espanol, coffee and friends—the perfect combinationfiles.meetup.com/879429/article on solo en...

Espanol, coffee and friends—the perfect combinationSty Miguel NletoWEST VIEW MEDIA

Solo en Espanol is a group dedi-

cated to the Spanish language.The group, which has been meet-

ing for more than a year, beganwith several friends who decided tomeet up and create a space in which

people could come and practice

Spanish."There are many people that

speak Spanish here in Salt LakeCity," said Keith Kreuz, the groups

moderator. "The language is

becoming more common in theUnited States." Kreuz started the

group with other friends and itboasts many regulars and occasion-

al drop-ins hoping to hone their

language skills.

Kreuz starts the conversationevery week by presenting a ques-

tion in Spanish. The question canbe anything from "Where are yougoing on vacation this summer?" to

"What is your favorite restaurant?"to "What is the key to happiness inyour opinion?"

The group then goes in a circleallowing each person to answer

completely in Spanish. After eachperson in the group has spokenthe group discusses each person's

answers, asking questions and pro-

viding personal anecdotes relatedto the question Kreuz asked. It isan opportunity for people to speakand listen without worrying about

making mistakes. Mistakes are how

people learn, Kreuz said.

"I have been studying Spanish forabout three years and know that Ineed practice speaking," said NancyRasmuson, who has been attending

Solo en Espanol for seven months.Several native Spanish-speakers

also attend the group meetings

regularly. They assist those peoplelearning the nuances of the lan-guage by correcting grammar and

helping to increase vocabulary byoffering other word choices.

Kreuz said native speakers are aboon to the group because by par-ticipating and helping participants

learn how to best express a thoughtor construct a sentence everyonebegins to get a better grasp of

Spanish.

Michael LaVelle found the grouponline and has been attending for

almost a year."Hearing people speak Spanish is

really important, especially nativespeakers because it makes your

i i i i in l I h i n k of past and presenttense," LaVelle said.

He said speaking a secondlanguage has been a rewarding ex-

perience for him. LaVelle said whilehe was at a store shopping he wasable to assist a person who couldn'tspeak English.

"A gentleman in Ihr .stoic only

spoke Spanish," I,a Voile said. "Iasked i l l < oul i l help .mil we figuredi m i wlt.il lie in i i l i i l Ihiil was kindol n i i r "

I l i i . l . i . .1 .in not only lor the

sole purpose of learning Spanish

but to help people learn about othercultures. By learning Spanish manyparticipants said they are able tointeract with people in the commu-

nity who speak little or no English

on more meaningful levels."To me this is about realizing that

I need to get outside my English-

speaking culture and just get toknow not only Latinos that are

fellow Americans with myself, butLatinos all over the world," Kruez

said.In additional to Solo en Kspaiiol,

Kreuz also helps language learners

from around the world loimn Ivia Skype so people interested in

ESPANOLcontinued from PAGE 6

language learning can connect fromthe comfort of their homes.

Starting Tuesday, Aug. 30, thegroup will be meeting at 6:30 p.m.

ESPANOL PAOI7

at the Jon & Karen Huntsman Edu-cation Center at 420 C Street in SailLake City. For more informationon meeting times contact KIVII / atweluvutah@yahoo.coin.

EMAIL: wvm.cditors@giiiiiil.com