The View from a Drawbridge

Tag: Spanish

  • Know Your Rights

    Know Your Rights

    Let’s get these cards into the hands of as many people as possible.

  • RIP Emilio Delgado

    He was a big part of my childhood.

  • Slang in a Second Language

    Proceed with caution.

  • My Short Stint as a Tour Guide

    The summer of my 19th year, I got a job at a unique travel agency in Orlando called BTM Travel. At the time, it worked mainly with travel agencies in Latin America. They’d book groups to come to Orlando, and BTM would do things like pick them up at the airport, and give guided tours…

  • Exploring Seattle – El Camión

    Well, I’m rather pleased with myself. I think I may have discovered Seattle’s best kept secret—something most tourists will never experience. It’s called El Camión, which is Spanish for “the truck” and that’s exactly what it is. They have three food trucks in the Seattle area, plus one restaurant location, and they all serve authentic…

  • Spanish Proverbs

    One of the things I love most about the Spanish language, and one of the reasons I chose to learn it, is that it is full of wise sayings. There is no exact translation for some of them, and that’s a pity, because a lot of them are gems. We can learn a great deal…

  • Convivencia

    There was a period in Spanish history between the beginning of the eighth century and the end of the fifteenth century known as the Convivencia, which, roughly translated, means the time of living together, when the Muslims, Christians and Jews lived in relative peace. Not to say that Spain hasn’t had a past checkered with…

  • Remembering Dave

    I used to work with a guy named Dave. When you work on a bridge that requires multiple bridgetenders and you are stuck in a small room with someone for 8 hours at a stretch, you get to know them pretty well. When you don’t get along, it can be pure hell. When you do,…

  • I Just Love a Good Glottal Stop

    I was just listening to a friend who hails from Essex, England. What was he talking about? I have no idea. Oh, I could understand him. It’s just that I was so mesmerized by the sound of his voice that I really wasn’t focusing on the content of his commentary. He could read the phone…

  • Language Barriers

    When I was around 14 I rode the bus to school every day with a bunch of kids from migrant worker families. I was the only one on the bus who didn’t speak Spanish. It drove me crazy and they knew it. They’d say something, look over at me, and laugh. I hated being left…