Nina Schmidt ~ Vancouver German and Spanish Lessons

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  • Travel Spot: Andalucia, Spain (guest blog)

    Travel Spot: Andalucia, Spain (guest blog)

    My parents just returned from a one-month day in southern Spain. They were very happy with the trip and therefore I asked my mom to write a guest blog. Here it is:

    My long-time dream came true this fall when I was able to visit Andalucía, Spain. The region has always attracted me with its wonderful history,  warm weather,  beaches, Mediterranean food, Pablo Picasso and other famous artists and especially the laid-back life style of the people.

    It is both the most populated (8.4 million) and the most southern autonomous community in the kingdom of Spain (reino de España). It is also the only European region which has both an Atlantic and Mediterranean coastline. Over 70%  of its over 500 miles of coastline feature sandy beaches (playas), making it a very popular destination for tourists. Some of which stay in Andalucía for several months as the weather stays all year round sunny and warm.

    Some of the cities to visit are Málaga, Sevilla, Granada, Marbella, Torremolinos, Benalmádena and Cádiz. Sevilla (Seville) is the capital of Andalucía. It is also one of the warmest cities in Europe reaching temperatures over 40C in the summer. I especially enjoyed Málaga, home town of Pablo Picasso. This city’s biggest landmark is the Castle (Castillo) de Gibralfaro which dates back to the 14th century with some stunning views (vistas) over the city. Also the Cathedral, Port (Puerto) de Málaga, Museum (Museo) Picasso and Constitution Square (Plaza de Constitución) are must see places.

    The Spanish lifestyle calls you to stay up late into the evenings when people gather in the restaurants or coffee houses (cafés) to eat tapas or to drink hot chocolate and eat churros (fried dough pastries). Tapas (a variety of appetizers or snacks) are said to have originated in Andalucía. Popular tapas in all of Spain include shrimp, fried squid, cured ham, chorizo (spicy Spanish sausage), and potato omelettes (tortillas).

    Table full of mediterranean appetizers, tapas or antipasto
    Table full of mediterranean appetizers, tapas or antipasto

    The most enchanting feature of this region is the Moorish past, which has influenced the famous flamenco dance. The authentic flamenco song, sung a cappella (without musical accompaniment), is the cante jondo, an anguished lament expressing love, sadness, and loss.

    Meria (Nina’s mom)

     

  • Further Learning: Teaching and Learning Online

    Further Learning: Teaching and Learning Online

    I have been experimenting in the last year with bringing my language teaching methods to a wider audience. Offering face-to-face lessons in the Vancouver area has been extremely rewarding for me over the last 12 years. That said, as more people than ever wish to learn foreign languages,  I have started offering some new and exciting options for my clients further afield.

    Beginning in January of this year, I began selling my self designed curriculum, readings and worksheets online through a wonderful forum called Teachers Pay Teachers.  I only discovered this website myself a couple of years ago and became an avid buyer. It was my New Year’s resolution for 2015 to sell my products on this website. It was a lot of work up front, but it is finally paying off. I have created an online community with teachers which has been a wonderful experience as being a solo teacher can sometimes be a lonely endeavour! Furthermore, there are a lot more Spanish teachers in the United States than there are in Canada. I am happy to report that I have received a lot of positive feedback on my products and my current and future students have also benefited from my online feedback as I continue to improve my course content. To access my online resources for teachers click here.

    As a number of my clients are required to travel for work I have now regularly started offering lessons over Skype. While it may not be as ideal as face-to-face lessons, I have had a large degree of success with teaching people online and look forward to continuing to offer this option particularly for those people who live further out of the city or travel frequently.

    Finally, just this month I have begun to create an online school for my courses! It is my intention to offer this for free to my existing clients for further practice at home where they may review lessons we covered in class together. This online platform will offer yet another avenue to pursue your language goals. I have just released my first course on German pronunciation and I look forward to continuing to work on my new online school in the coming months. For my new online school click here.

     

  • Highlight on History: The Conquest of Mexico

    Highlight on History: The Conquest of Mexico

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    Pre-European Mexico

    Mexico had a rich cultural history before the arrival of the Europeans. Notably they had many independent indigenous groups including the Aztec, Maya, Mixtec and Tolmec among others. These civilizations flourished at various times and in various regions of this large country over a period of 10,000 years.

