English class celebrates Mexican independence

Cooking for 28 people was only one of the challenges Blanca Mota Faced Sept. 16. The other was explaining the reason for the celebration in English. Mota had a mini-family reunion to celebrate the event this year. About 28 people gathered at 10 p.m. Sept. 15 to watch the live broadcast of the Mexican president kicking off the holiday by shouting "Viva Mexico" to a cheering crowd in Mexico City. The next day Mota explained to her English as a second language class at the George Washington Community Center the significance of the holiday with the help of her classmates. Students originally from Mexico brought in food, Mexican flags and examples of traditional Mexican clothes to explain to their native country s holiday to the rest of the class. Talking about a familiar subject helps the students tread the waters of an unfamiliar language. Students, ranging in age from 19 to 70, help each other with the English equivalents of Spanish words and idioms. Kaquel Fuentes brought in the outfit her daughter wears when she dances to mariachi music as part of the children folk dancing group. It is a red dress with embroidery, black shoes and a red rose for her hair. Luz Lopez brought in a large Mexican flag. She explained the significance of the coat of arms in the middle of the flag, an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in its mouth. She said she continues to cte Mexican Independence Day as well as the U.S. Independence Day. Now that we live here, we have the same respect for (the U.S. holidays) as the Mexican (holidays), Lopez said. The English as a second language classes are free to al