Yesterday I expressed my recognition that I should be learning Spanish; I probably wouldn't affect a Castillian accent in my pronunciation of Spanish... I'd rather mark myself as an outsider, although that should already be apparent from my appearance. Hah.
My first preference would be with Anglo-Celtic-Latin culture (I was reminded recently of a reason--perhaps the most important--why Latin is appended by some. It is because the leadership and the elites received a classical education.) Preference may not be the right word to use. But it is the American culture I feel most at ease with, even though some may not consider me to be a part of it.
However, in many ways I prefer Mexican culture to mainstream Yankee or California culture. (I'd prefer a nice Latina over the typical Uhmerican woman as well.) Undoubtedly there are different forms of Mexican culture, depending on class and region. Do Mexican elites have a good knowledge of high Spanish culture and classical learning? How does [high] Mexican culture compare with other [high] Hispano-American culutres?
I don't like all forms of Mexican music. (And perhaps surprisingly, Mexican pop is not the one I dislike the most.) Lucero was a favorite in the 90s:
Lucero - Te Extraño Tanto (En Concierto Auditorio Nacional)
Lucero - Siempre Contigo (En Concierto Auditorio Nacional)
Lucero - Ya No
Lucero - O Tú O Nada
I got Sarge excited again about going to Mexico or another Latin American country... I think Argentina is one of the safer countries.
The San Jose Mariachi Festival is coming up next month... I'll definitely try to attend again this year.
September 20: Mariachi Day at Children's Discovery Museum
180 Woz Way, San José, CA 95110
12:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Free admission to a full day of family fun, including mariachi music and dance performances, workshops, arts & crafts and much more. Featuring a special presentation of children's music and Pee Wee Mariachi classes. www.cdm.org
Maybe KK would like this:
September 25-26 Mexican Slow Food Cooking Workshops
Mayfair Community Center
2039 Kammerer Ave., San José, CA 95116
Time TBA
Learn how to cook and eat healthy, delicious Mexican food, using locally grown, organic ingredients. Registration opens soon.
The actual free performance is on the 27th.
Related links:
wiki
Harvard: Spanish Language Resources
SDSU Library
Spanish Language Exercises
Spanish Language & Culture
Jorge Luis Borges
2 comments:
I travelled through Mexico, Belize and Guatemala in 1991 and then lived for more than a year as a student in Chile in 1993-4, and visted Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil. I love Latin America.
I thought myself a leftist at the time, so most of my local friends were communists and socialists. My Chilean homestay family was upper class, although fallen due to the death of the paterfamilias. They considered themselves Catalunyan.
I lived in Santiago, but really liked Northern and Southern Chile better. Arica, in the far north, is a very pleasant desert city. The southern areas look like Bavaria or Ireland, or at least as I imagine those places to look.
The city of Mendoza, Argentina, was one of the best small cities I've ever visited. Everything closes between 2:00 and 4:00 so people can go home for a long lunch with their families.
For learning Spanish, there are many schools in the city of Antigua, Guatemala. It's a very beautiful colonial city, but has sttracted a lot of yuppie and New Age types. There was even a Hare Krishna restaurant.
Thank you for sharing your experiences and for your suggestions! Visiting Latin America is one of those things I'd like to do if I have $$.
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