South American Ships Sail into Boston and Spanish Soccer

Can you see the Colombian flag?

In my future brother-in-law's apartment in Colombia, there is a painting of a ship over the fireplace. My fiance explained to me that this ship was very important to Colombians, and it meant a lot to his brother who had trained aboard the ship when he was in the Colombian Navy. La Gloria is a old ship from 1968, and it is a source of pride for the Colombians in the same way the U.S.S. Constitution aka Old Ironsides is a symbol and source of pride to Bostonians. La Gloria's sister ship, Las Guayas, is also in town. Las Guayas was built by the same company, but it is owned by Ecuador.

Las Guayas is in front and La Gloria is in back.

About to board ship

As we start to approach the ships, in true Latin style, music was playing. I think I heard Andean music coming from the Ecuadorian ship, and I know I heard Colombian music on the La Gloria. It was actually fun because as we walked around the boat we were swaying to the music.

Once we boarded the boat, we were given complimentary Colombian bracelets from Bancolombia encouraging us to get a loan and buy property down there. They were actual leather bracelets decorated with palma de iraca on each side.

Leather bracelets with palma de iraca

The ship was so beautiful. I was impressed with their attention to detail.  For example, the ropes are decorated with the colors of the Colombian flag, and the stairs have the name of the ship on every step.

 

                
















After seeing the ships, we decided to go watch the end of the 2012 Eurocup match. It was great to see Spain win their 3rd major championship. (2008 Eurocup, 2010 World Cup, and 2012 Eurocup). This makes me excited for the upcoming Olympics which I will see in Uruguay.

I like the phrase Ecuador had on their sail - "Love life". I know I surely do. I love taking advantage of all the beautiful things Boston has to offer, and I love sharing special moments with the ones I love. It's a great way to go about the world.

Happy Father's Day/Feliz Dia del Padre

One of people who encouraged me to learn Spanish was my Dad. When I was just six years old, we would watch Sesame Street and sing along while we Luis and Maria taught us Spanish. Here's a link to one of the Classic songs - this one is about saying "hola". Classic Sesame Street - Hola with Maria and Luis.

In the second grade, my elementary school had an international week. My teacher asked us to bring in words in Spanish, and whoever brought in the most words won a prize. So, my Dad kept giving me words that he knew. I don't really remember what I won, but it doesn't matter because learning those words was the bigger prize.

As I got older and started to learn about the world, my Dad started to tell me about the places in the world he visited in the Navy. He loved Barcelona, Cannes, Italy, and Greece. As I entered high school, he told me about his high school Spanish teachers. My Dad often quotes one of his teachers, "M, you speak so well too bad you don't know what you are saying." My Dad's mother's friend Hazel told my Dad the importance of learning languages, too. He never forgot that, and clearly, passed that on to me.

When I was in high school, my Dad and I made a promise to each other that if I went to Spain to study abroad, he would come and visit. In 2002, we fulfilled that promise. I drank my first cafe con leche with him in the Cafe de Indias on la Avenida de la Constitucion in Sevilla. We visited Ronda and stayed in a Parador over looking the gorge. The yemas from Ronda were so good. We took a train to Granada to see the Alhambra. Then, we returned to Sevilla. The night before he left, we went to see flamenco at la Carboneria while sipping on tinto de verano. We stuffed our faces silly with jamón serrano and queso manchego at the Alfonso XIII hotel. It was a trip I will never forget.

My Dad and I in Ronda, Spain

I am grateful for a father who cultivated within me such a love of Spanish language and culture. Parents play an integral role in encouraging their children to be open to learning languages and by seeing value in it. Having supportive parents, of course, make the Spanish teacher's job that much easier.