Member-only story
SPANISH
The Elegant People of Duolingo
My year with the people of this strange land
Do all Spanish-speaking people have a fascination with beaches?
You’d certainly think so from using Duolingo.
Duolingo is the primary tool I have been using to learn Spanish. In the years that I have buckled down to serious learning, I’ve become much more proficient than ever, and most of that is due to Duolingo.
But I do have to wonder about the people who speak Spanish in Duo Land. For example, in the world where an immortal (“Duo no va a morir”) green polyglot owl rules, people are very interested in beaches. They constantly go to the beach, come from the beach, eat lunch at the beach, even live at the beach.
I realize that the weather at many places where Spanish is spoken tends toward hot, but this fascination with beaches seems unusual.
There is also the matter of elegance. Buildings are elegant, floors and furniture and clothing are elegant, parents and grandparents are also elegant. The only thing that hasn’t yet been elegant is the beach.
Speaking of grandparents, why are so many of them German or Italian? That seems suspicious to me.
