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The Palace at Coral Gables’ new class, “Te Cuento,” connects Hispanic residents through culture and literature. Offered weekly at the active retirement community, “Te Cuento” focuses on the writings of Spanish authors.
“We have multi-cultural residents, but no matter how fluent someone is, there are bilingual differences,” explained social director Pamela Parker. “They wanted to be able to express themselves by drawing on their life experiences. ‘Te Cuento’ provides the perfect forum for mental stimulation and discussion without their thoughts getting lost in translation when sharing stories.”
“Te Cuento” is taught by Linda Kaplan, a native from Montevideo, Uruguay, who has a master’s degree in Spanish Literature from Hunter College, CUNY. She enjoys sharing her passion for literature with Palace participants and they are thrilled with her approach.
“Each week, the group gathers to read a short story,” she said. “Then there is a discussion focusing on life experiences the story may have evoked.”
Among the authors featured are Jorge Luis Borges, Claire Lispector, Julio Cortázar and Liliana Heker. The class delves into the writing style of each as well as their time in history. Kaplan finds the short-story format is ideal for the group’s discussion.
“The authors’ perspectives seem to spark joyous memories from their lives,” she added.
“I’m amazed by the life stories they share and can’t wait each week to hear more. Even though the ages of the residents are similar, their experiences are so diverse.”
Resident John Elder is bilingual, having lived and worked in Latin America for over 40 years. Though not a native, participating in Kaplan’s class helps him keep up with his Spanish.
“Not only are the short stories very good, but her knowledge of Latin American literature is also outstanding,” he said. “She also recommends Spanish movies for us to watch.”
The Palace at Coral Gables celebrates the diverse nationalities of residents. Various holidays and festivities throughout the year have international themes. Latin residents particularly enjoy the annual Christmas Eve La Noche Buena and happy hours featuring Latin musicians. Cuban Independence Day, Cinco de Mayo and Israel’s Independence Day reappear each year on the activity calendar.
“Our restaurant has regular Latin favorites on the menu, including Cuban-style steak, arroz y frijoles (rice and black beans,) and tostones (fried green plantain slices),” Parker said.
“Because many of The Palace’s chefs are Latin, they’ll happily prepare rabo encendido (Cuban oxtail stew). Our residents say it’s just like their mothers made!”
The Palace Coral Gables is an award-winning independent and assisted living community for active retirement living with luxurious amenities and services. To learn more, call 305-445-7444 or to view a list of The Palace Group’s senior living communities, visit www.ThePalace.org.
