Wednesday, December 7, 2011

The Language of My Heart



Since I hope to become a missionary, the Spanish language is

something I must learn. It is more than that though because when I

hear the worship music it touches my heart in ways English cannot.

I guess it holds a mystery and one must translate to discover the

depths of the lyrics. The following is something I wrote last year,

but it stands just as firm today as it did when I first presented on it.

Puesto que espero hacer misionario, la lengua española es algo
que debo aprender. Es más que eso aunque porque cuando oigo
que la música de la adoración que toca no puede mi corazón de
las maneras inglesas. Conjeturo que lleva a cabo un misterio y
uno debe traducir para descubrir las profundidades de las líricas.
Lo que sigue es algo que escribí el año pasado, pero coloca
apenas hoy tan firme como lo hizo cuando primero presentó en
él.
El lenguaje de mi corazón
El español es una lengua romance. La cultura de habla española centra todo las relaciones. Los aspectos más importantes en la cultura española son la religión, la familia y amigos. Los humanos somos seres relacional. Hay muchas diferencias entre la gente de habla española en todo el mundo. Estas diferencias de los dialectos, las tradiciones, y otros ideales culturales, pero siguen siendo los tres aspectos fundamentales. La fe predominante en los países en lengua española es el la cristiandad. Las tradiciones que van junto con la cristiandad son observados por muchos debido a su papel en el resto de la cultura. El caso es que esta celebración se basa en la religión y costumbre y no hay mucho de un foco en tener una relación con Dios. Casi todas las culturas en el mundo tiene una regla similar a la regla de oro. Reconocen amar a los demás como a usted le encantan. Uno no puede amar a los demás la forma más completa que debe sin antes tener una relación con Dios.
Dios es amor. El Señor es todo lo que uno necesita y mucho más. Él es dador de vida y la razón estoy aquí hoy. Para seguirlo, debemos negarnos a nosotros mismos, tomar nuestra cruz y seguirlo. Juan 3:16 dice que,De tal manera amó Dios al mundo, que ha dado a su Hijo unigénito, para que todo aquel que en él cree no se pierda, sino que tenga vida eterna.” Dios envió a Su Hijo para darnos vida. En Juan 14:6, “Jesús le dijo: Yo soy el camino, la verdad y la vida; nadie viene al Padre sino por mí.” Sin Jesús estamos perdidos y rotos. Dios es fiel. Él está dispuesto a perdonar y amar a nosotros no importa lo que hemos hecho. Se trata de ser humilde y sumiso a su voluntad por encima de la nuestra y entregarse por completo. Esto no es fácil, pero es el camino que conduce a la vida. En primer lugar, debemos admitir que somos pecadores. Por tanto, debemos creer que Jesús es el hijo de Dios y murió para que vivamos. Por último, debemos confesar nuestros pecados y tener fe en que somos perdonados. En Mateo 6:9-13 Jesús dio una oración modelo que probablemente suena familiar:
Padre nuestro que estás en los cielos, santificado sea tu nombre. Venga tu reino. Hágase tu voluntad, como en el cielo, así también en la tierra. El pan nuestro de cada día, dánoslo hoy. Perdónanos nuestras deudas, como también nosotros perdonamosa nuestros deudores. No nos metas en tentación, sino líbranos del mal, porque tuyo es el reino,el poder y la gloria, por todos los siglos. Amén.
He incluido esta oración porque es un ejemplo de una relación de confianza, fiel, honrado, y íntima con nuestro Padre. Vivir para Cristo es morir a nuestra manera y confiar en Dios en todo. Para escuchar estas palabras en una lengua tan bella expresa el amor en mi lengua materna.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Guatemala










