Unit 7 Spanish 2B

la ventanilla

(airplane) window

esté

(that) (I/he/she/it/you, form.) be

dé

(that) (I/he/she/it/you, form.) give

vaya

(that) (I/he/she/it/you, form.) go

sepa

(that) (I/he/she/it/you, form.) know (how)

aprenda

(that) (I/he/she/it/you, form.) learn

hable

(that) (I/he/she/it/you, form.) talk

escriba

(that) (I/he/she/it/you, form.) write

estén

(that) (they/you, pl.) be

den

(that) (they/you, pl.) give

vayan

(that) (they/you, pl.) go

sepan

(that) (they/you, pl.) know (how)

aprendan

(that) (they/you, pl.) learn

hablen

(that) (they/you, pl.) talk

escriban

(that) (they/you, pl.) write

estemos

(that) (we) be

demos

(that) (we) give

vayamos

(that) (we) go

sepamos

(that) (we) know (how)

aprendamos

(that) (we) learn

hablemos

(that) (we) talk

estés

(that) (you) be

des

(that) (you) give

vayas

(that) (you) go

sepas

(that) (you) know (how)

aprendas

(that) (you) learn

hables

(that) (you) talk

escribas

(that) (you) write

estéis

(that) (you, pl.) be

deis

(that) (you, pl.) give

vayáis

(that) (you, pl.) go

sepáis

(that) (you, pl.) know (how)

aprendáis

(that) (you, pl.) learn

habléis

(that) (you, pl.) talk

escribáis

(that) (you, pl.) write

saber

(to know (how)

As my friends and I are enjoying the beaches of the Caribbean, we are talking about our previous trips to the area and places we want to go on our next visit. One of the places I wish we could have travelled to on our trip is Cuba. Teo is Spanish and has a Spanish passport, so he was able to travel there. He told me about visiting the Ciénaga de Zapata, which means "Zapata Swamp." As you may know, the capital of Cuba is Havana, or La Habana, which is on the northwest coast of Cuba. The city is filled with vintage cars, which Teo says he spent a lot of time admiring. He also admired the many colorful colonial buildings, many of which are in various states of disrepair. However, he says he didn't have a difficult time imagining how beautiful the city was in its heyday. He visited the Plaza de Armas in the heart of Old Havana, where he could people-watch as he sat in one of the sidewalk cafés. He also strolled along the Malecón, which is the seafront area that runs along the coast. He particularly enjoyed the Calle Mercaderes, which is a cobblestoned pedestrian street with shops, restaurants, and museums, many of which are free. As Teo is an art lover, he visited the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, which exhibits only Cuban art. But as interesting as La Habana sounds, I was interested in knowing more about the Zapata Swamp that Teo visited. The Zapata Swamp is about 100 miles south of Havana. He went on a tour that left from Havana. They drove through the amazing countryside and plantations and stopped in some small villages.

But of course, the highlight of the tour is the Zapata Swamp, much of which is a national park and Biosphere Reserve, much like the Everglades in Florida. The Biosphere Reserve is about 1.5 million acres, which is the same size as the Everglades National Park. This makes the Zapata Swamp the largest protected area in all the Caribbean! This wetland has an abundance of flora and fauna. There are almost 900 different plant species and 175 species of birds, including two, the Zapata wren and the Zapata rail, that are found only in this area. Additionally, there are hundreds of invertebrates and dozens of reptile species, including the endangered Cuban crocodile. This is not unlike the Everglades, which is home to the threatened American crocodile. However, the Everglades has more bird species, more than 350, as well as animals like panthers. In this wetland area, you will see a little of everything, including fresh and saltwater marshes, mangrove swamps, ponds, beaches, forests, and lakes. Teo took lots and lots of pictures while he was there, and they've convinced me even more that one day, I will have to go see it for myself!

One of the reasons I'm so excited about visiting Puerto Rico is because of the work of one of my favorite artists, Francisco Oller. He was born in 1833 in Puerto Rico and painted many landscapes of his native island as well as scenes of everyday Puerto Rican life, still lifes, local flora, and even portraits. He studied in artist studios in Europe, including Spain and France, and his contemporaries were European masters of impressionism, such as Monet, Renoir, and Monet. He was also friends with post-impressionist Cézanne. He stayed and worked in Europe for several years, where he was influenced by the impressionist movement and by works of artists such as Cézanne and Picasso.

