June 2008 TR

[Dan-0]

Chetumal- Clausura de Clases
8/01/08

In July, Celeste attended a summer school art & enrichment class at Escuela Bellisario Dominguez in Chetumal. Since she goes to school in the U.S. and English is her 1st language, we think this is a good way to help her develop her Spanish skills and her knowledge of her Mom's homeland. And, she had a ball learning songs and learning to paint with the other kids. As always, there is a "fin de curso" celebration at the conclusion of the term, where the kids put on a show, and the theme for this was party was Grease, of all things. The kids dressed in 50's clothes and sang songs from Grease in Spanish.

Clowning around with some of her friends from school


Rehearsing for the big show




Abuelita helping her get ready for the show


Celeste, decked out and ready for the party


Wendy, Celeste, Carlos, and Teresa (Wendy's mom)


Escuela Bellisario Dominguez- Teresa was principal of this school before she retired. It's now a school and cultural museum


The school was decked out in lights and colored balloons for the show


The stage where the show took place




Exhibits of the kids artwork




Celeste and one of her schoolmates

[Dan-0]

Xcaret
8/3/08

Before flying out of Cancun on Tues, 8/05, Wendy and the kids went with her Dad, who lives in Cancun, to Xcaret. Here are a few photos from their time there.





Horseshoe crab in the river


Colorful, traditional cemetery




Carlos walking through the bridge in one of the exhibits


I have no idea what this thing is, anybody?


Xcaret de Noche, the big, nightime extravaganza


The amphitheatre where the show is held

[HoneyB]

Your kids are adorable! I'm envious of Celeste to be growing up bilingual and having such wonderful adventures! Estoy trabajadora pero es muy dif?*cil como adulta para consiguir competencia en otro idioma.



Every time I saw the name I thought of this word, and I tried to come up with a pun, but I have a feeling that it would be even mas idiota en español. Do they do their homework at La Taraya? ¿Hacen su tarea en La Taraya?

B

[Dan-0]

Beatriz, thanks! No, no hacen tarea en la tarraya. This was one of the things Celeste liked most about this school- no homework! Just painting, dancing, and singing all day- the fun stuff. One of the things I like about Mexico is the fact that their schools still place some value on cultural education and letting kids be kids instead of obsessing over test scores that are only used for political purposes.

Your Spanish is very good. Keep practicing every chance you get. I've been studying Spanish for 20+ years and I learn something new almost every day.

[HoneyB]

Originally Posted by Dan-0

Beatriz, thanks! No, no hacen tarea en la tarraya. This was one of the things Celeste liked most about this school- no homework! Just painting, dancing, and singing all day- the fun stuff. One of the things I like about Mexico is the fact that their schools still place some value on cultural education and letting kids be kids instead of obsessing over test scores that are only used for political purposes.

Your Spanish is very good. Keep practicing every chance you get. I've been studying Spanish for 20+ years and I learn something new almost every day.

My written and read Spanish is pretty good, but my ability to hear and understand and compose spoken sentences spontaneously leaves a LOT to be desired. Foreign language after 40 is something else!


I have studied a year and a half at the college level, at the college where I work. About two months into Spanish 101 I started reading “Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal.” I've read the first four Harry Potter novels in Spanish. I’ve read them all in English, and seen the movies, so that helps. I don’t generally use a dictionary. Skipping over the words I don’t know, I figure that I am getting 70-80% of the content. When the movies come on TV now, I will remember things like “Fred Weasley said that in the book!” or “Wait a minute, Neville Longbottom should be present in this scene!” I’ve picked up so much helpful vocabulary, too. If I ever need to tell someone that my magic wand is broken in Spanish, I’m ready!


Of course, if I was male, I might actually have an occasion to explain that my magic wand was broken. . .

B

[Dan-0]

Wow, Harry Potter in Spanish? I'm impressed. I I don't think I could handle that. Do you have Spanish TV? If so, turn on your closed captioning when you're watching it and you will see the text on screen as you hear the dialogue spoken. That's always been something that helped me that I recommend to folks who're learning the language. So many Spanish programs are now captioned, even soap operas and music videos. I enjoy listening to music in Spanish, too. Especially the old-time music- trios like Los Panchos, Los Dandys, and Los Tres Caballeros sang love songs that are simple and easy to understand.

I don't know how to say my magic wand's broken, either. But, I can't think of a situation where I would need to know how.