Guatemala is a beautiful country. It is located in South America. The country has many distinct natural characteristics. There are many sites to be seen. This video depicts the lush mountains, rivers, valleys, and volcanoes, among others. It is difficult to follow the language on the video, but the pictures explain a lot. It has been said by many throughout the ages that a picture is worth a thousand words. This video is 7 minutes times that! The rain forest reminds me of Louisiana marshland in some ways. The culture has an interesting clothing style, especially for the women. There are many activities for visitors including: rafting, hiking, and hang-gliding! The video gives a glimpse of the most popular sites in Guatemala, the Mayan temples. The people in Guatemala wear very colorful clothing and weave intricate designs in their blankets and clothes. There art and handiwork is very pretty. They have colonial architecture. The city seems very busy, but with foot traffic and bicycles more than cars. They seem to be very hard workers. They have interesting dance steps and their instruments are much different from our more contemporary instruments in America. Many of the homes were huts in the forests or concrete/stucco in the towns. This would be an exciting place to visit one day! It helps me get a feel for the culture better to see people experiencing it. Plus, I am a visual learner, hence why I love watching videos on things. It helps ideas come to life. I am an artist so I thrive with color, song, music, etc.


If you ever visit Antigua, make sure to go during Lent or another celebration. Their parades and celebrations are extravegant. This video depicts the colonial sites, artisan work, and the celebrations. It is definately a must see and a great place to visit one day! The music is really interesting too. It is not my favorite, but the flutes and dancing are pretty.

Paraguay


Paraguay would be a gorgeous place to tour. It is located in South America. The people are inviting and friendly. The video describes a sweet, Paraguayan hospitality tradition. The country has both colonial and modern style buildings. The site offers modern conveniences in the city for tourists. There are many unique natural resource conservatories and man-made sites to visit. Some of these include: Yacyreta,Tati Yupi, Alinguy, Yabebyry (Wildlife Shelter), Gran Pantanal (The Great Swamp), and Moises Bertoni. The Paraguay River was formed by streams and lakes. It is the home of the biggest reserve after the Amazons. There are also many historical places to visit while journeying in Paraguay. One can visit the Ruinas Jesuitica which has splendorous art. This historical place reminds people of the Guatenes Eutopia of the land without evil. Paraguay is famous for their popular art mixture with customs and traditions. Some other artsy things unique to Paraguayan artists are: gold and silver rings, hand crafted musical instruments, carved leather, spider web weaving, ceramics, wool, and confections. The beautiful scenary is enough to take your breath away. Since I love photography, this would be a fun place to visit!


This video was slow, but the pictures were worth it. It was very nice to go through the pictures as if I was the one walking the streets for the first time soaking up the culture and beauty. The country was beautiful!



This video was to get a better feel for the natural beauty and the sounds from the country. Paraguayan music is unique with a subtle thrilling noise. It is soothing yet awakening. You can feel the Spanish flair in the rhythm.

Merengue


This video is an instructional video on how to dance. The specific dance being taught is the Dominican style of the Merengue. The dance is rather simple. The instructor exclaims that, "If you can walk, then you can dance." I love to dance, but sometimes I get really dizzy. For starters, soemtimes I cannot spot well so I get off balance. Second, I have trouble seeing so I must feel the music, listen intensely, and compensate. The instructor makes it very simple to learn quickly. The initial commands are to step left, the step right, repeatedly. The steps are very similar to marching band directions. You step on each beat of music. This dance has a similar tempo and rhythm of marching music. The next directions were to step, close, step, close. The instructor gives 3 rules on dancing the Merengue:
1. Keep time with music.
2. Move your hips. (The hip motion comes from bending one's knees.)
3. Take your time and walk through all turns.
The instructor specifically directs one to never stop action and do not worry about the number of movements required for each beat, just step in time. In Latin dancing, the rib cage slides to the left with each left step.  Basically, the rib cage lead into the step. Make sure to make distinct steps and equal weight changes. It’s all about how you move, not the specific movements. Ladies follow and are a mirror image to the male steps. Keep your upper body level and never stop your hips or footwork while dancing figures. The video goes on to show turn combos which is easier to watch then for me to explain. Overall, this dance is much easier than people give it credit for. A few more times practicing this and you will be a pro! In conclusion, don't be nervous, stand up tall, breath, smile, be confident, and HAVE FUN!  

