Last Sunday July 28, Peru celebrated its 192^nd Independence Day. In Peru, the celebrations extend from the 28 to the 30. This period is known as Fiestas Patrias and most people take these days off. There is a big military parade broadcast on TV and the Peruvian flag is hung everywhere. Although we are far from there, I still want my kids to know about my culture and somehow live the experience of Fiestas Patrias. So I had this idea to start teaching G {L knows some things already since we’ve been celebrating for a couple of years now} about Peru by having a little “28 de Julio” play date.

We invited some Peruvian and Colombian friends and their little ones over and celebrated together. I know the kids are still young and may not understand much of what’s going on, but to be surrounded by Spanish-speaking people, especially Peruvians, talking about our country, food, customs, it just felt like being home away from home. We had such a great time.

I wanted to put together a little table commemorating this special date for my country. Red and white are the colors of our flag. I used things I already had {I have a big closet full of party stuff!} and just went to a neighboring town to get some Peruvian treats.

G stood in front of the banner and spelled “PERU”. I told him, it says “Peru”. And he responded “Pedu”. So cute.

I got some Peruvian “golosinas”, and of course, I had to get some Inca Kola and chicha morada. I also made some “gelatina” {jello} which is a very common dessert in Peru.

I had some lucuma powder in my pantry. Lucuma is a Peruvian tropical fruit. We use it mostly for desserts but now it’s gaining more popularity as a super food, the same as quinoa. I tried to bake some Paleo Lucuma Chocolate Chip muffins, tweaking this recipe I found online. The muffins turned out really good, and healthy, but you could barely taste the lucuma flavor. Next time I’ll use more lucuma powder. I also served some fruit and some pita chips. I had to balance all the Peruvian sweets and treats somehow!

My good friend M brought some “alfajores”, “rosquitas” {it’s been ages since I had those} and the cutest flag cookies. Another friend brought a “turrón de doña pepa” and a “causa rellena” {I forgot to take pictures}. We even forgot to eat them during the play date {we were so busy chatting and playing}. But I had some ”causa” after, and it was delicious!

For favors, I used some red and white striped paper bags that I adorned with a circle tag featuring a girl and a boy with some typical clothes from the Andes of Peru. Inside there were some crayons, a little treat and a little card I printed with the Peruvian flag for the kids to color.

As for activities to keep the little ones entertained, I printed some coloring pages I found online, with Peru’s map and other “símbolos patrios”. We also had an impromptu story time. We read some Spanish books and sang songs in Spanish, too.

The kids {and the moms} had a great time. It was very nice to be able to share and hang out with fellow Peruvian moms, since I don’t know many around. Hopefully this will be a tradition we follow every year. Hope all my Peruvian family and friends had a Feliz 28!

Nadia is a Peruvian wife and mom living in New York with her American husband and two boys. She moved to the United States in 2005 and has made one of her missions in life to raise her children to be bilingual and pass on her cultural heritage. She is an architect, designer and blogger. She is also founder of mamemima, an interior and event styling for kids studio. On her blog, at the same name, mamemima, she writes about decor, design, crafts, motherhood, bicultural identity and of course bilingualism.

el apodo (m): Nombre que suele darse a una persona, en sustitución del propio, normalmente tomado de sus peculiaridades físicas o de alguna otra circunstancia

Although certainly not unique to the Latino culture, los apodos, or nicknames, are ubiquitous in Spanish-speaking countries whether it be on the playground, within families, or of course, in professional sports. These clever and silly names are an inherent part of Latino culture, yet usually misunderstood by outsiders and miscategorized as offensive.

As the definition states, los apodos are oftentimes taken from a particular physical characteristic. The first time I heard someone being called “Gorda,” I was completely taken aback and my eyes shifted around the conversation, expecting an awkward silence from the offended party. Instead we carried on talking, and I filed away my questions for later.

In Spain, I asked my host-mom why they called her “Gorda,” when she was actually very slim. “Oh, están bromeando.. me lo dicen con cariño,” and she brushed it off. I wasn’t convinced and silently vowed that no one would ever call me gorda no matter how much “love” was added. But was she really OK with the name?

I later lived in Ecuador and lived with a family where nicknames abounded. The son-in-law was “el Chinito,” a daughter was “la Negri,” and I was “la gringuita.” Again, coming from the U.S., the names sounded harsh. Yet for the six months I lived with the family, I never learned their real names because literally every single person called them by their apodos, and I learned to follow suit.

Finally I met my husband, and he explained the nickname phenomena to me:

“We like to laugh at ourselves, and don’t get offended easily. But also, los apodos are a gesture to show inclusiveness into a social group. They become a part of the group’s identity and cohesiveness, since the type of apodo varies based on the social group. For example, on my swim team I was “cebrita” (little zebra) because of a black and white Speedo I had, but with a different group of friends I was “flaco.”

