Baby Sign Language

Last week I had an extraordinary experience. I was visiting X. and her 18-months-old son O. in Montreal. O. is learning Spanish and English simultaneously, and speaks only a few words, which only his mom can understand. I was confused by O’s way to experiment with pronunciation, and it was not always clear to me which language he was trying to use. Normally, I would have felt uncomfortable with communicating with this little person directly, relying on his mom to “translate”. I say normally, because this is not what happened. As we were preparing dinner, O was sitting in the kitchen looking at one of his activity books. I noticed that he frequently looked at his mother, and then used a gesture which she understood and “decoded” in language – Spanish, mostly, before acting upon O’s request. I asked X what O was doing, and she explained that she is teaching him baby sign language. I was able to learn a few signs from O and X, and by the end of the evening I had established direct communication with O. What a fun way to get to know a person! LB and I are planning to learn a few signs – just for the fun of it!

La fiesta de estrellas
El 2009 es Año Internacional de Astronomía, y como era de esperarse, en México es una excusa perfecta para muchas fiestas, conferencias y actividades, sobre todo para el público general. Hay un blog muy bonito en internet con información acerca del IA de la UNAM y de los eventos previstos para este año. La inauguración será en la próxima semana, y el 31 de enero se llevará a cabo la Noche de Estrellas, un mega-evento que se desarrolla de manera simultánea en 21 lugares en todo el país. Para mí este año es una bonita oportunidad de descubrir lo que significa investigar, observar y descubrir los secretos del cielo y del universo.