Chober and his buddies are building a little club on the beach that is aiming to provide services to beach goers and visitors, while at the same time providing events and opportunites for community members, particularly young people. Like his friend Francisco, Chober is concerned with the environment, and finding uses for discarded materials.

The cocktail party effect explains our ability to isolate a solitary voice amidst a sea of yappers, music and crowd noise. Let’s meet our ladies at the disco, where background noise and the effects of actual cocktails upon speech put our own c.p.e. skills to the test. (This one is hard, use the SLOW button!)

Francisco sees potential for creation and innovation in a wide range of materials: drift wood, shells, seeds, goat skin, even plastic debris. He is speaking with the governor about creating a tallerr, or workshop, that can be used to teach artistic skills to the young people of the area, as well as to showcase the work of other local artisans.

A fishing village like Adícora can be a place of work and industry for locals, but also one of rest and relaxation for travelers. Chober comes from a fishing family and knows the trade, but he recognizes the growing importance of tourism. His generation realizes that the survival of both ways of life necessitates better care of the environment and increased ecological awareness.

Maria Lionza is said to have been born in 1502 to an Indian Chief in the Yaracuy region of Venezuela. Today she is revered throughout the Caribbean by followers of the syncretic cult which is named after her, but artists too find her an irresistably mystical symbol alluding to history, race, and sex. Her painting hangs on the wall of Francisco’s taller in Adícora.

Sometimes when we give advice it seems a little presumptious to tell people outright what we think they should do. It’s a little smoother to instead say what we would do if we were in their place, “I would watch more Spanish videos (if I were you).” Let’s have a look at how we do this in Spanish.

Barrio Adentro (Inside the Neighborhood) is a program of free medical clinics that have been established throughout Venezuela. Critics include the Venezuelan Medical Association, who claim that the Cubans who make up most of the doctors are not qualified, though the WHO and UNICEF are generally as enthusiastic as Omar about the program.

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.

When something is distasteful, it’s common to hear qué asco (how disgusting) This is precisely what Marley proclaims as Sebastián chooses a particularly fea cockroach to munch on. Sebastián didn’t in fact, tragar, or swallow, the roach, and we think Marley let him off easy!

Malaga gets over 300 days of sunshine every year, so it’s no surprise that Arume has chosen it for her vacation. She’s been studying hard and learning a lot over the past year, and luckily she’s agreed to fill us in!

Noruego means “Norwegian,” hence a princesa noruega is a “Norwegian princess.” One arrived in Burgos, Spain on Christmas Eve, in the year 1257. She was to wed Prince Felipe, brother of King Alfonso X of Castile. Marry they did, but Cristina de Noruega fell ill and died at only twenty eight years old.

You know, it’s never the drummer or the bassist that gets the big ego, it’s usually el cantante. In this case one is about to ruin Viole’s big opening party by refusing to play on a small stage. Is this Juan’s big chance for rock and roll stardom, or is he better off sticking to his new job as plomo (roadie)?

The game of brisca uses 40 cards known as the “Spanish deck.” One aspect of play involves using body language to reveal your hand to your partner. This is why the gentleman says “we blink an eye and we do like this…” He is making a joke about this body language/cards relationship when he says “your head aches when you have the ace of oros.”

A consejo is “a piece of advice” and the verb aconsejar is “to advise.” Here in the Don Quijote classroom, we take a look at the grammar and language involved when doling out recommendations, suggestions, and the like, in Spanish.

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.