Mexican Independence Day, September 15, 1810: ¡Patzcuaro México!

Where is Pátzcuaro, México? (What is Pátzcuaro?)

Pátzcuaro is a lakeside town in the Southern Sierra Madre mountains. It is located in the state of Michoacan, in central Mexico, just a few hours between Mexico City and Guadalajara.

Pátzcuaro is one of my favorite Mexican towns because while it holds some of the greatest cultural treasures in the country, it is still a small, unassuming place.

Some of Pátzcuaro's claims to fame include:

*Located near Paricutín, one of the youngest volcano's in the world, and one of the 7 Wonders of the World (because its "birth" was witnessed (and recorded) by humans.)

*One of the largest and arguably most beautiful plazas in Latin America.

*Where the most beautiful and meaningful rituals for the Day of the Dead (El Día de los Muertos) take place.

*Because of the area's history as an artisan cooperative, Pátzcuaro offers one of the most extensive collections of crafts in Mexico.

*Lake Pátzcuaro is famous for the "butterfly" fisherman. So called because their nets resemble huge butterfly wings on the early morning water.

*Speaking of butterflies, it is near to where the Monarch butterflies migrate for the winter.

Pátzcuaro is where our pen pals live! My friend, Francisco is the director of CELEP, a Spanish school and eco-tourism operation there. He is also a teacher at a local school. He and I are excited as this is the first time our schools have made such a correspondence. Judging from the enthusiasm of the 7th and 8th grade students at Hillcrest Middle School, there will be plenty of pals to pen. Mr. Collins 7th grade REACH students have been selected to be the first batch of students to write letters. They did a wonderful job at writing thoughtful letters. Everyone wrote almost entirely in Spanish even though they it was only the second day of school! The class has until Wednesday, September 9th to perfect their letters so I can send them off. Hopefully the class will come prepared on Wednesday for the group photo to send along with the letters.

For the rest of the classes who are interested in having a pen pal, I haven't forgotten about you. However, since this is a new project, (and their school down there is small) we are going to start with this first batch of 'pals' only, until we get a good idea of how many more students we can match up with "amigos."

In the meantime, enjoy the pictures of Pátzcuaro!

TOP TEN TIPS FOR LEARNING A NEW LANGUAGE

Don't expect to be perfect!

Can you remember when learned to ride a bicycle? Did you ride perfectly from the first time you sat on the seat? When learning a new language, expect that you will make mistakes, and don't be embarrassed by them!

Work on developing an "ear" for Spanish.

Remember that language is first and foremost oral communication. A written alphabet is merely a collection of symbols used to represent the sounds of the language, and cannot be expected to capture every nuance of sound and intonation. Try to develop a "good ear" for Spanish. An easy and fun way to do this is by listening to Spanish music, watching Spanish movies, or watching Spanish cable TV.

Practice SPEAKING!

The only way to learn to speak a language, is by actually SPEAKING. You can study for years, and master all of the grammar rules, but unless you actually practice speaking, you will never speak well. When you are practicing speaking, remember to do it out loud, at normal conversational volume.

Be consistent.

To really learn a language takes time and committment. Consistency is by far the most important factor. If you can devote a solid twenty minutes a day, nearly every day, you will be far more successful than if you "cram" for an hour or two, but only sporadically.

Talk to yourself.

When learning a foreign language, it is common for listening skills to develop more rapidly than speaking skills, leaving the learner in the unfortunate situation of being able to understand, but unable to respond. A good way to surmount this problem is to talk to yourself as much as possible. Because there is no one else around, you won't be weighed down by the inhibition that so frequently burdens the beginning language student.

Use flashcards.

One of the best tips we can give you is to make and use flashcards. Make cards that are small enough to easily carry with you, and write the English on one side and Spanish on the other. Be sure to ALWAYS have some cards with you. This way, you can capture "wasted" time (standing in line, riding the bus, waiting for class to start, etc.) and turn it into productive study time. Even if you only have a couple of minutes, you can use it to study a few flashcards.

Label your surroundings.

Make labels for things all over your house. For example: la pared (wall), la puerta (door), el escritorio (desk) etc. Remove the labels only after you have mastered the vocabulary.

Be patient.

Progress in language learning does not follow a straight-line graph. You cannot expect to make the same amount of progress, day after day, week after week. You may find yourself struggling at times, seeming to make no progress. Don't let this discourage you. It is normal to reach plateaus in your learning progress. If you find yourself "stuck" try spending time going back and reviewing things that you already know well. Often this will help prepare you to break through to the next level.

Find a partner.

Try to find a native speaker who can be your conversation partner. This can be your greatest asset and perhaps you can also provide assistance to your partner in your native language.

Read out loud.

Try reading out loud. You will get all of the benefits of reading, plus you'll get really good pronunciation practice. In fact, as a beginner, you should read aloud as much as possible.

Mexican Independence Day, September 15, 1810

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Amigos for learning SPANISH

¡Patzcuaro México!

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TOP TEN TIPS FOR LEARNING A NEW LANGUAGE