children

Editor´s note:  The following is a guest post from Clara Carrier from the Ronald McDonald House of Charities After thirteen years as a Colombian-American, life in the U.S. has come with many challenges, but also very gratifying experiences. One of these is my own job. Yes, you read it right, my very own trabajo. For the first time in many years, I am able to dedicate my time and efforts to further a mission of improving the health and wellRead More ...

Editor’s note: We are so incredibly excited to be able to share the first in a series of posts which will document an LA family’s incredible adventure as they move to Mexico for a few months so they can immerse their three children in the culture and language of that beautiful country. I’m at the edge of a cliff with beautiful sparkling water below. The meadow is great where I’m standing, but I’m going to jump anyway – I haveRead More ...

I have this extreme obsession with language. It can lead me to analyze almost every utterance that is produced although lately I have been scrutinizing the trilingual toys I have for my baby. I have been staring, analyzing, and pressing the button over and over to listen to the French, Spanish, and English words spoken. I can’t help it! They can sound so silly! For instance, the one in the car says “mo-rah-doh (purple in Spanish),” like the Anglo kidsRead More ...

When I was 22 and just out of college, I joined the Peace Corps and was shipped off to West Africa.  After a few months of training, a Peace Corps driver dropped me and my few possessions off in a remote village of 900 people, which was to be my home for the next two years.  Fortunately, I was able to talk to the handful of people of my village who spoke French, which was the official language.  Everyone elseRead More ...

Given that workplace compensation for bilingualism is becoming more and more scarce in the U.S., I am grateful that I can reap the benefits of my Spanish skills as a self-employed tutor. While I do not get paid more per hour for being bilingual, I often book Spanish-speaking clients, whose business I would otherwise lose due to an inability to communicate. In Orlando (where I live) and all over Florida, there is a particularly great need for ways to bridgeRead More ...