Colombian Poetry Readings: How to Introduce Yourself on Open-Mic
That Night in Laureles When My Name Turned Into a Metaphor Ten years of Caribbean sun have bronzed more than my skin. They’ve toasted my accent, too, so when I stepped into a Medellín café called Catalina sin Mar, the barista cocked an eyebrow at my lilting Dominican ¡Qué lo qué! The monthly open-mic was […]
Dominican Used-Bookstores: Asking for Bargain Prices Politely
Desde la primera vez que me perdí entre montañas de papel I was twenty-three, freshly landed in Santo Domingo, when a summer drizzle drove me into Librería La Esquina, a cramped, wonderfully dusty used-bookstore a block from el Malecón. I remember the smell—coffee grounds mixed with old glue—and the owner’s raised eyebrow when I asked, […]
Dominican Fumigation Services: Pest Names & Scheduling Language
I was sipping a late-night cafecito on my balcony in Santo Domingo when a cockroach the size of a small drone dive-bombed my keyboard. Ten years in the Dominican Republic have taught me patience, but not even bachata on repeat could muffle the squeak that escaped my throat. Twenty-four hours later, a fumigation truck rolled […]
Setting Up a Colombian Savings Goal with Your Bank Advisor: A Bilingual Deep-Dive
I was standing in the sleek lobby of a Bancolombia branch in Medellín, palms sweating the way they once did back in Santo Domingo when I opened my first Dominican cuenta de ahorro. Ten years in the Caribbean will toughen your stomach to spicy mangú and high-velocity motoconchos, but the prospect of discussing interest rates […]
Reserving a Paragliding Session in Medellín: Waiver Spanish for the Adventurous Expat
El Salto de Fe: The Day I Signed My First Paragliding Waiver in Medellín I still remember the smell of mountain pine and gasoline the first time I rode a moto-taxi up to San Félix, the paragliding mecca perched over Medellín’s green bowl. Ten years in the Dominican Republic had taught me how to negotiate […]
Dominican “Panadería” Etiquette: Picking Bread with Tongs & Phrases Every Expat Should Know
La primera vez que metí la pata con unas pinzas My very first week in Santo Domingo, ten years ago, I waltzed into a corner panadería feeling smug about my basic survival Spanish. I spotted a golden pan de agua, reached for it bare-handed, and was intercepted by an elderly señora wielding metal tongs like […]
Colombian Mobile Wallet Apps: Voice Commands & Security Tips
El billete digital que me salvó la noche I still laugh at the memory: a humid Tuesday in Santo Domingo, my moto-concho driver waiting impatiently while I fumbled with torn pesos, only to realize my last bill had floated away in the Caribbean breeze. Ten minutes later I was heroically scanning a QR code with […]
Dominican Mango Season Talk: Varieties, Ripeness, and the Spanish Vocabulary You Actually Use
I was halfway up a guayaba tree in Las Terrenas, chasing an ambitious drone shot, when a ripe mango thudded against my shoulder and landed—mockingly intact—on the sand below. A señora hanging laundry next door laughed, tossed me another one, and said, “Ese está bueno, cómetelo antes de que se ponga aguado.” The moment I […]
From Downspouts to Dialects: Mastering Dominican Rain-Gutter Cleaning in Real-World Spanish
A Splashy Beginning: The Rainstorm That Revealed My Linguistic Leak Last September, a tropical downpour drummed so loudly on my Santiago apartment’s zinc roof that even my merengue-loving neighbors turned down the stereo. I watched a muddy river gush from my clogged rain gutters, splattering my herb garden and threatening to baptize my downstairs neighbor’s […]
Bridging Serial Numbers and Street Smarts: Verifying Colombian Appliance Deliveries without Losing Your Cool
By James, a 33-year-old Brit who perfected his Caribbean tan in Santo Domingo, discovered that chilled aguardiente tastes better in Medellín, and still trips over his own accent when asking for a “fundita.” The Day the Fridge Arrived in Medellín My latest Colombian vacation started with the bang of a delivery truck back-firing outside my […]