Learning Spanish by immersion: Does it work?
Imagine a language course that starts off with the instructor giving a monologue that lasts all of sixty minutes, delivered almost entirely in Spanish. What our teacher, Hugo, gave us on that first day was a rundown, delivered at a normal conversational pace, on what we could expect in the next month. There were very few English words used, other than those we obviously didn’t understand. The only saving grace for us was that Hugo repeated his message constantly in several different ways.
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Driving from Guadalajara to Oaxaca
Oaxaca... magic city
Believe me, Oaxaca is not quite like any other town you’ve ever been to. Even in Mexico.
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When taking the bus in Mexico, timing is everything
I write for fun, and I love my adopted Oaxaca. Don't take me literally. I try not to take myself too seriously; neither should you. Still, there is truth in here somewhere, and it's as much about me an...
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Oaxaca: a festive city
Guitarists sing and play on a city street in Oaxaca, Mexico.
© Allan Cogan, 1997
A first visit to Oaxaca, capital of Mexico's southern state of Oaxaca, should begin at the zócalo, the town plaza....
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Touring Oaxaca's central valley
February 1997
Oaxaca is called "Tierra del Sol," and it a landscape blessed with a spring-like climate and plenty of sunshine. The city of Oaxaca is located in a picturesque valley with an altitude of...
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Athletics, tour guides, evangelism and Mexico border crossings
Below are some archives of letters to the editor that Stan has chosen to answer with open responses.
August 23, 1996: A Border Resident Shares Her Experiences
Sandy Weisel writes:
Hi, I just love ...
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Mexico's Native American peoples and the global economy
I wrote his in early 1995. Thankfully, the decency and good will of the average Oaxacan had not vanished along with their purchasing power and hopes for the future.
Teen age gangs, on the rise, have m...
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Protest in Oaxaca: Watch out for the wind
This was written around Christmas of 1994. The banner hangs outside an opposition union office in Oaxaca.
After ten days, the occupation ended. The teachers, some ten thousand strong, went back home t...
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How to survive - and stay - in Oaxaca
This was written in 1994. How to survive - and stay - in Oaxaca, were very much on my mind. (The picture is of the Oaxaca State Band playing their Sunday concert in the zocalo.) Photography by Diana Ri...
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