Surf, Sand, and Silent Letters: Tackling Aspirated Consonants in Cuban and Puerto Rican Spanish
Waves slapped the Malecón wall in Havana, a salt mist haloing my notebook. I was jotting prices for pan con lechón when the vendor leaned over and m
Surf Lessons in Cabarete: Water-Sports Spanish for the Adventurous Expat
“¡Dale, James, rema duro!” The shout cut through the roar of the Atlantic as my instructor, a wiry Dominican named Wilson, encouraged me to paddl
Sun, Sand, and “Sombrillas”: Spanish for Renting Beach Gear in Two Caribbean Worlds
The breeze smelled like fried fish and sunscreen when I strolled onto Playa Alicia in Sosúa, clutching a half-melted limoncillo paleta. A vendor in a
Street‑Food Spanish: Ordering Pica Pollo, Empanadas, and More
The Dominican Republic’s north coast has taught me many lessons—how to dodge moto‑taxis, how to predict rain by the smell of seaweed—yet the m
Spray-can Spanish: Learning Dialects Through Street Graffiti
A wrong turn and a paint-splattered lesson I was hustling through Medellín’s Comuna 13, chasing the last cable-car ride, when a neon tag froze me m