Gringoismos

About the Book

I took two years of Latin at Grinnell (Iowa) High School and two years of French at Cornell College, but I never really committed to using these languages. However, when I spent three years in Mozambique I had an opportunity to pursue the Portuguese language in an everyday situation. When I returned to the U.S., I studied the spoken and written form of the language with a Brazilian speaking partner and developed a useful fluency. I then decided to use the basics of Portuguese in the study of Spanish. I had a number of Spanish speaking partners, did some work assignments in Tehuacan, Mexico and earned an M.A. from the University of Leon. Using some creativity, I was able to read, write and converse in Spanish as often as I wished in my places of residence in Iowa and Texas. I have written this book of bilingual essays called “Gringoismos” which is a presentation of personal experiences in the Hispanic culture as well as some take-offs on Spanish writings.

About the Author

I have written these articles and essays which are mainly historical-nostalgic and also on the topic of aging. They were published on the Grinnell, Iowa website ourgrinnell.com under the heading of Readers Share Thoughts. I was born in Grinnell, graduated from Grinnell High School in 1957 and Cornell College in 1962. I have a Master's Degree from Iowa State University and the University of Leon and a Doctorate from Middle Tennessee State University. I have lived and worked on Okinawa, in Mozambique and in Australia