• Why I’m Thankful for Learning Spanish

    Every year around Thanksgiving I take time to reflect about the things for which I am thankful. You can bet that I am grateful for the opportunity to learn Spanish. Learning Spanish has opened doors and provided me with opportunities I would not otherwise have. I met a Guatemalan man in Boston, Massachusetts on a work visa. His name is Eric Quixaj, and he became one of my great friends. We were able to take part in some service activities together and he has a giant heart. He has since returned to Guatemala and I have been unable to contact him, but the memories remain. I am certainly not the brightest star in the sky, but I do know that learning Spanish has sharpened my memory. I am under the …

  • Learning a Second Language….. and a Third….. and a Fourth…..

    Do you know who Ioannis Ikonomou is?  I didn’t either – that is, until I ran across an article about one of the smartest living human beings.  Most of us would consider speaking a second language as a great feat.  A third language? Incredible.  A fourth language?  Impossible.  Not Ioannis Ikonomou.  This 46-year old Greece-born, world-citizen “feels comfortable” speaking and communicating in 32 languages.  That’s not a typo – 32 (as in thirty-two). As a native Grecian, his mother-tongue is Greek.  He began learning English when he was 6 years old.  After English came German…  Then Russian…  Italian…  Turkish…  Arabic…  And so the story goes.  Ioannis is now employed as the only in-house translator for the European Commission of the United Nations.  He spends about half the year in Beijing, China as …

  • Spanish Speaking Countries

    There are too many people in the world who think that the only Spanish-speaking countries are Spain and Mexico. In addition to that, people often assume that all latinos are Mexicans. This is simply not true. There are 21 Spanish-speaking countries in the world, and here is a list of those countries and their capitals: Argentina – Buenos Aires Bolivia – La Paz, Sucre Chile – Santiago Colombia – Bogotá Costa Rica – San José Cuba – Havana Dominican Republic – Santo Domingo Ecuador – Quito El Salvador – San Salvador Equatorial Guinea – Malabo Guatemala – Guatemala City Honduras – Tegucigalpa Mexico – Mexico City Nicaragua – Managua Panama – Panama City Paraguay – Asunción Peru – Lima Puerto Rico – San Juan Spain – Madrid Uruguay – Montevideo …

  • Spanish Love Poems

    There is something about October that seems to make people fall in love. Here in Utah, the weather starts to cool down for the autumn/fall season and makes all the summertime singles want to settle down with someone for the winter. My grandpa told me that if you can make it through the winter with your favorite gal, then you ought to continue to court her through the spring and marry her in the summer. Good ‘ole grandpa. Maybe it has something to do with Major League Baseball? Either way, it’s time to get romantic on this blog with some Spanish love poems. I have scoured the internet for some of the best Spanish love poems and Spanish love phrases, and I’ll post my favorite and include some links to …