Bienvenido! Welcome!
Introducing the Boulder Spanish blog! Or, El blog de español de Boulder!
Varon, the owner and director of Boulder Spanish, and the other instructors wanted a new way to connect with current students and potential future students. They thought, “What about a friendly, fun, interactive blog written by an actual Boulder Spanish student! Or, ¿Qué tal un blog amigable, divertido e interactivo escrito por un estudiante real de español de Boulder?
Knowing me to be a writer in his Intermediate I class, Varon asked me if I’d like to write the blog. I said, Yes! What a great idea! Or, ¡Sí! Qué buena idea!
Hola! I’m Lyrysa, although everyone at Boulder Spanish calls me, “Lyry.” I’ll be your contact for this blog and I’ll put up a new blog post about every two weeks. Most of all, I want to advocate for Spanish learners. Come one, come all. Ven a aprender español con nosotros.
I’m a journalist and a writer with a passion for learning Spanish. I love the language, the many Spanish-speaking cultures, the variety of music, and all the Latin dances. And then there’s the food and drinks! Or, ¡Y luego está la comida y las bebidas!
Here’s part of my story. I’ve been a Spanish language student many times and for many years. It never caught on and I could barely introduce myself in Spanish, much less have a real conversation. But I remained determined. And now, for the first time, I’m actually speaking, hearing, reading, and understanding Spanish better than ever before. This proved to me that the instruction I’m receiving with Boulder Spanish is effective. Learning Spanish with Boulder Spanish is engaging and also a lot of fun, and I think that makes a difference. Or, yo creo que eso hace la diferencia.
After all, according to Varon, this is a key part of the Boulder Spanish mission. Varon and the other instructors are committed to achieving tangible results for every student while fostering a community and having fun. Boulder Spanish believes that significant learning occurs when we – instructors and students – connect on the human level through language learning.
To this end, Boulder Spanish offers a clear roadmap for learning Spanish efficiently and with a minimum of frustration. (In a future blog post, I will offer some ideas of how to manage the frustration that might occur when learning Spanish or any new language.) Varon and the other Boulder Spanish instructors can provide this type of effective learning and structure by the knowledge they’ve accrued from decades of teaching experience. Varon and many of the other instructors at Boulder Spanish are also learning other languages themselves. This gives them the awareness and perspective of what it’s like to both desire and struggle to learn a new language.
My plan with this blog is to research and write about topics that you may want to know about, even if you don’t know it yet.
For example:
- 20 fun phrases every Spanish speaker should memorize
- Food and beverage items so you can order a meal like a native
- How to flirt in Spanish (hey, you never know!)
- And as I mentioned before – How to manage frustration when learning Spanish, y mucho más.
Finally, I want to hear from you. I care about what your interests, concerns, and ideas are. Let’s make this blog an ongoing conversation.
If you have something you’d like to know or understand better about Spanish or Spanish learning, let me know! I will research and tackle the topic here in this blog, with the assistance of the professionals (Varon and the Boulder Spanish staff).
Maybe you are traveling to a Spanish-speaking country and want some travel tips – I’m here to help.
Is there a word, conjugation, or maybe a Spanish grammar point you’d like explained in a simple way, such as how do I know when to use estar or ser? When do I use preterito or imperfecto? (Don’t worry, Spanish past tenses make all of us learners crazy, at least at first!)
This blog is intended to be a Boulder Spanish community resource. Let’s share and learn together. Please leave a comment below and tell me what’s on your mind. I’ll do the legwork to track down answers, stories, tips, and ideas. Then I’ll present them in an upcoming blog post.
Every couple of weeks, here in the Boulder Spanish blog, you will find something new, review something familiar, or maybe just learn something you hadn’t even thought about before. We’re a community and we will benefit from supporting each other and exchanging ideas.
My belief is that sharing together will help all of us to figure it out as we make mistakes and laugh, find joy in the learning, make new friends, and feel more confident as we speak Spanish better and better. Or, nos sentimos más seguros a medida que hablamos español cada vez mejor.
Genial!
Until next time, or hasta la proxima vez,
Lyry