SAN ANDRÉS: A LANGUAGE "MELTING POT"

Raquel Sanmiguel

Artículo enviado desde San Andrés

Publicado en Capital Letter No. 3

Mayo de 2003

Although San Andres is part of Colombia, when living here, it does feel like being in a different  place altogether…. especially if you move around, mix and have your eyes, ears, and heart wide open. As you enter our small campus, for example, if you open your ears you will hear our executive Secretary and some of our collaborators speak Creole to one another. If you open your eyes, you will see a sign inviting all people on campus to speak English and/or Creole on Fridays, as part of a pedagogical project. And, if you open your heart, you will feel great to see young native faces walking in and out of our classrooms, being prepared to be the first students to enter our University by areas of study.

San Andres is as Caribbean as the ‘melting pot’ the whole region is. Cultures mingle, languages develop ‘in contact’ with one another, countless religions, lifestyles and beliefs co-exist, and peace is still a precious gift to be enjoyed. Complexity is at the heart of all aspects of culture, languages being a unique characteristic.

How do we handle the complexity of languages: English, Creole or Spanish? Spanish, we use it all over, it is the national language…  Creole, we value it, we encourage it, we respect it, we try to understand it, we study it… English, spoken neatly by the oldest in the island, supported, encouraged, and taught by the church, valued by all as an international language and a door to the Caribbean, to the world… is there to be encouraged too.

… Ever thought of widening your language learning experience?

… Ever experienced teaching in a multi-lingual corner of Colombia?