The Language Chronicles: El Choro Lingüístico 💬

[Contenido en portugués - Content in Portuguese] Esse post aqui eu vou escrever em português e tem um motivo simples: surgiu de um bate-papo que tive com o motorista que me levou ao aeroporto aqui em SF, um homem goiano de uns 65 anos que mora aqui há 23. Quando entrei no Uber ele estava tocando uma música sertaneja, mas era um estilo de sertanejo bem mais velho, lembrando que não sou experiente nem em sertanejo nem em música brasileira - é apenas minha impressão. Pronunciou meu nome com um sotaque bem brasileiro para me identificar ao entrar no Uber. A gente conversou em inglês, português e espanhol (talvez ele queria que eu percebesse que ele tinha aprendido espanhol aqui, tanto quanto eu queria que ele percebesse da minha fluência em português). Eu perguntei para ele de quais coisas em Goiânia/Barsil ele sentia falta depois de tantos anos fora do país. Sem pensar duas vezes, ele falou que alguns bons amigos e parentes. Conforme a conversa continuava ele começou mencionando alguns pr

I shared my story with a senator (about the DREAM ACT) over his website, which I want to share with everyone on my Facebook account: I lived for 10 years in the USA, from the age of 12 to 22. Then I moved to Mexico (I left by my own will) knowing that I was not going to be able to come back soon. Still, I took the chance and finished my major in Mexico because I couldn't in the USA (even with a scholarship). I then won another scholarship (while in Mexico) to do my MA in Applied Linguistics at Georgia State University. While I was doing my major, I applied for and got a VISA to visit my relatives who still live in the USA, undocumented. I do not wish this last part to be shared publicly (on TV or radio, I meant in the original message), as I fear that my relatives will be deported. I have a brother who could have benefited from the DREAM Act, but he is being deported as we speak. He is now in Atlanta and will be deported in a couple of weeks, even though he arrived to the USA when

Published originally on January 8th, 2010 Hit by the acute economic crisis during Carlos Salinas de Gortari in Mexico and with the added pressure of a false accusation at his job, which those who know Mexico might sadly know that they often happen, my Dad was lured by “the American Dream.” My uncle knew that my Dad had a family of four to feed back home, so his reaction was of course to help him come to the USA. Three years passed when my Dad realized that he had to go back to Mexico only to bring us to the USA. My older brother was 14, I was 12, and my younger brothers were 7 and 6 respectively. My sister was born here . I went to middle school and high school, from which I graduated with honors. Deep down, I was convinced I was going to work in something I did not like for the rest of my life, as my father was. However, my dad had always instilled in us that we needed to get an education. He and my Mom would always set themselves as examples of people who unfortunately could not get