Voices en Español

 

 Middlebury College in Spain [11:24m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In today’s podcast, we hear from Kim Griffin, director of Middlebury College’s Spanish school in Spain. Middlebury is a U.S. college located in the state of Vermont. It offers both undergraduate and graduate programs in Spanish in Spain and in this interview Kim talks about the unique challenges of maintaining a language immersion environment away from Middlebury’s Vermont campus.

Kim, who grew up in an English-speaking household in upstate New York, today speaks Spanish like a native, but that wasn’t always so. She tells us about her experiences learning and eventually mastering the Spanish language.

 

 Arte Callejero, Part 2 [7:50m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In the second part of this Voices en Español interview, Javier Barros del Villar talks about the different styles of street art he found in Europe, specifically Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic.

There’s a word that Javier uses frequently in this podcast. It’s cuate. And it means buddy, friend or dude.

Also, the names of the street artists mentioned in this podcast are:

Acamonchi
Fuera de servicio
Watchavato (Tijuana style)

Check out Javier’s blog (arte callejero) for more examples of street art in Mexico and from around the world.

Examples of street art above in Holland (”El agua es vida”) and below in France (“So Alone”)

 

 VEE #012 - Arte callejero [7:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Javier Barros del Villar from Mexico City talks about Arte Callejero, his Spanish-language blog. What started out as a hobby photographing images he saw on the streets of Mexico City, has now become the largest photographic archive of street art in Mexico.

In this podcast, Javier talks about the differences between street art and graffiti and also tells us about one work in particular by one of his digital cuates who goes by the clever name Aguafiestaz. It’s called me_miras.

This is part 1 of a two-part interview. A transcript will be available later this month.

Javier’s blog: http://arteycallejero.blogspot.com

Transcripts of the first six Voices interviews (Cantabria, La Política, the Voiceover Artist, Raising Bilingual Kids, Parts 1 and 2), are now available in the Voices store. Only podcasts conducted in Spanish have transcripts, so there will be no transcripts forthcoming for the Alison Mackey (Raising Bilingual Kids, Part 3) and Neil Hohmann (Ritmo Latino) interviews. Thanks and happy listening!

 

 Constitution Day [6:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Lydia, my landlady, is back for another conversation about Spanish holidays. In this podcast, Lydia talks about the 6th of December, Spain’s Constitution Day, and tells us about the ripple effects this historical day has had on Spanish society. Lydia is from Madrid, Spain.

 

 Religious holidays in Spain [7:22m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

My landlady Lydia tells us about some of the religious holidays in Spain and how things have changed and become more commercial over the years. She mentions Semana Santa but focuses on the Christmas season in Spain which starts around December 6, with the Día de Constitución, and ends a month later on January 6, with los Reyes Magos. One of the cute customs in Spain happens on Dec. 28, el Día de los Santos Inocentes. It’s basically the equivalent of April Fool’s Day in Spain where people play pranks on one another. (Lydia is 100% madrileña.)

 

 Ritmo Latino - Part 2 [11:57m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In Part 2 of the Ritmo Latino interview, Neil Hohmann gives his opinion about crossover musicians (groups that start their careers in Spanish and then “cross over” to the English-speaking market). He also gives us recommendations of singers and groups he likes. Interview is in English.

Music featured in this podcast
From Spain:
Ojos De Brujo
“Sultanas De Merkaíllo” (mp3)
from “Techarí”
(Six Degrees Travel Series)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
More On This Album

From Mexico:
Kinky
“We Are the Galaxy” (mp3)
from “adidas / MLS Represent - Rock The Pitch”
(Adidas/MLS)

More On This Album

From the Bronx, New York City:
Pacha Massive
“Don’t Let Go” (mp3)
from “All Good Things”
(Nacional Records)

Stream from Rhapsody
Buy at Amazon
More On This Album

From Venezuela:
Los Amigos Invisibles
“La Vecina” (mp3)
from “Arepa 3000″
(Luaka Bop)

Stream from Rhapsody
Buy at Amazon
More On This Album

 

 Ritmo Latino - Part 1 [15:38m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Neil Hohmann, creator and producer of Ritmo Latino talks about the origins of this latino music podcast and the diversity of the music. This is the first part of a two-part interview with Neil. Part 2 will be podcast next week. Interview is in English.

Music featured in this episode:
Manu Chao
“Me Llaman Calle” (mp3)
from “La Radiolina”
(Nacional Records)

Buy at Manu Chao Pre-Order Store

Kinito Méndez
“Cachamba” (mp3)
from “Exitos De”
(J&N Records)

More On This Album

Mexican Institute of Sound
“El Micrōfono” (mp3)
from “Piñata”
(Nacional Records)

Buy at Rhapsody
More On This Album

Los Bunkers
“Ven Aquí” (mp3)
from “Vida de Perros”
(Nacional Records)

Buy at Rhapsody
More On This Album

CéU
“ave cruz” (mp3)
from “CéU”
(Six Degrees Travel Series)

Buy at Six Degrees Records
Buy at eMusic
More On This Album

The last song of the podcast, “Ave Cruz” is in Portuguese.

 

 Raising Bilingual Kids, Part 3 [17:12m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Alison Mackey, co-author of “The Bilingual Edge: Why, When and How to Teach Your Child a Second Language,” dismantles some of the myths related to raising bilingual children and gives us advice on how to create a bilingual environment for children. This is the third and final interview of the “Raising Bilingual Kids” series. Interview is in English.

 

 Coming up: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

A very short podcast explaining what’s to come in the next two Voices en Español podcasts.