I’ve been neglecting this blog lately as a result of work overload — preparing to teach a writing class at UPC, which entails putting together loads of English-language course materials. Last night I got only three hours of sleep, then staggered into a meeting with El Hijo’s teachers at school, where I received a wonderful [...]
Entries Tagged as 'Language'
Great News for El Hijo
March 24th, 2009 · 6 Comments · Crossing Cultures, Language
Tags: bilingual education·El Hijo·learning Spanish
Bolivian Chompas, Barbie Dolls & Evo Morales
April 25th, 2008 · 1 Comment · Daily Life in Lima, Language
Another South American country that favors the word “chompa” is Bolivia, whose populist president, Evo Morales, is a big-time chompa-wearer. In 2006, artisans in Mexico came out with a line of hand-knitted pullovers and skirts for Barbie dolls, styled after the striped sweaters worn by Morales during his presidential campaign:
The doll outfits were woven from [...]
Tags: Barbie dolls·Evo Morales
A Favorite Word in Peruvian Spanish: “Chompa”
April 25th, 2008 · 15 Comments · Language
(la) Chompa (CHOM-pah): If you analyze it, the English word “sweater” is an ugly term for something that’s usually quite nice. The word sounds sweaty, a bad association to have with something warm and fuzzy that you wear next to your skin and typically don’t wash that often. Worse, the word also can refer [...]
Tags: Peruvian Spanish
Why Not “A Gringa in Lima”?
February 24th, 2008 · 11 Comments · Crossing Cultures, Language, Race Matters
Because the g-word is (1) too loaded to serve as my moniker, and (2) I am more American than I care to admit.
Some reader is probably wondering, ‘Isn’t it incorrect nowadays to use the term American when referring to someone from the United States? Aren’t all people from South America Americans as well?”
Well, yes, for a long time that [...]