A fellow student at university always wore a sweater to school, so he was known as “Suéteres” (and still is to this day). Another guy liked to eat Cheetos, and voilà: he instantly became “Cheetos” from that day forward. “Jarocho” was the student from Veracruz, and “Topeka” was a blonde guy from Quito, who looked like a gringo from Topeka, Kansas, but spoke not a word of English. An engineer (ingeniero) becomes “Inge,” a licenciado becomes “lic,” a teacher “el profe.”

One of the most famous apodos right now is the soccer player from Chivas and now Manchester United, “El Chicharito.” His dad — also a famous soccer player — had green eyes, and earned the name “El Chícharo” (pea). Once his little son began to play, they transferred his father’s nickname to him.

After understanding their use, I’m a little envious that I don’t have a cool nickname! I’ve been trying to get my husband to come up with one (besides “gorda” because I still can’t get past it ) — at least if not for me, then for my kiddos.

What are the creative nicknames in your family? I love hearing los apodos, and the history and context behind them — share your favorites in the comments!

{Image by  MrGuilt}

Mami, hoy es January?

That’s my 5-year-old asking from the back seat.

I’m thrilled — finally the kids are getting the hang of time — the difference between seconds, minutes, days and months. But his question is also a harsh reminder.

He is learning most of these new concepts in school.

In school, they teach purely in English.

And now the corollary — my husband and I, their only Spanish teachers, will never be able to keep up.

We had recently given ourselves some real pats on the back. Congrats to us! Our twins are 5 and are still speaking Spanish! We “made it.” And yet, the more time goes by, the more I realize the quest to raise bilingual kids never, ever (ever, ever, you get the point) ends.

They grow, they learn — and they need to do both in two languages. Somehow, somewhere, between trying to raise well-mannered, confident, curious beings, between instilling a work ethic, love of books and a sense of spirituality and empathy — we’re talking basics here people, not Tiger Mom stuff — we still have to find time to ensure that their Spanish progresses.

I didn’t actually expect to reach this point now. About a month ago, I had decided that since the kids’ language skills were on solid footing, I’d dedicate 2013 to go a step further to teach them more about their Hispanic heritage. Over Christmas, I wrote up a whole plan, a timeline, links to all the books and projects we were going to tackle so that they could learn more  about la madre patria, and Latin America and the Caribbean in general.  But then came enero, and the questions from the back seat.

I am tired.

Last year, I wrote a post on six things I wish I’d known before I started raising bilingual kids.

I’ll add another: I wish I’d known this process was life long.

I wouldn’t have changed course, but I would have adjusted my expectations.

{Photo by popofatticus}

Monte Alban, Oaxaca

If one thing makes México special (and pointing out just one doesn´t ever make it justice), it is the vast amount of ruins from various ancient–and very advanced–civilizations that exist throughout the country.  Every single one of these archaeological sites, be it Mayan, Aztec, Olmec, Zapotec or other, uncover mysteries that give us just tiny clues to understand the way these people lived, celebrated, adored, communicated, calculated and sustained themselves.

During my recent travel as a Mexico Today ambassador to the magical city of Oaxaca, I visited the ancient ruins of Monte Albán, just a 10 minute trip from the city.  This was not my first visit here, it was my fifth.  That´s just how much I love Monte Albán.

What made it even a more special visit this time is that the Mexico Today group had two very special guides to share with us what little is actually known about these mystical Zapotec ruins.  Little is known because by the time the colonizers arrived, the place had already been abandoned for centuries.

White flowering tree that grows on the mountains of Oaxaca

What we do know is that the name Monte Albán literally means “White Mountain” because when colonizers arrived the valley was covered by a tree that produces white flowers, covering it all in a blanket of pure whiteness.

We also know that the Zapotecs had a very advanced knowledge of astronomy because of the observatory that still exists.

Los Danzantes

One of the most interesting discoveries in Monte Alban was that of Los Danzantes.  These large engraved rocks with figures of people in different poses were falsely believed to be representations of individuals dancing.  Now it is known that these “pictures” are actually medical documents depicting people with medical conditions such as a breeched birth, a humpback and dwarfism, among others.

This depicts a woman having a breeched baby. Notice the drawing of fallopian tubes, a baby´s head in the uterus and feet coming out first.

Zapotecs also had a numbering system which is visible throughout the site.

