March 8th is el Día Internacional de la Mujer, (International Women´s Day), which is widely celebrated in Spain. After Spain became a democracy in 1978, the government created some important institutions with the goal of empowering women. In 1983 El Instituto de … Continue reading
I had a lot of fun writing this post. There are so many Spanish cultural concepts that are difficult to translate into another language, and there’s a sweetness in thinking about them. When you live abroad, you develop a sort … Continue reading
The only nominados españoles (Spanish nominees) in los Oscars this year are the brothers Pedro Almodóvar and Agustín Almodóvar. Their producing company, El Deseo, co-produced the Argentinian film Relatos salvajes (Wild Tales), which is nominated in the category of foreign … Continue reading
If you’ve got a crush on un español o una española, you’d be wise to read these 10 tips for how dating works (and doesn’t work) in Spain. 1. Spaniards don’t date. The verb to date doesn’t even have an … Continue reading
Los Tres Reyes Magos work only one night a year: el cinco de enero (January fifth). On such a busy day, they visit all the children and leave them the presents they asked for. Previously, the children have written them … Continue reading
Probably every culture has some version of the following: a big pot over a source of heat where meat and vegetables brew together. In Spain we called it cocido, literaly, cooked, and it is a very traditional Christmas Day dish. … Continue reading
I hope that, like me, you’re interested in cinema from Spain and Latin America. If not, you’re missing some great stories as well as the opportunity to travel to territories that might feel as foreign as those traveled by Cooper … Continue reading
On December 8th, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of La Inmaculada Concepción de la Virgen María (the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary). This is a dogma proclaimed by Pope Pius IX in 1854 that declares that the Virgin … Continue reading
Not all language errors sound the same to native ears. For example, while you may be frustrated with the chronic difficulty of distinguishing between pretérito and imperfecto, this is not a mistake that sounds particularly bad to a native speaker. However, … Continue reading
What you see in the picture below is un enchufe. In Spain we use the same word for both items, the plug and the outlet; so that you might hear the following question: ¿Dónde hay un enchufe? ( Where can … Continue reading
