taking them in this country. I'll have to reconsider that, I think. Air travel is just miserable these days.
 

Now, wait...Didn't someone blog that Eduardo/Franco's place on MEPS was actually owned by Jaime Camil, Sr.? I wonder what he is doing Saturday night? That was some house!

Tee hee hee...
 

Julia:

You are right. It is not fair to look that good while waiting for an airplane.

It could be an age thing but I still prefer the looks of Colunga.

EJ
 

Mike, yes, Camil was stuck at LAX Sunday morning, probably in the same air traffic mess that stranded EJ. He posted the pic on his Twitter page. He's having a ton of fun with Twitter, and as always, his delight is infectious. Check it out.

Mike, I don't think I'd put his face in the same realm as TBLMOE, but neither does he have to sneak up on a glass of water. I just LOVE watching him perform. His exuberance electrifies everything he does. There was a line in LEP (his latest series) last week that sums it up: Me gusta la pasion con que vive (I like the intensity that he lives life with).

Elna June, Camil spent the past week in LA. His latest movie was featured in the SD Film Fest, but he also had a montón of meetings regarding projects in the US. It sounds like he's trying to cross into the US market. Sunday he flew from LAX to Miami, per his Twitter.

And yes, EJ, the house of Colunga (TBLMOE) on MEPS is one of Camil Sr's many houses, his ranch outside DF. At least the exterior shots. The site was also used as the equestrian club in LFMB.
 

Wow! Now I think I'm going have to start following JC. Lol! More interesting is to see who he's following. Jackie B. and Eva Langoria make the list of the 40 he's follwoing.