la música – music
y – and
el baile – dance
(la) ciudad – (the) city
en que viví – in which I lived
música salsa o merengue – salsa or merengue music
me encantó el ritmo – I loved the rhythm
es muy común – It’s very common
desde sus casas – from their homes (houses)
puertas – doors
ventanas – windows
fiesta – party
un evento – one vent
primer cumpleaños – first birthday
compadres – godparents
tantos adultos – so many adults
la gente – the people
me parecía – It seemed to me
otra fiesta – another party
música y baile – music and dance
primer año de vida – first year of life
hágannos saber – let us know
música en las calles – music in the streets
cuando vivía – when I was living
alquilaba (rentaba) – I was renting
no había nada – there wasn’t anything
sonido – sound
las primeras dos horas – the first two hours
de cada mañana – of each morning
educación cultural – cultural education
bandas Latinas – Latin bands
buenaso – great
música de una casa – music from one house
con música – with music
para decidir – to decide
amigos Latinos – Latin friends
o vecinos – or neighbors
necesita – you need
darse cuenta que – to realize that
para ellos – for them
tal vez quieras ir – you may want to go
presentarse – introduce yourself
espa& ntilde;ol – Spanish
¿Puede enseñarme a bailar? – Can you teach me to dance?

In Latin American culture, music and dancing are a staple of life. In just about every city I lived in, you could walk around the city on any given day and hear salsa or merengue music filling the streets. I loved the rhythm, the beat and the affect it had on me.

It is very common for Latin Americans to play loud music from their homes with doors and windows wide open. They play music for any type of party or get-together, for special occasions and just for fun. One event they play music for, that I really enjoyed learning about, was one-year-old birthday parties. For a child’s first birthday, parents invite friends, relatives and the child’s godparents for a big celebration where there’s a lot of music and dancing. For me, it was a very interesting that so many adults would get together to celebrate a party where the guest of honor (a one-year old) wouldn’t even remember anything about it or the people who came or participate in the principle activity of the party – dancing.

To me it seemed like either a great excuse to have another party with music and dancing, or a cultural thing that is done in other areas of the world where parents are so thankful that the child has lived through the delicate first year of life. (more…)

 To learn more about speaking Spanish, click here!

This week we will discuss the benefits of learning a new language.

A few weeks back, my wife was reading the local newspaper and discovered a very interesting article about language learning and its effects on the brain. The local paper here quoted a story from the “Toronto Globe and Mail” written by “Andre Picard.” I found it a very interesting read and wanted to pass it on to you.

The title is: “Bilingual adults may stay sharper longer as they age” New study links linguistic facility and health of brain.

Being fluently bilingual may help to stave off the forgetfulness and inattention often associated with aging according to a new study.

Researchers at York University in Toronto found that a group of older people who had spoken two languages concurrently their whole lives fared markedly better on tests that measure cognitive function. (more…)

hace unas semanas – a few weeks ago
leía – was reading
y el cerebro – and the brain
lo encontré muy interesante – I found it very interesting
el título es – the title is
(un) nuevo estudio – (a) new study
asociado con – associated with
de acuerdo a – according to
dos idiomas – two languages
todas sus vidas – their whole lives
los bilingües – the bilinguals
la habilidad de enfocar – the ability to focus
dijo – said
publicados – published
sugieren – (they) suggest
bilingüe – bilingual
protección – protection
y otras formas de – and other forms of
un vínculo entre – a lin k between
del cerebro – of the brain
evidencia – evidence
ha sido hecho – has been done
los estudios – the studies
dos idiomas – two languages
más creativos – more creative
los niños bilingües – bilingual children
una ventaja económica – an economic advantage
ha mostrado que – has shown that
un idioma a la vez – one language at a time
quedan separados – remain separated
sugiere – suggests
esta habilidad – this ability
los bilingües – bilinguals
involucró – involved
los participantes bilingües – the bilingual participants
ambos idiomas – both languages
en una pantalla de computadora – on a computer screen
puede medir – can measure
adultos bilingües – bilingual adults
pero de acuerdo a este estudio – but according to this study
toda su vida – his whole life
español – Spanish
gastado – worn out
cursos de español – Spanish courses

To learn more about speaking Spanish, click here!

To learn more about speaking Spanish, click here!

For learning more about the Spanish language this week we will learn about Love, Spanish Style. If any of you have ever taken Spanish in school, you probably have learned the phrase “I love you” as being “Te amo.” When I actually arrived in Latin America and lived in various regions for about two years, I heard many family members say to each other “Te quiero” instead of “Te amo.” (more…)

si algunos de ustedes – if any of you
en la escuela – in school
cuando – when
por dos años más o menos – for about two years
en vez de – instead of
significan la misma cosa – mean the same thing
sin embargo – however
al inglés – into English
un significado muy diferente – a very different meaning
a menos que – unless
un ejemplo de esto – an example of this
chistes – jokes
con la realidad – with reality
gente – people
uno de los actores – one of the acto rs
mi hermana – my sister
para que sepan – Just so you know
no es común – isn’t common
hay un poco de diferencia entre – there is a bit of a difference between
los dos significan – both mean
me explicó que – explained to me that
entre una pareja casada – between a married couple
por ejemplo – for example
si alguno de ustedes – if any of you
en este area – in this area
en su parte del mundo – in your part of the world
y generalmente dicen – and generally (they) say
y regularmente – and regularly
cuando gente – when people
acerca de la otra persona – about the other person
la relación – the relationship
familias Americanas – American families
y dicen – and (they) say
a mi entender – as I understand it
entre miembros de la familia – between members of the family
por favor – please
manden sus comentarios – send your comments
en diferentes partes del mundo – in different parts of the world

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