¿Que Que? Raviolis En Frasco? What? Raviolis In A Jar?

Multicultural Familia: Bestest. Ramadan. Ever. by Medeia Sharif

It has been through reading books about characters struggling to reconcile their bicultural identities that I've been able to validate my own experience. Two years ago, there was no way I would've talked about it. I was embarrassed that I couldn't articulate how I felt and why. I mean, seriously, "Who doesn't know who they are?" That was until I picked up several books with a common thread running through them: characters teetering between two cultures.

Examples of these are Victor Villaseñor's Burro Genius, Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, An Na's A Step from Heaven, Tanuja Desai Hidier's Born Confused, Julia Alvarez's How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents and Alice Walker's The Color Purple.

BESTEST. RAMADAN. EVER. by Kurdish-American author Medeia Sharif piqued my interest in 2009 because I'd never read anything written from the perspective of a fifteen-year-old Muslim-American teenager.  I wondered about her experience when the American and Muslim cultures are so different. How might she struggle?

You can read the rest of the review at Multicultural Familia. On Wednesday Medeia answers some questions about B.R.E. and we'll be giving away a signed copy of her novel. ; )

A Little Game of Blog Tag - Siete (Seven)

Gracias to Tara Castillo-Me and the Mexican and Chantilly Patiño-Bicultural Mom for tagging me in this clever game of "Siete." The object of the game is to find posts in your blog archive that you think satisfy the seven categories listed below. *smiles* I enjoyed this game.

Thank you, again!

Most Beautiful Post
My Sister and Best Friend

Most Popular Post
Book Review: Burro Genius by Victor Villaseñor

Most Controversial Post
Book Review: Push by Sapphire

Most Helpful Post
What do You Mean Our Son Can't Read?
(Realized recently I never wrote the follow-up posts!)

A Post Whose Success Surprised Me
Is There A Connection Between Language and Personality

A Post That Didn't Get The Attention I Felt It Deserved
What Is It About Jane Eyre?

Post I'm Most Proud Of
El Dia E

Hardest part of this game is narrowing down your list of friends to just seven. Buena suerte!

Ladies, tag, you're it <3

1. The B3 Blog
2. Empatheia
3. La Dulce Vida
4. Bella Vida by Letty
5. La Familia Cool (Bilingual)
6. Mami Holistica y Genial (Spanish)
7. What to Read

If you participate, please be sure to come back and include the link to your post in the comment's section here.

Astronautas | Astronauts

Playa Tunes

Todavía andamos de vacaciones. ; ) Tanto que quisiera quedarme en la playa otra semana, pero como siempre, ay que regresar a la realidad. Nos hemos pasado una semana bien divertida cerca del mar, visitando la feria y amigos ... y comiendo. He comido tanta langosta, nieve y chocolate que mas no puedo comer. Voy a necesitar un "body-cleanse" cuando regrese!

Al regresar parece que mi vida va cambiar un poco. Estoy nerviosa y temo cambio, pero también creo que todo pasa por una razón. "No hay mal por que bien no venga." Sí, todo va salir bien. Dios tiene sus planes para mi. Como siempre, me siento bien afortunada a tener el apoyo y amor de mi marido.

Mas le contare mas tarde.

Aquí les dejo unas canciones que he disfrutado esta semana ; D ... Casi todas son en español y apropiadas para Spanish Friday. <3

We're still on vacation. : ) How I'd love to stay on the beach another week, but like always, we must return to reality. We've spent a fun-filled week near the ocean, visiting the carnival and friends ... and eating. I've eaten so much lobster, ice cream and chocolate that I can't eat anymore. I'm going to need a "body-cleanse" when I get back!

It looks like life is going to change for me a little when I return. I'm a bit nervous and fear change, but also believe that everything happens for a reason. SPANISH SAYING: "There is no bad through which good doesn't come." God has his plans for me. As always, I feel fortunate to have the love and support of my husband.

More to come.

I wanted to share some music I've enjoyed this week. It's almost all in Spanish, so appropriate for Spanish Friday. : D

¡Es Mio!
He's mine! 

Vacaciones ; )

Peru ... En Mis Sueños | Peru ... In My Dreams

Source: Wikipedia/Machu Picchu

En su corazón de corazones, sí pudieras ir a cualquier parte del mundo, a donde irias?

Sueño que algún día llegara a la cumbre de una montaña en peru que se llama Machu Picchu, el lugar donde los incas hicieron su asilo entre la brisa y las nubes.

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In your heart of hearts, if you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

I dream that one day I'll reach the summit of a mountain in Peru called Machu Picchu, the place where the Incas made their sanctuary among the mist and the clouds.

Source: Wikipedia/Inca Trail

No tengo un hueso atletico, asi que estoy segura que me la pasaría trompezandome mas que caminando las treinta y cinco millas que me tomaría llegar as las ruinas de esta civilización antigua. ¿Cuatro días? No solo temo lo que encontraría en este camino maravilloso, pero también fantaseo del lo que se ha de sentir ascender entre brisa y selvas a esta cumbre, hasta los brasos del sol. Que rico.

                                     ¿Me hallarán allí?

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I don't have an athletic bone is this body, so I'm certain I'd spend most of my time stumbling, than walking, the thirty-five miles it would take to reach the ruins of this ancient civilization. Four days? I fear and am in awe of everything I'd find along this marvelous trail and fantasize about what it must feel like to ascend through mist and jungle to the sun's warm embrace.

                                Will you find me there?

Siempre que pienso de peru, se me vienen imagenes de llamas ... 

Sé que la mayoría de las niñas pequeñas piden un "pony" para sus cumpleaños ... no yo.

Yo siempre he querido una llama. No me molesta que escupen.