What is most impressive, and mind-boggling, is how they managed to level flat a mountaintop which is many, many hours walking distance from the nearest water source and sits 1400 ft from the valley floor, to build massive structures and temples for this, the Zapotec main civic-ceremonial center.  This is the grandest mystery of all and one of the reasons why this place imbues magic and mysticism all around.

I encourage you to teach your children about the ancient cultures that make México a unique place.  You can start by watching together this video I recorded where the brothers Ulises and Apolo Bonilla Martínez  from Turismo El Convento de Oaxaca give us an insider’s tour of their Monte Albán.

Have you been to Oaxaca and to Monte Albán?  Which ruins have you visited?

Disclosure:  I am being compensated for my work in creating and managing content as a Community Manager for the México Today Program.  I am also being invited to an all-expenses paid trip to Oaxaca as part of my role.  All stories, opinions and passion for all things México shared here are completely my own.

Hispanic—or Latino—Heritage Month, a celebration that runs until Oct. 15, started last week. Unlike years past and because of the influence of the growing Latino population, many more communities have special events and activities during this month-long celebration which are a great way to expose your bilingual children to our culture, food, music and arts.

Our good friend Melanie, from ModernMami, has compiled an awesome list of resources to celebrate this month with your niños. In it you’ll find links to all sorts organizations which have put together fun activities, ideas, lesson plans, recipes, and general information related to Hispanic Heritage Month. Thanks, ModernMami!

While I wish I had the time to work on all of the suggested activities with Vanessa, I’ve decided instead to incorporate her love for books with this yearly celebration by making a conscious effort to read her at least one book related to our heritage throughout the duration of Hispanic Heritage Month. I’m relying on the following suggested reading lists to help me make pertinent choices:

• School Library Journal – Divided into elementary, middle and high school sections, this list makes it easy to choose by age. The bibliography includes both fiction and non-fiction choices.

• Scholastic – These recommendations are also grouped by school age, but they start as early as PreK.

• The New York Public Library – Another great list divided into not only by age – younger and older kids – but also by poetry and song.

• The Tomas Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award – Browse their list of current and past winners of the annual award given to “the author/illustrator of the most distinguished book for children and young adults that authentically reflects the lives and experiences of Mexican Americans in the United States.”

• The Seattle Public Library – A short list that includes both fiction and nonfiction as well as bilingual books.

• Colorín Colorado – Divided by age groups from 3 to 12, this recommended reading list includes Latino and South American children’s authors.

¡A leer!

Photo by bimurch

As I was rummaging through some baby toys and books getting them ready for Santiago, who just turned five months and is so much more interested in all kinds of things, I came across a CD of lullabies that I received as a gift from one of my mother’s sisters in Mexico. I immediately remembered how lucky my kids are to have family in South Latin America that can help them appreciate their culture even more through amazing examples.

The CD is called Arriba del Cielo by Susana Harp. I’m really not sure why it was in the box of baby books, although I guess my daughter stopped listening to lullabies a while back. Anyhow, I immediately decided to play it, and a bunch of memories came rushing back.

I used to play it for Vanessa when she was a baby. That feels like a long time ago, and she is only three and a half years old. Although we didn’t understand the majority of the lyrics – Harp sings in several of Mexico’s indigenous tongues: Zapoteco, Maya, Mixteco and Náhualt – her beautiful voice is definitely soothing. Half of the songs are in Spanish and you can find translations of the lyrics, for the ones that are not, in the CD booklet. Vanessa very quickly realized it wasn’t all in Spanish and wanted to know what language it was and why. One awesome opportunity to talk about languages and diversity!

Harp describes her CD, which she dedicated to her son Emiliano, as “arrullos, rondas, juegos, nanas…cantos de niños, murmullos del alma.” ¿Qué lindo, no?

The other day, I played the track entitled La Boda del Sapo y la Rana, just to see Vanessa’s reaction. She is totally into “cuentos,” so she loved that this song tells the story of the wedding between the toad and the frog. She was able to pick up on a lot of words and then I just retold her the story in simpler words. And, we listened to it again!

In researching a little bit more about Harp, I found out that the Mexican singer has dedicated her musical career to gathering information and rescuing the sounds of her country, in particular of her own state, Oaxaca. The songs on the CD go as far back as prehistoric Mayan times. In an interview, Harp explained that it took her over four years to research and gather all the songs she decided to include in Arriba del Cielo. Talk about a labor of love!

Anyhow, now that the CD has been rescued from the depths of the box full of baby toys, we will be listening to it a lot more.

Photo by malias

Week of Mamás Blogueras is going strong and we couldn’t be happier with the stories these amazing women have posted. If you missed the first two entries in this series, you can click here and here to catch up.

