Luis Jaramillo, a professional soccer trainer, tells us all about his experience working with kids.

Dreamcatchers are a type of talisman that are thought to ward off bad energy while retaining the good. Jorge Musuña, who makes them for a living in Otavalo, Ecuador, talks to us about their many sizes and varieties and their process of creation.

Medical student Patricia Martí tells us about the study she is conducting in the village of Adícora. The study is a look at the incidence of skin problems caused by sun exposure in this town where many people work outdoors, including quite a few fishermen.

Patricia will soon be a full-fledged doctor of medicine, but first she must complete the internship she is doing in the rural Venezuelan community of Charaima, on the Peninsula de Paraguaná. She tells us a little bit about the road she’s travelled to get to this point in her academic career.

In a time of pretty sharp political divide in Venezuela, Patricia, gives a frank middle-of-the-road explanation of the current political climate and her place in the country’s politics as apolitica.

Patricia talks about ways to stay active in Coro, Venezuela, patrimonio cultural de la humanidad. She enjoys the gym and classes in Tae Bo, an exercise phenomenon that seems to know no political boundaries. She also enjoys going out on Friday nights with friends to the local disco. As far as boys go, it seems a young man named Leopaldo is winning the race to her heart…

With a difficult subject like math, it really helps to have a friendly, likeable teacher to help you through all the mental gymnastics required, and to give you a boost of confidence when needed. Andrés Valencia is just such a guy! Luckily for us, he agreed to chat!

From the Rey Juan Carlos University in Madrid, Luis Matosas speaks to us about his job as a computer science professor. He additionally organizes a seminar on marketing and "personal branding" and explains to us its importance in the current labor market.

Marriage and children bring with them needs and responsiblities that a soltero doesn’t have. Rafael hopes to grow his small pharmacy into a cadena of drug stores that he can use to benefit his wife and kids. To raise the necessary capital, Rafael is working abroad for a few years.

Wicoy: como una calabaza pequeña, tal vez 15 cm de diametro, verde y blanco y es mucho mas fino que la calabaza. Para comer es parecido a un zucchetthi/zucchini. Bastante rico. (Thank you to Guatesol for info!) Rafael relates facts and myths of the natural environment in his native land.

Our friend, Rafael, returns this week to talk to us about his homeland and its culture. As he explains, the Mayan culture continues to thrive in Guatemala via its language, clothing, and customs.

In Guatemala, people of Mayan descent not only retain various native forms of dress, but they also speak dialects of the Mayan language, a language many people wrongly presume to be long lost to history. Rafael treats us to some examples of words and phrases in this language, and also explains some of the particulars of traditional dress.

Marta and her friend Marisa are going to teach us the secrets of a timeless classic of Spanish cuisine: the tortilla española or Spanish omelette. What do we need? How do we make it? Let’s listen to them carefully. It sounds yummy!

Rosa talks about her adoption of Mika, a charming and happy dog who was once aggressive due to her extreme fear of people.

Manuel Quispe, owner of the indigenous clothing shop, Colors, in Saraguro, Ecuador, explains to us about some of the items they sell, particularly their handcrafted traditional necklaces.