The “Days of the Dead” (Los Dias de los Muertos, in Spanish) are celebrated in Mexico and the parts of the United States that used to be Mexico – New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, California, and possibly a few other areas. It can be really eerie to see some of the images from a typical celebration of Dias de Los Muertos. For example, there are life-death statuettes where a photo of a living person is shown and next to it is a skeleton. They do this because they believe that there is a duality of life and death. Months before the holiday the gravesites are cleane…

Becoming bilingual is more than simply learning a few words and phrases in a language other than your own. Learning a second language also means that you will always have an easier time learning any other language or cultural you decide to take on. That's right. When you learn any language, you've activated that part of the brain that controls language and it means that no matter which language you decide to dabble in, it will be easier to acquire. It also means that you will understand other cultures more easily. That's because if you truly cross the line and  you be…

I am so excited about the future of language learning I can’t stand it. Do you know how hard I worked to find tutors in my area when I decided I really wanted to learn Spanish? Do you know how far I drove to meet these people who held the key to the Spanish language? Know how much gas I spent? And now these people are available at the click of a button through the Internet. That’s right. There are Spanish learning websites out there that offer online tutors, forums where you can chat with native Spanish speakers, and fascinating articles abou…

Why should we learn Spanish? Let me count the ways Spanish has changed my life. You know, I love to have fun and let me tell you, if you want to have fun, the Spanish people love to have fun. They are nothing like the French (I can say this because I'm part French) who poo-poo you if you don't speak in a perfect Parisian dialect. Most native Spanish speakers are very happy to speak Spanish with you no matter how badly you sound. But in general, Spanish people just love to get together and have a party. That's what they do all the time. They get friends and family around and they bring lots of food and then the music starts and everybody from toddlers to old folks get up and move their hips. In fact, let me tell you that learning the lang…

The title says “Dance like a crazy person”, but it does sound better in Spanish. What I meant to say is that learning Spanish is more than trying to remember verb conjugations and vocabulary. If you’re going to learn the Spanish language, you should learn the culture too. And a big part of Latin American culture is the various dances they do. The first thing is to recognize all the various rhythms associated with Latin Music. The popular Latin dances of today are: Salsa – Salsa is a dance form that originated in the Caribbean. (Some say it originated in Puer…

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Unless you’re very lucky, your tutor won’t actually be a teacher. What that means is that you’ll end up being the Spanish teacher. That’s right. You’re supposed to be the student, but in this case, you’ll need to be both a learner and the teacher. But you’re headed in the right direction if your tutor is a native Spanish speaker. And your job will be to get that “native speaker knowledge” out of their head and into yours. Remember, most likely they have no idea how to get that information to you; therefore you must devise ways to utilize your tutor. Don’t co…