Today’s post is by poet and writer, Violeta García-Mendoza. Violeta and her husband adopted three children from Guatemala and have made a commitment to raise them bilingual and bicultural with strong connections to their heritage. So much to admire about this woman!

You can find her blogging and writing at Multi-Culti Mami and Turn People Purple.

Children who are adopted internationally, even as they gain a family, still lose another family and country of origin. Knowing this, when my husband (American) and I (Spanish-American) decided to adopt our three children from Guatemala, we committed ourselves to raising them in a way in which we would honor their hyphenated identity to the best of our abilities. So that they would not lose one more thing. So that they would be able to exist in their two countries and cultures (and in the in-between) ultimately (I know that the ups and downs are inevitable) with self-confidence. It’s a gift I think any adoptive family can attempt.

Violeta and her family

In our family, our action plan grows along with our kids. But with two three-year-olds and one almost two-year-old, these are the five areas in which we’ve focused our efforts at strengthening our son and daughters’ heritage and identity:

Naming

The thing about names- they’re supposed to fit you, tell your story. Since our kids had a more complex story right from the start, our job was to give that story the right title. And so, in a collaboration between my husband and I, and our children’s birth mothers, we named our three children over a period of a couple years. Our oldest daughter and son have first names picked for their meaning by my husband and I, and middle names picked by their birth mothers; our youngest daughter’s names were chosen after special people, by all of us together. Their names anchor them to the places and people to which they belong. In a fit of bicultural bravery, I even rallied to have all of our kids have both my husband’s and my last name as their last name.  All together-as is Hispanic tradition. Like a security blanket.  Here, for school, they shorten their name and just go by their father’s last name. But if and when they travel to a Latin country, or they want to use them all here, they’re legally available for them. And even though I never ever have enough room for them on any form, I think that can’t be a bad thing

Extended “Family”

When we had our children baptized, we chose one American godmother for them, and one Guatemalan madrina.  Their madrina is a woman who we’ve known since we first traveled to Guatemala to visit our children during the adoption process. She is the woman who first taught me the word “pachita” (rather than Spain’s “biberon”),  a woman who has watched them grow (in person and through pictures), who has so much love for each of our children, and who has become, over our now three years of friendship, like a part of the family. We wanted to honor her by actually making her a part of the family. For our children, this has the added benefit of a sense of another personal tie to their home country. Though we don’t have contact with their birth families, we at least have frequent contact with their madrina and her large family, and this extended community gives me peace of mind as reinforcements. I have confidence that they will teach me expressions I don’t know, pass on specifically-Guatemalan news and traditions, and look out for the well-being of our children.

Food

It’s important to me that our kids grow up eating and learning how to prepare at least some of the dishes that they’d traditionally eat in Guatemala, in addition to the Spanish and American classics their father and I bring to the table. I just think it’s their birthright. I think about how I’d feel if I didn’t have a weakness for manchego or know how to make a mean paella huertana, and it gives me the ánimo to learn how to cook more Guatemalan foods. Admittedly, because our children are still so little and I’m just now getting some peace back in the kitchen, I’m behind in this. But I do know how to make a decent pollo en pepian dulce and a good guacamole.  I’m working on the tres leches cake. And, since I had no clue as to how to begin to make these, last Christmas we ordered tamales to eat on Nochebuena.

Origins Gallery

Floor to ceiling in our upstairs hallway, we have what I’ve affectionately named our “origins gallery”: photographs of the places where each of us were born- Madrid, Pittsburgh, Guatemala City, Mazatenango. Already, our children know which photograph belongs to each person in the family and will point them out to visitors. The photographs are some of many other visual artifacts of our origins we keep throughout the house, but maybe the most beautiful illustration of how different pieces can fuse together.

Culture

Since moving to a new house this last year, we now have Direct TV and can watch not only Spanish language TV, but specifically Guatemalan programming. I admit it, I am a faithful viewer of at least one novela at a time and I subscribe to People en Español and Vanidades. It’s important, I think, for the kids to grow up with these touchstones of pop culture around them: musicians, actors, athletes, news makers- not just from Guatemala, but from Central and Latin America. Growing up in the US, they’ll have that without much effort on our part; the Latino counterpart takes more work, but it’s worth it to us so that, as adults, they have a cultural knowledge base that reflects their hyphen.

I know this plan of action will look different over the years.  The important thing is just having one.  I hope, thanks to it, our children will grow up to identify as Guatemalan-born, American-raised people, as bilingual and bicultural.  As at home in their own skin and story.

Tomorrow’s Mamás Blogueras post is by Mónica Olivera Hazelton from Latin Baby Book Club and Mi Cielito Lindo. She gives us useful tips on using bilingual and bicultural literature to supplement bilingual education.