His work was part of the artistic movements of realism, impressionism, and naturalism, which likely led to what is often described as his realistic-impressionist style, which would have a profound effect on art in Puerto Rico when he later returned and started his art school. His works were some of the first in Latin America to use the impressionist interpretation of light and color to depict the Caribbean environment. One of my favorite paintings of his is Hacienda la Fortuna, which is an oil painting from 1885. It was commissioned by a sugar mill owner who wanted Oller to paint his sugar mills. It depicts a scene of one of the sugar mills in Puerto Rico from that time. In the painting, you can see people hard at work in the fields, cutting and gathering the sugar cane to take to the factory buildings. To me, it's a little slice of Puerto Rico's history, captured in Oller's trademark style. It depicts the realism of the scene, but with impressionist characteristics, such as the use of light and rich color as well as visible brushstrokes.

Ya estamos en Puerto Rico! Puerto Rico, as you may know, is an archipelago just east of the Dominican Republic. It is a commonwealth and U.S. territory, so its citizens are American citizens who speak both English and Spanish. Many people think Puerto Rico is just one island, but it is made up of several islands. The main island is called Puerto Rico and is home to its capital, San Juan. Some of the smaller islands include Vieques, Culebra, Mona, Desecheo, and Palomino. We will be spending a little bit of time on the main island. We want to visit the El Yunque National Forest in the eastern part of the island. El Yunque is an amazing rainforest with hiking trails, waterfalls, and natural pools. It also has some peaks that we can climb that are up to 3,000 feet high. However, what we really want to do is visit some of the smaller islands, as Kiko, Teo, and I have all been to Puerto Rico before. We can't travel to the Isla Desecheo, off the west coast of Puerto Rico, because it is a wildlife refuge. There are many seabird colonies that are protected there, as well as six native species of lizards and arachnids. But we have managed to get una reservación to travel to nearby Mona Island, which is very lucky because they only allow 100 people at a time on the island. It is a rugged, uninhabited island with caves to explore and limestone cliffs. I am told that there are ancient petroglyphs from the Taíno people who lived in the caves. Laura has helped arrange for our permits and boat transportation to get there, as you can get there only by private boat or on an organized tour boat. I can't wait to go camping there.

Later we will return to the main island and make our way to Fajardo to catch a ferry to the Isla de Vieques, off the east coast of Puerto Rico. You can also fly there from San Juan, but it is cheaper to take the ferry. We had to choose between visiting Vieques or Isla Culebra. I wanted to go to Culebra to see the wildlife there. It's a nesting place for turtles and also has a bird sanctuary. But I got outvoted, so we're going to Vieques. I don't mind, though, because it's supposed to be beautiful. Vieques is known for having some of the best beaches in Puerto Rico; they're secluded and have clear blue water. The islands are also home to the Paso Fino, which are horses that roam free. These horses were originally brought over by the Spanish. However, what we really want to see there is Mosquito Bay. It's the brightest bioluminescent bay in the world. There are organisms in the water called dinos that are bioluminescent, which means they produce a kind of shining light, when disturbed, that looks blue. At night, they light up the waters, making it look like the water is magically lit up. We're going to take a kayak tour to see this phenomenon up close.

la línea aérea

airline

el aeropuerto

airport

el pasillo

aisle

el anuncio

announcement

la llegada

arrival

la tarjeta de embarque

boarding pass

cerrado(a)

closed

la aduana

customs

el(la) aduanero(a)

customs officer

el retraso

delay

la salida

departure

la puerta de embarque

departure gate

directo(a)

direct

el(la) empleado(a)

employee

el vuelo

flight

el(la) auxiliar de vuelo

flight attendent

extranjero(a)

foreign

con destino a

going to

el equipaje

luggage

abierto(a)

open

el(la) pasajero(a)

passenger

el pasaporte

passport

el(la) piloto

pilot

listo(a)

ready

la reservación

reservation

de ida y vuelta

round-trip

la inspección

security checkpoint

la maleta

suitcase

estar

to be (temporary characteristics or qualities)

tener paciencia

to be patient

abordar

to board

facturar

to check (luggage)

prohibir

to forbid

dar

to give

ir

to go

insistir en

to insist

registrar

to inspect, to search

aprender (a)

to learn

necesitar

to need

hacer la maleta

to pack the suitcase

permitir

to permit, to allow

planear

to plan

preferir

to prefer

recomendar

to recommend

decir

to say, to tell

hacer escala

to stop over

sugerir

to suggest

hacer un viaje

to take a trip

hablar

to talk

querer

to want

escribir

to write

el(la) turista

tourist

la agencia de viajes

travel agency

el(la) agente de viajes

travel agent

tendremos

we will have

bienvenido(a)

welcome