Did you hear the one about the fat lady, the chicken and the drunk old man? Is it ok to say the word “drunk”? Let’s find out!!!

Zoraida is a big fan of one of Spain’s newest exports, La Oreja de Van Gogh. Besides listening to “Van Gogh’s Ear”, let’s find out what else she likes to do for fun in her spare time… apart from giving interviews!

Zoraida is a spunky young woman from coastal Venezuela who talks about her recent past and her hopes for the coming year.

Zoraida tells us a little more about her plans, both in the coming months but also coming years. She’s interested in learning languages and traveling.

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”.

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.

Sometimes it’s nearly impossible to understand younger folks speaking in a language that’s not native to you, and other times it’s extremely easy. Luckily, Zulbany falls into the latter category! Let’s listen while she tells us about her trip to Mérida, up in the Andes.

Young Taimur’s Spanish is not quite as easy for the non-native as that of his neighborhood pal Zulbani, but he does have a lot of interesting things to say! Listen up, because our young friend presents an opportunity to hear some expressions and turns of phase you may have not heard before.

Recently the song "Mesa Que Más Aplauda" from the Mexican group Climax had reached coastal Venezuela and was blasting from every bootleg music kiosk and bus stereo. Its catchy, inane, meaningless refrain za za za, yakuza, yakuza was on the lips of every impressionable child from 5 to 50. Taimur was no exception (nor were we!)

People often say that Símon Bolívar, aka El Libertador, is to the people of Venezuela what George Washington is to the people of the United States. This is not entirely inaccurate, but this 19th century general and native son of Caracas retains a rock star / savior status that might equally be compared with Bob Marley’s place in the hearts of Jamaicans (and tender souled frat boys).

The talented Yasmil Maruffo has composed for, written for, and backed musicians ranging from Phil Collins to Ricky Martin. Yasmil wrote the music for Rumba en mi Corazón, and he co-wrote the lyrics with Servando Primera. Servando and his brother Florentin made it a hit. Here we catch a rare glimpse of Yasmil performing for a small group of friends.

Emiro used to live in oil-rich Maracaibo, where his father was headmaster of the school system Shell oil ran for the children of employees. (Did you know: Venezuela is the only country in the Americas that’s a member of OPEC? And a founding member at that!)

Emiro spent years crewing an oil tanker, and many more as a fisherman commanding his own lancha, so it’s no surprse to find him at the helm of his own seaside kitchen, the Pimienta Café in Adícora. Join us as we drop in to check out the menu!

José Rodriguez, the caretaker of a beautiful finca, or farm, is kind enough to show us around and tell us a bit about the area and himself. You will probably realize that pues, as José employs it, is a common muletilla (“filler” word), used to add a bit of emphasis or just as a matter of speech style, and doesn’t really always have to be translated (though it can often be thought of as akin to “well”).

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…