Though Natalia Oreiro may seem to have it all—talent, beauty, brains, personality and success—she wasn’t born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Her family suffered economically, and moved many times trying to better their situation. This was a bit unsettling for little Natalia, and perhaps contributed to her being a handful for her primary school teachers.

As a young student, Pablo was smart enough to use his charm and good lucks to get the girls to do his work for him. But when it came to opportunities to perform, this he did himself whenever he got the chance.

Doc G take two! We liked Doc G’s presentation so much we asked for a club remix version. Contains words and phrases not found in the first.

David was born and raised in Caracas, but his parents were from Trinidad and Jamaica, so his accent is as much “Calypso” as it is “Salsa”. Find out why people call him “Doctor Guacuco”.

Jesús Baz is the Director of Studies at the Don Quijote spanish school in lovely Salamanca, Spain. A true salmantino, Jesús has a real pride for his city, which is home to some of Europe’s oldest universities and has a very strong intellectual tradition. The school itself, in a beautiful old building that was formerly a convent, also houses a popular student café.

As an artesan, Javier Marin works with a variety of materials, employing many techniques to create his pieces. He has been kind enough to take the time to explain some of these materials and processes. Javier’s father, in the days well before email, used to transmit telegraph messages via morse code in the building adjacent to where his son now works.

Ecological awareness is universal these days, especially among young people. Javier explains his own use of natural and biological materials, a use that does not involve the destruction of any living creatures, but rather the reuse of materials that have been jettisoned by their original animal owners.

Take it from the boys in Skampida, the best ways to learn a language are 1) to watch a lot of tv (yabla!) and 2) to find yourself a native girlfriend/boyfriend! Skampida is one of the best bands ever from Bogotá, and we caught up with them while they were spending some time hangeando in The Big Manzana.

Meet the "Tutti Frutti," who'll tell us how old they are and where they're from in this fun video from El Aula Azul.

Lida, Cleer and Lila share with us some of the unique traditions of Colombia's Christmas season, which lasts from late November until early January.

María Sol gives us some advice on learning Spanish and tells us about the advantages of studying online. Study live with Maria and other great teachers at GoSpanish.com. Your first five days are free and no credit card is needed.

In the conclusion to this series about Colombian painter Leonardo Rodriguez Sirtori, he shares with us how he has evolved with age and how such has affected his work.

Colombian artist Leonardo Rodriguez Sirtori explains how the "alla prima" [wet-on-wet] style of painting influences his work.

Cleer interviews her cousin, Lila, who shares with us some interesting details about her travels and life.

Artist Leonardo Rodriguez Sirtori explains the roles of his color palette and light in his attempt to represent a plethora of shades of brown and black skin.