    Conquest

    In 1519 Hernán Cortes of Spain led a group of 500 men and horses into the vast city of Tenochtitlan, now known as Mexico City. It was one of the largest cities of the time and the capital of the vast Aztec Empire led by its ruler Moctezuma. How Cortes and his men were able to capture such a huge empire with such a small number of people is due in large part to luck. The Aztecs believed the Spaniards to be Gods due to their appearance. They wore strange clothes, created fire with muskets and were presumed to be part animal part human. (The Aztecs had never seen horses before). Secondly, the conquerors brought with them a secret weapon: smallpox. Largely immune themselves, this disease ravaged the local population killing millions within the first years of contact. Many Aztecs believed they were being punished and turned to the Christian God as a savior. Although it took many more decades to completely conquer the vast territory of Mexico, the fall of the Aztec Empire in 1521 is seen as the official beginning of Spanish rule over Mexico. The Spanish spent another 130 years consolidating their empire. The colonial period lasted from around 1650 until Mexican independence in 1821.

    Legacy

    The majority of Mexicans today are considered mestizo,  a word which refers to the mixture of Spanish and indigenous blood. The Catholic faith continues to be the dominant faith within Mexico although it is different from Catholicism found in Europe. Mexicans have included numerous indigenous elements into their faith to reconcile the two. Nowadays, the term Montezuma’s revenge is used jokingly to refer to unpleasant symptoms of stomach discomfort or vomiting experienced by some tourists visiting Mexico!

     

  • Spanish Culture: Traditional Clothing

    Spanish Culture: Traditional Clothing

    Mexican couple traditional costume cartoon boy girl.The traditional clothing of the Hispanic world varies a lot by country.  Some items go back to the pre-conquest indigenous traditions while others are more recent. In this blog, I will discuss two common articles of clothing: the sombrero and poncho as well as one lesser-known item, the huipil a traditional blouse of Central America.

    The word sombrero comes from the Spanish word for shade: sombra. Many people use the hat to protect themselves from the sun. The sombrero comes originally from Spain but the Mexicans have their own version with a very broad brim. Traditionally, ranchers used sombreros only for work but now they are worn on holidays by all.

    The poncho is the traditional clothing South American indigenous people. A group called the Mapuche, who live in the south of Chile and Argentina, use it there in the cold and rainy periods. The traditional poncho is made of wool and keeps the wearer warm. It is similar to a blanket with a hole for the head and allows for free movement of the arms. The wool comes from four animals; the alpaca, llama, vicuna and guanaco, all similar to the camels. Nowadays, inexpensive plastic versions of the poncho are worn in North America in extreme rain.

    Finally, the lesser known huipil is a blouse for women of Central America, especially those in Guatemala. Indigenous women still weave them today as their Mayan ancestors did 1000 years ago. The colors and designs show the community from which a woman originates. You can find images of beautiful handmade huipils By clicking here: 

     

     

     

     

  • Cultural Corner: Traditional Latin Music

    Cultural Corner: Traditional Latin Music

    Mariachi bandThis blog focuses on three types of traditional Latin American music and dancing: mariachi from Mexico, salsa from the Caribbean and cueca from South America.

    Mariachi is the most popular music found in Mexico especially during festivals and weddings. Mariachi is performed by men who travel in bands of three or more players. The players wear traditional clothing which consists of large sombreros (see picture above), special decorated suits and a type of colourful cravat. Generally, the group features a guitar player, a trumpet player and an individual who plays a large guitar called a guitarón. The music is lively and may or may not feature singing.

    Salsa is a type of dance based out of the Caribbean. Most traditional salsa comes from Cuba or Puerto Rico and was brought to America in the 1960s when a large number of Puerto Ricans emigrated to New York. Salsa employs a lot of percussion instruments particularly the cencerro. Also included are the trumpet, trombone and guitar. Salsa dancing is very popular globally. Couples combine basic steps with a lot of hip movement and twists and turns.

    The cueca is a dance with a long history in Chile, Bolivia, Peru and parts of Argentina. According to legend the dance emulates the mating dance of chickens! Couples dancing la cueca wear old-fashioned clothing. Women wear long dresses and men wear traditional ranchero type outfits. Rancheros are the men that work with cattle. The couple around each other waving white handkerchiefs which represent the feathers of the chicken. This dance is most popular in Chile where it is considered the national dance and is performed on festive days.

  • Biography: Pablo Neruda

    Biography: Pablo Neruda

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    Pablo Neruda was the pen name of Chilean poet Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. Pablo Neruda was born in Chile in 1904 in a small town called Parral some 350 km south of the capital Santiago. His mother died shortly after his birth and his father remarried and moved the family.