Salsa


This video teaches the basic steps of Salsa. The instructor does a good job showing a close up of the footwork and body movements. Similar to the Merengue, it's about the movements and rhythm. Once you practice enough, the movements become like second nature. This is a warning to make sure you learn PROPERLY!  This video goes through the steps quickly so I would advice going through and practicing repeatedly. The first thing taught is the On 1 style. The instructor counts 1,5! The music is very saucy and exciting. The next thing taught is the Basic step on 2. The instructor teaches a forward, then back to the future position. Next is the basic right turn on 1. Finally, they dance a combination of all the parts. The steps are beautiful, swift, and inviting. This is so much fun!  

Cuban Pig Roast




 
Warning: This video is not for queasy stomachs or vegetarians.
This video depicts an end of the year Cuban pig roast. The video was posted by a people attending the pig roast. The music in the car ride over to the celebration was interesting. The video depicts the process from butchering all the way through cooking the meal. The pig squealing initially is really annoying and sickening. The tradition is similar to my family’s pig roast on Christmas Eve so it brings back childhood memories I am not fond of remembering. My family would raise a hog and I would befriend it as a pet. One year, I realized my pet was the one we cooked so I never helped with caring for the pigs again once this news was broken to me. I did not want to make the mistake of getting too close to it again. The video depicts the preparations made for the roast. The cutting of the pig is really grotesque and too much to watch, I would advise fast-forwarding it through many parts. They wash the skin with water and drain the blood. They prepare a set-up for roasting the pig by hanging it in the air on poles and wires. i am not sure what they used the fire torch for... The entire preparation takes many hours. It takes all day and much of the night for my family so I guessed this much. They have an interesting oven depicted in the video, but I am not sure what it is made of. To be honest, I do not enjoy eating pork very much. I simply wanted to know how my family tradition compared to Cuban tradition.

Spanish version:
Advertencia: Este vídeo no está para los estómagos o los vegetarianos bascosos.
Este vídeo representa un extremo de la carne asada Cubana del cerdo del año. El vídeo fue fijado por una gente que atendía a la carne asada del cerdo. La música en el paseo del coche encima a la celebración era interesante. El vídeo representa el proceso de matar completamente cocinar la comida. El cerdo que chilla inicialmente es realmente molesto y repugnante. La tradición es similar a mi carne asada del cerdo de la familia la vispera de Navidad así que trae detrás memorias de la niñez que no estoy encariñado con recordar. Mi familia levantaría un cerdo y hacerse amigo de lo como animal doméstico. Un año, realicé que mi animal doméstico era el que cocinamos así que nunca ayudé con cuidar para los cerdos otra vez una vez que estas noticias estaban quebradas a mí. No quise incurrir en la equivocación de conseguirle demasiado cerca otra vez. El vídeo representa las preparaciones hechas para la carne asada. El corte del cerdo es realmente grotesque y demasiado a mirar, aconsejaría pasar hacia delante lo a través de muchas piezas. Lavan la piel con agua y drenan la sangre. Se preparan para fijar para asar el cerdo colgándolo en el aire en postes y alambres. no estoy seguro para qué utilizaron la antorcha del fuego… La preparación entera tarda muchas horas. Toma todo el dia y mucha de la noche para mi familia así que conjeturaba este mucho. Hacen un horno interesante representar en el vídeo, pero no estoy seguro qué se hace. Para ser honesto, no gozo el comer del cerdo mucho. Quise simplemente saber mi tradición de la familia comparó a la tradición Cubana.

Spain


Spain is a wonderful place to visit and sightsee. Spain has beautiful landscapes and pretty views. There are waterfalls, mountains, and oceans. Spain offers many tourist venues. There are boats and other tourist attractions in the cities and along the coast. The country has castles that are stunning and majestic. The styles of dancing are beautiful. The gardens and wine are amazing. Get excited! You can even run with the bulls! If you have the money, you can climb, hike, windsurf, or rodeo. There is a contrast between the beautiful rural life and the big metroplexes. Overall, the country has many wonderful things to do, see, taste, hear, and smell! Inviting the senses to a plethora of cultural enrichment! I love to travel so anywhere is fun for me!