Springtime Rituals

Our part of Northern California received heavy rain this winter. While lots of rain is a blessing to this often-parched part of the country, it resulted in quite a few gloomy days after the initial, exuberant rain celebrations had worn off. Now it’s officially spring here in the Northern Hemisphere – we made it! ApartContinue reading “Springtime Rituals”

Living on Borrowed Words

If someone told you to no longer use the word “burrito” to describe beans, rice, lettuce and cheese wrapped up in a tortilla, what would you do? It is commonly thought that the word “burrito” comes from the fact that, like a little donkey that can carry many items on its back, a burrito carriesContinue reading “Living on Borrowed Words”

Renacimiento/Rebirth: Strengthening Weaving Traditions in Guatemala

I recently translated a great loan for Kiva.org in which a Guatemalan woman was seeking a loan to purchase traditional huipiles (tunics), fajas (wraps), and cortes (skirts) to sell. The very next morning while listening to the radio I learned about a revival and strengthening of weaving traditions in Guatemala among a group of youngContinue reading “Renacimiento/Rebirth: Strengthening Weaving Traditions in Guatemala”

For the love of podcasts – Part two

I’ve had folks tell me they liked my first Spanish podcast recommendations from last year. So, here is “Part Two” with my new discovery of Las Raras Podcast. This show shares diverse stories of folks from around the world. A couple of recent episodes are “No se vende” (Not for sale), which tells of aContinue reading “For the love of podcasts – Part two”

Movin’ on up

Greetings y ¡Saludos! It’s been a wild ride this spring and summer because we moved out of San Francisco and up to the beautiful Sonoma coast, which is about two hours north. Moving up here has been a great decision so far. A new local discovery is KBBF Radio, a bilingual English-Spanish community radio station outContinue reading “Movin’ on up”

How to order coffee in Spanish

Ordering coffee in Spanish while traveling can be a challenge! Most coffee in Spanish speaking countries is made espresso-style. No watered down Folgers or to-go mugs here! Summer, hopefully, means lazier mornings and perhaps having more time to enjoy a morning coffee. So if you need to order in Spanish, here are the phrases you’ll want to use.Continue reading “How to order coffee in Spanish”