    Neruda composed his first poems at age 10. Although his father was not supportive, he received encouragement from others and published his first work at the age of 13. It was an essay entitled Entusiasmo y perseverancia under his own name. It was not until the mid-1920s that Neruda began to use his pen name which was inspired by the Czech poet Jan Neruda.

    At the age of 16, Neruda moved to Santiago to pursue further studies but found himself focusing more on poems that his French studies. At 18, Neruda published his collection titled Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair. This collection is still popular today. Unfortunately, his success on the international level did not guarantee him money and he lived a life of poverty for many years. To enable himself to survive he took on government jobs in far-off posts such as Burma and India.

    In his government post, Neruda moved to Spain just in time to experience the Spanish Civil War. These experiences converted Neruda into an ardent communist for the rest of his life. The majority of his works in the 1930s and 40s reflect his passion for this cause. Pablo Neruda was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1971 two years before his death from prostate cancer.

    Click here to find a link to some of Neruda’s love poems in both Spanish and English.

  • Biography: Diego Rivera

    Biography: Diego Rivera

    Enslavement and lues
    Diego Rivera (1886-1957) was a famous Mexican artist. He specialized in the painting of murals in both Mexico and in the United States. From a young age, Rivera liked to draw and by the age of 10 he was enrolled in an Academy of Art in Mexico City. By 1907 he was studying in Madrid, Spain.

    During the 1910s Rivera was in Paris witnessing the emergence of a new art form called Cubism. Painters such as Pablo Picasso influenced his early work. Rivera returned to Mexico in 1921 and began a period of drawing large murals along with other notable artists such as José Orozco. Some of his murals depict scenes from Mexico’s 1910 revolution. They include simple figures combined with bold colors. Rivera also included Mayan and Aztec influences in his art. A number of his murals portray life in Mexico in the pre-Columbian era. Other works are more abstract and show urban landscapes, portraits and nature.

    In 1929, Rivera married fellow artist and former student Frida Kahlo. Together they lived and worked in a house called “La casa azul” owing to its blue color. They were well known on the Mexican art scene and had many influential friends both in Mexico and abroad. Although their marriage was not always happy, Rivero was devastated when Frida Kahlo passed away. Rivera’s legacy is still felt today and many of his works can be found in Mexican and American museums today.

     

     

  • Cultural Corner: Traditional Mexican Dishes

    Cultural Corner: Traditional Mexican Dishes

    Traditional mexican salsas

    People across North America love Mexican food. The quality and authenticity of the food varies a lot by the region and the restaurant in which it is served. A lot of food that North Americans consider to be Mexican food is actually Tex-Mex a type of Americanized Mexican food. An example of this type of food is nachos, a meal in which corn tortillas are covered with cheese, olives, green onions and various types of spiced meat. While delicious, this is not authentic Mexican food! Most Mexican dishes make use of the pre-Columbian ingredients widely available in Mexico then and today including corn, beans and peppers. Later introductions by the Spanish such as dairy and meat products now also feature prominently.

    One popular dish found on many Mexican restaurant menus is ceviche. Often served as an appetizer or late-night snack, ceviche is a seafood dish that features various types of fish marinated in citrus juices. Additional seasonings include ají, a chili pepper, salt and chopped onions. It is also commonly served with corn, avocado and lettuce. This dish must be served as fresh as possible as the fish is served raw so it is best to consume it near water.

    Carnitas literally means little meats. This dish originates in the Mexican state of Michoacán. To make carnitas one must boil pork for many hours in a heavy pot until it is soft and tender. The meat is combined with spices such as cilantro, salt, cumin and chilies. One way to prepare this meal is to mix it with onions, tomatoes and frijoles, or refried beans, before serving it with rice, tortillas or hardshell tacos.

    Enchiladas come in a variety of flavors. The basic idea is to use a corn tortilla filled with varying ingredients and topped with a spicy tomato sauce. Similar dishes can be found all the way back in pre-Columbian Mexico. Common fillings include vegetables, chicken, pork, beef, seafood, beans and cheese. Owing to its spiciness, it is often served with sour cream to help with digestion.

    Vancouver doesn’t have as many Mexican restaurants as one would find in cities with larger hispanic populations but we do have a few of note. Next time you are in the mood for Latin fare I recommend: El cuchillo located in Gastown or La taqueria on Cambie across from City Hall.

