Fake Flamenco

Afro-Latinos, Immigration, Spanish Culture and Language, Sports

Minnesota Twins Dance La Bomba

The Minnesota Twins are starting the 2019 season off well. Part of their secret is the team has seventeen players from Spanish-speaking countries on their 40-man roster. That’s three shy of half the players! The Twins fabulous Latin American baseball player contingent has been given the moniker, La Bomba Squad, named for Puerto Rican traditional […]

Latinas, Spanish Culture and Language

Butterfly Defender Susette Oñate

Susette Oñate is a member of the Dr. Jane Goodall Roots and Shoots National Fellowship Program. This encourages young people, especially youth of color to work in underserved communities around the world. Dr. Goodall’s nonprofit gives grants to youth leaders so they can develop community action programs and empower people. Susette is working in her […]

Afro-Latinos, Latinas, Nicaragua, Spanish Culture and Language

Rafaela Herrera Defeats the British Navy

Rafaela Herrera is a Nicaraguan heroine. In 1762, She was key in defending the El Castillo Fortress on the San Juan River from the attacks of the British. Rafaela was born in 1742 to Felipa Torreynosa and José de Herrera y Sotomayor. Her father was Spanish and her mother was Afro-Latina. Sadly, her mother Felipa […]

Chile, Living Abroad, Spanish Culture and Language

Don’t Stand So…

Don’t stand so close to me… Personal space differs from country to country. In the United States we tend to prefer a large amount of space between us and strangers. In general the distance is an arm’s length or more (see photo of grocery shoppers in New York). When we lived in Chile, we were […]

Afro-Latinos, Spanish Culture and Language

Best Post I Read This Week

I received a great tip this week from the website called Blog on the Hyphen that focuses on Latinxs* literature, culture and arts. It reblogged this article by Miguel Luciano about the Young Lords of New York. The essay shows reproductions and murals of historic photos by Hiram Maristany and indicates where they are placed […]

Life as a Woman, Spanish Culture and Language, Study Abroad

I Swear To You

The year my husband and I lived in Santiago, Chile, we rubbed elbows with locals who sought to amaze us with their English mastery. Evan and I would walk hand in hand through a park and a young man would bellow, “F$%#!” a couple of times. His friends would whistle and clap with delight. He’d […]