While young cyclist Miguel Angel Lopez showed promise from the outset, motivation and discipline are required to take his skills to the next level.

For some Colombian cyclists from humble backgrounds, cycling has been a manner for them to travel the world and better themselves.

At only eighteen years old, Brayan Hernández was the winner of prestigious bicycling competitions. This video gives us a glimpse of his early training days and regimen.

Let's learn more details about Brayan's illustrious cycling career as well as hearing the opinions of some experts regarding what it takes to become a champion.

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.

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

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.