  • Biography – Rigoberta Menchú (in Spanish)

    Biography – Rigoberta Menchú (in Spanish)

    I have had many requests from students to publish something in their target language. So this month my blog is a biography written in Spanish about the social activist Rigoberto Menchú. This extraordinary woman came from a poor background as an indigenous person in Guatemala. She suffered greatly at the hands of the military during the Guatemalan Civil War. She went on to learn the Spanish language, write a best-selling book, win a Nobel Peace Prize and tour the world giving speeches on behalf of the United Nations.   The words in bold are included in a glossary below the reading to help with understanding.

    Rigoberta Menchú nació el 9 de enero de 1959 en Uspantán, Guatemala. Su familia era grande y sus familiares eran campesinos. Ella es una persona indígena del grupo Quiché-Maya. Su padre fue activista en la defensa de las tierras y los derechos indígenas mientras su madre fue comadrona para las comunidades en zonas rurales. Rigoberta conoce desde muy pequeña la discriminación, la pobreza y la injusticia.

    Casi toda su familia fue asesinada por el ejército durante la guerra civil de Guatemala que tuvo lugar entre 1962 y 1996. Ella huyó a Méjico en 1981 y empezó una carrera como defensora de los derechos humanos. En 1992 ganó el Premio Nobel de la Paz. Ella era la ganadora más joven y la primera persona indígena en ganarla.

    En 1984 publicó el libro Me llamo Rigoberta Menchú. El libro fue basado en las experiencias de su vida y relata las atrocidades cometidas contra la gente indígena durante la guerra civil de Guatemala, especialmente bajo los órdenes del general Efraín Montt. Unas personas tomaron la novela por una autobiografía algo que causó una controversia.

    Regresó a Guatemala en 1988 y en 2007 y otra vez en 2011 Menchú era candidata en las elecciones presidenciales. Hoy en día trabaja como embajadora de buena voluntad para la UNESCO.

    campesinos = poor country people, indígena = indigenous, la tierra = land, los derechos = rights,una comadrona = midwife, pobreza = poverty, casi = almost, el ejército =military, huyó (huir) =she fled (to flee), embajadora = embassador, buena voluntad =good will


     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Grammar Tips: Spanish Subjunctive Part I

    Grammar Tips: Spanish Subjunctive Part I

    emotions

    There are few things in the Spanish language more difficult for English speakers to get a grasp on than the subjunctive. One common fallacy is that students believe the subjunctive is a tense when in fact it is a mood. There are two moods in the Spanish-language: the indicative and subjunctive. The indicative mood is used to describe all that is concrete and habitual whereas the subjunctive describes that which is in any way hypothetical.

    To learn to use the subjunctive one must look at the various situations in which it is used. In this blog we will focus on the uses of the subjunctive with verbs of influence, uncertainty, emotion and doubt.

    In the sentence, “I hope that my brother prepares sushi,”  we find all the elements necessary to elicit the use of the subjunctive in the secondary clause:

    1) one subject in the main clause (I) which is different than that of the secondary clause (my brother)

    2) the use of the conjunction ‘que’

    3) the use of a verb of influence (hope)

    In simpler terms, just because I hope that something happens does not necessarily mean it will and this is reflected in Spanish by the use of the subjunctive mood in the secondary clause.

    I hope that my brother prepares sushi.

    Yo espero que mi hermano prepare sushi.

    Other common verbs of influence:

    desear – to desire

    querer (e-ie) – to want

    preferir (e-ie)  – to prefer

    pedir (e-i) – to ask

    prohibir – to forbid

    persuadir – to persuade

    rogar (o-ue) – to beg

    aconsejar – to advise

    insistir – to insist

    exigir – to demand

    mandar – to order

    recomendar (e-ie) – to recommend

    sugerir (e-i) – to suggest

    impedir (e-i) – to prevent

    Verbs of uncertainty, doubt and emotion are also triggers of the subjunctive.

    I doubt Maria is working today.

    Yo dudo que María trabaje hoy.

    negar (e-ie) – to deny

    temer – to fear

    alegrarse de – to be happy

    The expressions below are followed by the indicative in the affirmative but subjunctive in the negative!

    no creer – to not believe

    no estar convencido/a de – to not be convinced of

    no estar seguro/a de – to not be sure of

    no imaginarse – to not believe/imagine

    no parecer – to not seem

    no pensar (e-ie) – to not think

    no suponer – to not suppose