Reading and Speaking skills practice:
The occasional, clandestine visits
…..
Chapter 6… Manuela and eternal love, from the book In the land of volcanoes, by edudelcorral
Historical Center’s streets, Santiago de Querétaro, México
That explains how, since she was a young girl, Grandmother learned, not only to talk, but also to speak and think fluently in three different languages, as if they were her own. It may be, that she did not use these other languages with the people of Choluteca, she grew up with, or perhaps, neither at León, where she lived after she married and for the rest of her years. However, she did have a library, and it was impressively well-stocked. There was a variety of books, covering so many different subjects, and in all three languages. This was the fountain, where she would calm the thirst of knowledge and her deeply rooted love of reading, so typical of her personality.
Before dawn, at five am, when the bells of the cathedral were barely tolling, Grandmother would already be completely bathed, dressed, and sitting comfortably, as she drank her coffee, while she savored those quiet moments, in the company of one of her books.
Because of the war, my father, who at the time was an official in the Sandinista Forces, was forced to spend most of his time, in the northern parts of Nicaragua. His headquarters were at Esteli City, where the armed conflict and the air strikes had grown to alarming and devastating proportions. Consequently, my mother found herself alone in León, in the company of (up to that moment) her three children (I was the eldest of the three, to be followed by Daniel, a year younger than I, and the last of us was Angelica, who was, almost, a year younger than Daniel).
Thanks to the occasional and totally improvised, clandestine visits my father would pay us, whenever conditions allowed, the family kept on growing, until slowly but surely, my parents were blessed with the total grand sum of ten children to call their own. By Nicaraguan standards, it was neither a small nor a large family.
Vocabulary
well-stocked [adjective] (well-provided, awash, stocked, loaded, jammed, brimming, crammed, overflowing). A location that has plenty of things to choose from among is repertory.
The store is amazingly well-stocked with camping supplies and equipment.
thirst of/for knowledge: [expression] desire to know, a state in which you want to learn more about something (lust for learning, curiosity, wonder).
He displayed an earnest curiosity and an insatiable thirst for knowledge which led him to pursue his scholarly ambitions.
deeply rooted: deep-rooted; [adjective]: Something that is firmly implanted or established.
The image conveyed a deep-rooted patriotism; The detective carried deep-rooted suspicions.]She had a deep-seated motivation for traveling that precise night.
toll: [noun] [mainly journalism]: the total number of people who have been killed or hurt in an event.
The death toll in the war-front stretched to number thousands yesterday night in a surprise attack by the rebels.
The total amount of harm or damage.
The crisis has provoked a mounting toll of failed businesses in its wake.
The loud, slow repeated sound of a large bell.
The toll of the church’s bells was heard all over the valley.
An amount of money that you pay to use a bridge or a road, sometimes called toll charges.
The toll to use the bridge was considered excessive.
Savor/savour [verb]: to enjoy an experience, activity, or feeling as much as you can and for as long as you can.
Bill savored the view as he cruised along the coastline.
To enjoy the flavor of something as much as you can by eating or drinking it slowly.
I sipped my coffee, savoring every mouthful.
Savor of something [expression]: to appear to have a small amount of an unpleasant quality.
He disapproved of anything that savored of discrimination.
Devastating [adjective]: causing a lot of harm or damage (disastrous, overwhelming, destructive, catastrophic).
A devastating flood hit the city unexpectedly.
Gambling can have a devastating effect on families.
A very shocking or upsetting situation.
It is always devastating to be diagnosed with a terminal illness.
A very impressive or attractive characteristic in a person. She has devastating good looks and a charming personality.
Clandestine [adjective]: Something that is secret and often illegal (dishonest, unlawful, shady, unauthorized, criminal).
The clandestine telephone conversations conducted by the government during the elections.
In the land of volcanoes’ Chapters Purchase the book Talking easy English lessons Versión en español