Considering how much I love the idea of trains in general, and San José’s Tren Urbano specifically, it’s embarrassing how long it took me to
Category: Love in Translation
After the birth of my daughter in San José in 2013, I began a blog called “The Dictionary of You,” letters to her about the language and culture I loved in my adopted country of Costa Rica. The blog spawned a column at The Tico Times called “Maeology” and a book, “Love in Translation: Letters to My Costa Rican Daughter,” available worldwide on Amazon. Read on for more.
Why learning another language keeps us young
Published in The Tico Times on June 5, 2017. When you’re tuckered out from a long day using Costa Rican slang at every conceivable opportunity,
The power of immigrant vision
Founders’ Day remarks delivered at The Derryfield School, Manchester, New Hampshire, May 19, 2017. Thank you, Dr. Carter, the Founders, Mr. Sanborn, and everyone who
A room of our own: Costa Rican choteo and Virginia Woolf
Originally published by The Tico Times, http://www.ticotimes.net. When I worked in English-language education and visited an advanced young-adult class in San José, I asked them
Waiting for gray (bochorno)
Dear E., The longer I live in places where you can wear flip-flops 12 months a year, the more obsessed I become with seasons. It’s
Apapáchame – a little universe
I woke up early this morning on your birthday. I’m not sure why, but it was a gift: your birthdays make me wistful, and it
katherine stanley obando 