Upon arriving in Madrid, my husband Michael and I rented a car and headed north. Our plan was to spend the summer months in Oviedo, then move to Valencia in the fall. After a couple hours, I was hungry. Michael knew this situation could turn into a minor emergency very quickly. “Just pull off into…
Month: August 2022
Sandpaper Kisses
On the page before me, a little girl stood on her bed in her pajamas, one hand held straight out in front of her like a stop sign. Her father smiled down at her. “Prefiere besar al aire antes que a su papá.” You prefer to kiss the air instead of your father. Woohoo! I…
Third Time’s A Charm?
I’ve decided I need to add more reading to my Spanish studies. There’s a used bookstore one block from my house and Michael and I have purchased a few children’s books. But I’ve always been frugal. And a minimalist. So no, I don’t want to own tons of children’s books in Spanish. The solution? The…
How Not to Learn a Language
Within a month of moving to Valencia, Spain I was certain of one thing: I wasn’t going to learn much Spanish at Spanish language schools here. How did I know this? I tried. Twice. At the first school, thanks to my Pimsleur studies, I tested into level A2 (Advanced Beginner). I told the school I…
Learning Italian?
“My husband and I, for the month of August, are only speaking to each other in Spanish,” said a woman in my Friday walking group. “Well today is August fifth,“ one of the other women said. “How’s it going?“ “Well, we haven’t said anything to each other yet today!“ — I had heard before that…
RenaissanceRebecca 