This weekend I had the pleasure of a visit from one of my Spanish professors in college. Claudia was my Spanish teacher in Chile while I was studying abroad, and this past weekend she stopped over in Chicago before heading to a forum in Boston. We hopped from sight to sight along the grand-Chicago-tourist route, while I tried to clear some of the fog that has settled over the Spanish-speaking regions of my brain.
While walking through Millennium Park I spotted a robin. I pointed to it and asked Claudia what the name of that kind of bird is in Spanish. She turned slowly towards me and raised one eyebrow. "Catalina," she grinned, "listen. Yes, I teach Spanish, but remember who you are talking to! For ME, if it flies, it is called un pájaro (a bird). If it is green and grows from the ground, it is called una planta (a plant). Unless it is colored, in which case, it is called una flor (a flower). Any questions?"
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