The beginnings
Mexico to Patagonia by land…
I was born in Mexico City. However, that was not where I grew up. Fate happened, my destiny was changed, and my hometown changed to a small town in New York State, in the USA. Years later, I went back to Mexico to learn Spanish. I still remember the ride from the Mexico City Airport to my paternal grandmother’s home. On the way over, I noticed a lot of small shops that bore signs that read “Taller.” At the moment, my Spanish was limited to one word: “gracias,” which means thank you in Spanish. I had learned that word some hazy time in the distant past. Consequently, I read those signs as if they were in English, “taller,” meaning a greater height.
Of course, in those long bygone days, I only knew how to say thank you “gracias.” So if someone should ask my name, I would politely answer: “Gracias.” Where are you from? Again, I would respond: “Gracias.” Are you some kind of an idiot? I would be happy to come back with “Gracias!”.
Intrigued, I asked my brother, James, why everyone was so into being “Taller.” He stared at me like only an older brother can and, in a condescending tone, proceeded to explain:
“Don’t be such an idiot! Of course, it doesn’t mean that you are taller than somebody else, stupid!” in Spanish, “Taller” means a shop where they repair stuff; most of them fix car motors.”
“Oh!” I replied shrewdly…
Many years later, after having been to the faraway lands of Africa, Europe, and Asia, a dream was born… To travel through the Latin American lands and learn the different forms of Spanish spoken in each one. To understand our multicultural heritage, assimilate the diversity of ideologies and customs that, at the same time, distinguish us and at the same time bind us. That was how a long quest began, the same adventure that has accumulated more than 20 years of experience, life happenings, and learning. I want to share this on these pages that mark days, months, and years of a long journey.
Note: This page is still in its initial stage and it is work still in process. It will continue to expand and grow with photography taken along the way which intends to allow us to get to to know a bit more about the wonderful lands…. If this should result to be of interest to you, come back, for there is much more to show and to illustrate, as there are many more graphical stories, yet to tell.
Also, if you are interested in the written transcripts, narrated through the novels situated in different Latin American countries… they can be found as tradicional paper-bound books, in the old-style, or in digital formats as eBooks. They are described in the following site: www.edudelcorral.com
May it be through words in a narrative context or through images… this is an informal story that relates the multiplicity of life experiences en our beloved Latin American lands.
© All photos by edudelcorral