Advanced Spanish 1

Lis tells us about Colombia, her home country.

Rob and Lis talk about their experiences living abroad:

• What do they most miss?
• Why did they decide to live abroad?

Lis gives Rob her golden rules to win over a girl. Also, we talk about online dating, and the state of dating in England!

We welcome a new invitada to our podcast – thank you very much Stephie! Stephie talks to Rob about “La Rumba”, and how she and her friends celebrate a night out in Bogotá. Stephie lives and studies in London, so she also gives us her opinion on how the London crowd party!

It’s about time we went on holiday. Although we haven’t been on any holidays for a while, we discuss a few typical Colombian holiday choices – where do you go in a country that already has it all?!

In Cali, and many other parts of Colombia, people seem to carry Salsa in their blood. Lis is no exception, and here she tells us about how she grew up listening and dancing to Salsa with her sisters in Bogotá. She’s also got some tips for how to get into it if you’re new to Salsa.

To many people, Colombia still has a reputation as a dangerous, risky place to visit. Is this still true? Liz and Rob discuss danger in Colombia, and the recent peace negotiations.

Lis talks to Barbara, a friend from Mexico. Barbara tells us some of the most popular Mexican slang (be careful how you use it – parental guidance advised!), as well as talking to us about her beautiful country.

We have a very special guest in Maria, from Northern Peru. Maria tells Rob and Liz about her experience as an immigrant to the UK, including the difficulties of coming to a country whose language you don’t speak, finding a job, and trying to start a new life!

We talk about the political set up in Colombia. Lis used to work in the Colombian senate, so has some good experience here! We talk about Colombian political parties, politicians, the political system, and key voting issues.

We recently went to an Exhibition at the British Museum in London called “Beyond El Dorado: Power and Gold in Ancient Colombia”. We discuss Colombia’s indigenous roots, their production and use of Gold, and the legend of El Dorado in this podcast, as well as the influence of the Spanish.

We talk about driving – the differences between driving in Colombia and England (can’t be that many…!), what’s required to get a driving licence, and our dreams of a road-trip around Colombia in a jeep!

Meet Clarissa, from Venezuela. Clarissa talks to us about her time in London, and about the current situation in Venezuela. We should say that, while Clarissa is certainly passionate in her views, we have no way of verifying much of what she has said… All the same, enjoy, and keep up if you can!

Colombia just had a big weekend, with the co-incidence of its first world cup game and the second round of the general elections! Update – Colombia won both that game and the following, unfortunately England crashed out after its first two games…

The majority of visitors to Spanish Obsessed come from the USA. We talk about the rise of Spanish in the States! However, we don’t have any first hand experience of this, so we would love to hear from our American visitors’ (or anyone else with experience in this!) opinions on the rise of Spanish in the land of opportunity!

After nearly three years, Lis returned to Colombia to see her family. She tells us about the surprises she had lined up for them, as well as her impressions of her home country after being away for so long.

After a few weeks, Rob also joined Lis in Colombia for a (well deserved) 2 week holiday. We talk about the first couple of days in Bogotá, the capital.

We take a break in our trip to Colombia to bring you a guest podcast, with our friend Mariana, from Puerto de Veracruz, Mexico. Mariana talks with Rob about some of the stereotypes commonly held about Mexico, and how close they are to the truth.

Lis takes the time to have a chat with our Mexican friend Mariana about all sorts of girly things – mainly men. What’s the difference between the Latin and European man? This, and more “relationship advice” from two Latinas.

We welcome another friend to Spanish Obsessed. Meet Vanessa, who’s come to London from Argentina. She talks with Rob about her beloved country, and how she’s getting on in her new life in England!

Meet Nuria, from Alicante, Spain. Believe it or not, despite being called “Spanish Obsessed”, Nuria is the first Spanish person we’ve actually interviewed on the site! She talks to Rob about moving from Spain, and what she’s up to in London.

Meet Javi, from Valladolid in Spain. He works near London as a Spanish teacher, and in this podcast he chats with Lis about teaching in the UK, how he finds English school children, and whether he wants to go back to Spain.

Continuing with Javi (and Castillian Spanish), Rob talks food – a mutually shared passion. We take a gastronomic tour around Spain, Javi gives us his opinion on English food (hint: it’s not all bad), and Rob provides some constructive criticism for Spanish restaurants!

We recently had the opportunity to talk with Gilberto Torres, who was kidnapped by Colombian paramilitaries and held captive for 42 days several years ago. Gilberto was a Trade Union leader, and was kidnapped for organising strikes and getting in the way of some big business interests. He’s taking BP to court in London for events surrounding his kidnapping, and in this podcast he tells his story.

How important is the interview process for finding a job? Lis and Rob discuss their experiences in interviews in both English and Spanish, and how difficult the process can be.

Rob, Lis and Colombian friend Dani talk about the education systems of UK vs Colombia and Latin America

Rob and Lis talk about being popular, having friends, and how to maintain contact in the age of social media…

Rob talks with Lis’ sister, Judith. Judith recently completed her Masters in La Gestión Urbana (Urban Management), and discusses the current global migration to cities, amongst other topics. Here’s what we cover:

• Judith’s earliest memories of Lis
• The global city migration
• Gentrification around the world