The Light - An Alumni Publication Fall 2015 | Page 17
Travel & Language
EMILY LIEDEL
PROGRAM: Switzerland, 1999
OCCUPATION: Author
HOME: Portland, OR
Emily Liedel is a freelance journalist and translator, and runs The Babel Times, a language
and culture learning blog as she quests to learn all of the official UN languages to nearly
native fluency by age 35. She recently published Beyond Bilingual, a complete guide to
mastering a second, third, or even fourth language.
CUBAN DIFFERENCES
There’s also some key vocabulary differences. Here’s
The opportunity to travel to Cuba is a tempting one,
some of the most important ones to know if you’re
especially now that it’s becoming increasingly easier. For
the many YFU alumni who have lived in a Spanish-speaking visiting Cuba:
TEXTBOOK
CUBAN
country, a visit to Cuba could also be a chance to brush
ENGLISH
SPANISH
SPANISH
up on language skills. But traveling Hispanophones
beware: Cuban Spanish is not what you are used to.
Bus
Autobús
Guagua
Rice and beans
Arroz y frijoles
Congrí
My husband’s step-father is Cuban, and his mother, who
is Nicaraguan, admits that she had trouble understanding Food
Comida
Jama
him at the beginning of their relationship. Cubans tend
How are you?
¿Cómo estás?
¿Qué bola?
to speak faster than other Latin Americans, and they
Cake
Pastel
Queik
also often swallow the last syllable of each word. For
Friend
Amigo
Asere
someone accustomed to Mexican Spanish, listening to
a Cuban can feel like trying to drink from a fire hose.
White foreigner Gringo
Yuma
Adult Study Tours:
Cuba
2016
We’re excited to share with our YFU Alum a sneak preview
of the new YFU adult study tour to Cuba!
Thanks to the glowing feedback from this past summer’s inaugural excursion, we’ll once again offer trips
for adults 19+ to Cuba beginning this May. Be amongst some of the first groups of Americans since the restoration of diplomatic ties to experience this unique island culture during one of our 2-week trips. Whether
you’re a Spanish language learner, member of a singing group, a recent returnee, or have been involved
with YFU for decades, we’re sure to have a Cuba program that suits your interest. Email us to learn more
about this unique opportunity for YFU alumni at [email protected] • The Light | 17