Speak ‘American’: the problem with our English-only mentality

While being back in the United States does make me reflect on the aspects of my country that I’m grateful for – like the ubiquity of spicy foods, iced coffee, and grocery stores open on Sundays – it also has reminded me of some of the most glaring problems in our society, one of which […]

Becoming Jiennense: or, how one Masshole found a home in Jaén

There’s a popular saying here in Jaén – “se entra llorando y se sale llorando”. In other words, you arrive to Jaén in tears of desperation, asking yourself what in God’s name you’ve done to verge so far from your life’s path to have found yourself deep within Spain’s olive country on a sweltering 40C/100F […]

Writer’s block, life lessons, and six months in Spain

Last weekend, two of my friends who are spending this semester in Granada came to visit me (shout out to Lila and Nadia). We trekked through the winding streets of the old quarter up to the castle, ate tapas in one of the tascas, and shared a few coffees. It was nice being the “local […]

Lingua Files: my tried and true methods for learning Spanish

People are always asking me how I keep up with my Spanish. I’ve got to admit that it’s a bit of a challenge (use it or lose it), but I am a firm believer that it can be done through a combination of accountability, goal-setting, and telenovelas (jk about that last one…sort of). Whether you’re […]