¿Sabias que las llamas son animales sociales y inteligentes?

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I know most little girls ask for a "pony" for their birthdays ... not me.

I've always wanted a llama. It doesn't bother me that they spit.

Did you know that llamas are social and intelligent animals?

Por que todos debemos de saber identificar las diferentes partes de una llama ... nunca sabes.

Because we should all be able to identify the different parts of a llama ... you never know.

Source: Wikipedia/Llama

1 Ears  2 Poll  3 Withers  4 Back  5 Hip  6 Croup  7 Base of Tail  8 Tail  9 Buttock  10  Hock  11 Metatarsal Gland  12 Heel  13 Cannon Bone  14 Gaskin  15 Llama Cock  16 Flank  17 Barrel  18 Elbow  19 Pastern  20 Fetlock  21 Knee  22 Chest  23 Point of Shoulder  24 Should 25 Throat  26 Cheek or Jowel  27 Muzzle

Source: Wikipedia/Machu Picchu

¿No se ve tentador este mapa, con todos sus caminos y cuevas para explorar?

Doesn't this map look enticing with all its trails and caves to explore?

Espero llegar un día allí.
I hope to make there one day.



Este video es muy interesante -- pero si te espantan los cadaveres, no lo mires!

Cinco palabras que voy a estudiar esta semana (los acentos me vuelven loca!):

Five words I'm going to study this week (the accent marks drive me crazy!):

1. Cumbre/cima = peak or summit
2. Corazón = heart
3. Asilo = sanctuary
4. Montaña = mountain
5. Hallar = to find (not "allar" ; )

Patos | Ducks

Visitamos El Museo de Descubrimiento Científico | We Visited The Science Discovery Museum

Hace dos semanas, descubrimos un tesorito cerca de nuestra casa, cuando nuestro hijo fue invitado a una fiesta de cumpleaños en El Museo de Descubrimiento Científico en Acton, MA. No les puedo decir cuanto me allegro verle sus expresiónes cambiar mientras exploraba los experimentos encontrados allí.

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A couple of weeks ago, we discovered a little treasure near our home, when our son was invited to a birthday party at The Children's Science Discovery Museum in Acton, MA. I can't tell you how happy it made to watch his expressions change as he explored the experiments found there.

Yo siempre he amado las ciencias, dos en particular: la astronomía y la biología. Las estrellas, los planetas, el cuerpo humano y la microbiología son temas qué me atraen la atención con la maravilla y el misterio de su creación.

De niña, me encantaba acostarme en el la hierba en cuanto bajaba el sol. Allí, rodeada de grillos, me ponía a contar las pequeñas luces que alumbraban la oscuridad. Soñaba y me preguntaba, "¿Existera vida en los otros planetas?"

¿Quien sabe? Si no hubiera tenido tanto problema con las matemáticas (tengo una cabeza bien dura), quizás ahora seria una científica. ; )

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I've always loved the sciences, two in particular: astronomy and biology. The stars, planets, the human body, and microbiology are subjects I'm drawn to for the marvel and mystery of their creation.

As a little girl, I used to love to lie on the grass as soon the sun set. There, surrounded by crickets, I'd count the tiny stars that lit up the darkness. I'd dream and wonder, "Is there life on other planets?"

Who knows? Had math not been such a challenge for me (I have a really hard head), maybe I'd be a scientist today.

En este video, Junior trata de dispersar un tornado.

Here's a video clip of Junior trying to disperse a tornado.

Me daban ganas de estirarme en la alfombra y pasar la tarde estudiando este techo.

I had the urge to sprawl on the carpet and study this ceiling.

Hmmmm ... ¿a ver qué hace esta valvula?

Hmmmm ... let's see what this valve does ...

 

Pienso qué el deseaba un escape de agua.

I think he secretly hoped it would spring a leak.

*Jajajaja*

Mira abajo (en rojo) lo qué descubri buscando la palabra "leak" en Span¡shD!ct

*LMAO*

Look below (in red) at what I found while looking for the word "leak" in Span¡shDict!

Leak

[liːk]

sustantivo

1. (in bucket) (in pipe) (in roof) (in ship) (familiar)

agujero (m) ; fuga (f) , escape (m) ; gotera (f) ; vía (f) de agua


• to take or ->
• have a leak -> echar una meadita (británico) << Ezzy: literally means to throw a little pee (spring a leak!) ... yes, I'm juvenile ... what can I say?

Estas canicas enomes rojas y azules me hicieron pensar de la pelicula Frankenstein del año del caldo. Esperaba qué en cualquier momento hiban a soltar electricidad.

These red and blue enormous marbles reminded me of that old black and white Frankenstein movie.

I expected electricity to come out of them at any moment.

Roaaaaar!!! Dinosaurios ...

Roaaaaaar!!! Dinosaurs ... ; )

Exactamente lo qué necesitamos en nuestra casa.

Las esplosiónes se ven bien divertidas.

En serio.

Exactly what we need at home.

The explosions look like loads of fun.

Really.

¿Sabian qué Albert Einstein tenía dislexia? ¡Sí! Albert Einstein. Mi amiga Chantilly fue la qué me entero de eso cuando le dije qué me hijo había sido diagnosticado con lo mismo.

Did you know Albert Einstein had dyslexia. Yes! Albert Einstein. My friend, Chantilly was the one who told me when I shared that my son had been diagnosed with the same.

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Palabras Que Voy a Estudiar Esta Semana:

1. También= also
2. Allí = there (NOT "Ahi" -- er -- like the fish ... ¡mensa!)
3. Quizás = sometimes
4. Ojalá = hopefully

Sabían que "tenia" (n) = tapeworm   mmmmm...