[Dan-0]

Puerto Morelos
8/4/08

[John]

Originally Posted by Dan-0

Do you have Spanish TV? If so, turn on your closed captioning when you're watching it and you will see the text on screen as you hear the dialogue spoken. That's always been something that helped me that I recommend to folks who're learning the language. So many Spanish programs are now captioned, even soap operas and music videos.

Ah... I wish that were the case here in PdC... I've tried watching the telenovelas in Spanish but cannot understand things for more than a few seconds at a time. Closed captioning in Spanish would be extremely useful. Unfortunately, closed captioning is not even an option here. It's probably too much to ask for to get spoken Spanish with English captioning...

I'm just catching up on your report... glad to see your kids having so much fun here. It's great to hear that the summer school Celeste is attending focuses more on the fun aspect of learning. What a great experience for her.



And, it's been quite a long time since you asked, but Libby and I stayed at the Sahara hotel when we first arrived in Playa. They were friendly, and allowed up to have our two cats in the room. Unfortunately, they were very pricey for the location and amenities, so we had to move elsewhere until we found an apartment. Please note, that was in November 2005, so I'm sure things have changed a bit since then.

[Ginger]

Looks like your kids are having a great time! But doesn't it kill you not to be there with them? I'd HATE that!!

[Dan-0]

Originally Posted by John

Ah... I wish that were the case here in PdC... I've tried watching the telenovelas in Spanish but cannot understand things for more than a few seconds at a time. Closed captioning in Spanish would be extremely useful. Unfortunately, closed captioning is not even an option here. It's probably too much to ask for to get spoken Spanish with English captioning...

I'm just catching up on your report... glad to see your kids having so much fun here. It's great to hear that the summer school Celeste is attending focuses more on the fun aspect of learning. What a great experience for her.

And, it's been quite a long time since you asked, but Libby and I stayed at the Sahara hotel when we first arrived in Playa. They were friendly, and allowed up to have our two cats in the room. Unfortunately, they were very pricey for the location and amenities, so we had to move elsewhere until we found an apartment. Please note, that was in November 2005, so I'm sure things have changed a bit since then.

John, thanks for the comments. The only Spanish channel we get here is Univision and even though a lot of the programs are Mexican and they're captioned, I guess they must add the captioning in the U.S. At any rate, it is very helpful and watching programs and movies with captions was a big help to my wife when she was learning English. She still likes to have the captioning turned on when she watches programs in English.

Celeste had a wonderful time in school and this was the first summer she had done this. I hope it becomes an annual thing because it really helps her Spanish development. It's a fun way for her to experience more of her Mom's culture and language.

So cool that y'all stayed at the Sahara. I just liked the building and how it looks like a mosque or something. I probably wouldn't stay there either, it did look kind of pricey for budget travellers like us.

Originally Posted by Ginger

Looks like your kids are having a great time! But doesn't it kill you not to be there with them? I'd HATE that!!

Yes, it was a hard month for me, Ginger. I just have to stay busy and that way I don't miss them so much.I've been through this for a few summers now. Also, I bought a Webcam so me and the dog could "talk" with them every day. It's over now, the kids came back last week. I picked them up in Atlanta, we spent the night there, and the next day we went to Six Flags amusement park. They're here, back in school now, and we're getting back into the routine.

[susango]

I didn't join the forum until August and I just saw the trip report. Better late than never! That was great! Gorgeous family, pics, and great explanations. Thanks for sharing. Did you drive across the border to Belize? Do you worry about vehicle insurance when you go across the border? How fluent are you and your kids in Spanish? Did you meet your wife in Mexico or in the US? Sorry for all the questions, but I think it is so cool and want to know more if it isn't too nosey. Sorry you got sick and called back to work, but it sounds like you still had a great trip!

[Dan-0]

Thanks susango, I'm glad you liked our TR. In answer to your questions:

Did you drive across the border to Belize? Do you worry about vehicle insurance when you go across the border?

If you drive only into Santa Elena, the Duty Free zone, you don't have to buy vehicle insurance. Only if you go into Belize proper. We drove my BIL's vehicle, and my wife drives, so I don't worry about it.

How fluent are you and your kids in Spanish?

My kids and I are fluent in Spanish and, since we live in the U.S., we speak Spanish at home so the kids will be bilingual.

Did you meet your wife in Mexico or in the US?

We met here in the U.S. through a mutual friend of ours who's Mexican and who's also married to a gringo.

[redhairgirl1]

Again Dan-o, great pic's