6 Things To Know About Spain

1. El Cid is the national hero of Spain. 

Born as Ruy Diz de Vivar, El Cid was an "opportunistic warrior" (Kohen and Elias 61). His goal was to rule the Kingdom of Valencia, so he fought against both Moors and his Christian allies to further his agenda (Fuentes). After his death, this military leader's exploits were lauded in the epic poem "El Cantar de Mio Cid" ("The Song of the Cid"), which made him a legend (El Cid). Many people have even questioned his existence, but he is, in fact, an actual person. He looks pretty intimidating (pictured right), doesn't he?



2. The Spanish people love their art.

Spanish people are "an artistic people, who place great value on creativity and self-expression" (Kohen and Elias 89). Many famous artists, architects, writers, and musicians hail from Spain. For example, Pablo Picasso, born in Malaga, Spain, is considered the "world's most prolific painter," creating 147,800 works of art including paintings, prints, engravings, book illustrations, and sculptures ("Pablo Picasso Biography"). The Weeping Woman, shown left, is an example of cubism, which Picasso pioneered. 



3. Spain is one of the most visited countries in the world.


In fact, Spain is the third most visited country in the world with over 60 million arrivals (Delgado). One of the most visited destinations in Spain is the city of Barcelona. When visiting Barcelona, tourists might explore the Picasso museum, the Sagrada Familia cathedral (pictured right), Playa de la Barceloneta, and Casa Batllo ("Barcelona Travel Guide"). Barcelona is situated “by the Mediterranean Sea and next to the Pyrenees mountains, enjoying the benefits of the sea and the mountain” (“Barcelona Travel Guide”). Pack your bags!


Etc. 
Students, you will have 3 more "Things."

Works Cited 

"Barcelona travel guide." Spain Travel Guides. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2017.

Delgado, Cristina. "Spain has the world's most competitive tourism industry." EL PAÍS. Síguenos, 07 
      May 2015. Web. 21 Apr. 2017.

El Cid. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2017.

Kohen, Elizabeth, and Marie Louise. Elias. Spain. New York: Benchmark , 2003. Print.

"Pablo Picasso Biography." Pablo Picasso Paintings, Quotes, and Biography. N.p., 2009. Web. 21 
        Apr. 2017.

Plot Twist!

If you recall, one of the reasons I chose to learn Spanish was that I was likely going to be traveling to a Spanish-speaking country this summer.  Well, that has since changed! We are going to Jamaica and Grand Cayman, both of which are English-speaking countries. However, I will probably be going to a Spanish-speaking country the following summer. This is good news because it gives me more time to learn the language because this is going slowly!

In my last blog, I had the following plan:

1. Continue doing lessons in Duolingo to include finishing Past Tense Verbs, Present Tense 

Verbs 3, Infinitive Verbs 1, and Future Tense Verbs. (That's a lot of verbs!) ✔ Partially 
Completed: I've been slacking! I only completed Past Tense Verbs and part of Present Tense
Verbs. I still feel as though Duolingo is advancing too quickly.  

2. Continue doing lessons in Learn Spanish Step by Step on YouTube. I want to at least 
complete Lesson 5: Days of the Week, Lesson 6: Months of the Year, and Lesson 7: Seasons. 
✔ Completed: I complete all three of these on March 22, 2017. I like these lessons a lot now.
They are short and to the point.  

3. Finally, I will read the chapter on Spanish Lifestyle in the book I checked out from the library.

X Incomplete: I did not read this chapter in the book, but I will!

Looking ahead, I will be attempting to complete the following:

1. Continue Duolingo lessons including finishing Present Tense Verbs, Infinitive Verbs 1, and
Future Tense Verbs

2. I will read the chapter on Spanish Lifestyle in the library book.

3. I will complete lessons 7 (Telling Time), 8 (Subject Pronouns in Spanish), 9 (Ser vs. 
Estar), and 10 (Haber and Tener) on the Spanish Step-By-Step YouTube channel.

I have about a month to go! Hopefully I'll see some progress over the next two weeks!