Thank you to all from Amy for MLA Award 2011

Hello! I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone for all of the support and encouragement you have provided to me and to the North Valley Public Library Spanish Language Outreach Program since its birth almost four ago. Last fall, our director, Renee McGrath, the President of the Board of Trustees, John Conlan, and all of the members of our Spanish Conversation group (YOU) nominated me for the Montana Library Association Support Staff Person of the Year and ...I WON!! This award means so much to me; I am deeply touched and honored. I couldn't do as much as I do without you and the tremendous support from my co-workers. We have an excellent team at NVPL with outstanding leadership from Renee and our Board. But, our program would not thrive without your undying commitment and participation. Our Spanish Language Outreach has been a truly rewarding endeavor. It continues to be so alive as newcomers join us, bringing with them new experiences and new requests for materials.

Keep your ideas coming and we will continue to support the program and the Hispanic Heritage cultures. See you Wednesday nights for the Spanish Conversation Group "Reunion en Espanol" on Fridays afternoons for children's Spanish class or Friday evenings for adult's Spanish class.

Hasta Luego! Amy

Viaje a la tierra del abuelo

Recently members of the North Valley Public Library Spanish Language Conversation group watched a film entitled "The Other Side of Immigration." This award winning documentary film focused on the effect upon the families and the communities throughout Mexico of so many able bodied men leaving in search of work in the United States. Very thought provoking film. Mario Bencastro has written a book about a young man born in El Salvador now living in the US who becomes very close to his grandfather while his parents work long hours in southern CA. Before he dies, his "abuelo" (grandfather) asks that he be buried in his home country of El Salvador. The book describes the journey of this young man as he transports his grandfather's body back to his homeland. The book does an excellent job of explaining how this young man feels torn between two countries and not really connected to either country. The book is written in Spanish, but since the target audience is young adults, it is fairly easy to understand for beginner Spanish speakers. Native speakers will greatly enjoy the story of current events happening between Central America and the United States.