Let the Truth be Known...on Los Herederos del Monte

I mentioned in a previous post that my kids and I are watching a novela, Los Herederos del Monte, as part of our "language learning" this year.  As the soap opera is drawing to a close, I have been reflecting on some things, other than Spanish, that we can learn from their story. It all comes down to telling la verdad and not hiding it. That's a good lesson for our lives too, right?

It seems to me that during Los Herederos del Monte, most of the characters have been hiding something from their friends or familia.  Many times, by simply sharing the information they were trying to disguise, the character could have avoided much of the angst and agony they endured...but then we would not have had a novela to see, would we?!?

It does seem a good rule for life though, "telling the truth and making life easier".  I thought it would be fun to post about the characters and their truths (though oftentimes hidden at first) as a way to provide a summary for this intriguing "language learning tool" which has entertained so many these past few months.

(Warning....if you have not been keeping up with the storyline, details follow!)
Here goes...

Emilio: Although the father of the herederos was kidnapped and left for dead, he did not actually die.  He later had plastic surgery on purpose, to not appear as he once did, and with the help of his trusted Modesto, Emilio returned to his familia y pueblo as "Pablo".

Emilio also did not disclose until the end that he knew that Juan was his only biological son and that Paula was not his biological daughter.

It is difficult to keep up with how many amantes Emilio has had throughout his lifetime, but those were secrets too.

Juan: The eldest of the "adopted" sons refused to admit to the other characters at first and even to himself at times later that although at one time (in the beginning) he thought he loved Julieta, he later only stayed with her out of sense of obligation (because at one time she was carrying his child, which she later lost and then Julieta had a terminal medical condition). Juan really only loves Paula.

Julieta:  The eldest daughter of Rosa and Miguel hides her true medical condition and tries numerous methods to make Paula (the supposed biological daughter of Emilio) leave "La Arboleda" and Juan's sight.  (Remember the scorpions, the shot to make the horse throw Paula, and those chickens let loose in the bedroom?) Julieta has been very sneaky and conniving and there appears to be more coming at the end from her too.

Jose: One of the adopted sons of Emilio finds out early in the show about Paula maybe not being a real "del Monte" AND that Pablo is really Emilio.  Jose also later kidnaps Emilio, Adela, and Paula because he wants Emilio to change the paperwork to say Paula does not get any of the inheritance, to leave more for Jose himself!

Pedro: Another of the adopted sons of Emilio refused to admit for quite a while that he had a serious problem with alcohol.  It is admirable of this character however that he goes after what he wants whether it be Julieta or Berta!

Gaspar: Yet another of Emilio's adopted sons, who hides for a while that he was the one that left Emilio for dead after the accident (because Gaspar was angry with his father for not having been faithful to Gaspar's mother). Gaspar has an "attraction" for Adela, whom he later blatantly persues meanwhile he abuses his sweet wife Lupe.

Lucas:  The youngest adopted son of Emilio refuses to admit to himself that Nacho is a bad guy.  He also has trouble accepting that he has a biological family that desires a relationship with him, including Amador. 

Consuelo y Rosario:  Julieta's younger sisters, the daughters of Rosa and Miguel, do not want to admit that they were each raped by Nacho. Consuelo also does not want to admit to her husband Johnny that the baby she is now carrying could possibly be a result of the rape.

Sofia:  Paula's mother and an amante of Emilio, refuses to share with Paula in the beginning that there may be a possibility that she is not actually a "del Monte".  Sofia also hides her affair with Miguel for a while.

Lupe:  At first, Guadalupe hides her relationship with her then-boyfriend Gaspar from her father, Eluterio.  Next she hides details about her mom, (who abandoned her at an early age but later returns) from her father. Finally Lupe hides the abuse that she is receiving from her now-husband, Gaspar.

Sidenote....here's hoping for resolution on the story with Lupe's mom Ines, who disappeared from the pueblo again after reuniting with Lupe.

Beatriz: In the beginning she hides that she suspects that her son Simon's actual father isJose del Monte and not her husband Efrain.  Later she refuses to admit to even herself that Jose is abusive.

Miguel:  This father of three daughters and husband of Rosa does not admit his affair with Sofia in the beginning. He also hides that he and Rosa later decide to hide medicine in their daughter Rosario's food, at the request of her boyfriend Lucas, who got the pills from the evil Nacho.

If they could just tell the truth.....

Of course there are more characters who were important to the novela and also hid things from the other personajes.  Who else would you add to the list? Which story is the most intriguing for you?

Who says language learning can just teach you a language? I say it can teach you life lessons in the process as well!

Here's hoping for a happy resolution in the Gran Finale on Telemundo at 9pm, this Friday night!

I must admit...we watch novelas

My husband didn't understand at first, and was even quite against it.  I'd heard reputable language learning folks mention the advantages of watching telenovelas to increase vocabulary in another language.  About a year ago, I gave it a try.  I have a firm foundation in Spanish, but am always trying to learn new phrases, idioms, accents, so this seemed like a good way to start.

My son, who wasn't even Big Brother at the time, because Little Sister was on the way, was up for the adventure with me. We started with Un Gancho al Corazon y En Nombre del Amor. We especially liked the theme song from En Nombre del Amor.

I made sure the closed captioning was available for the shows and had them turned on just in case I encountered unfamiliar words. I did understand the majority of the conversations, but occasionally picked up words that I do not use or hear every day. That was my goal, to increase my vocabulary, and it worked!

Those novelas have now ended and mi amiga, Tracy at Latinaish.com, introduced me to our current fave, Los Herederos del Monte and I have been hooked ever since. It is on Telemundo at 9pm, Monday through Friday. 

I enjoy that the same characters are on almost everyday, so we get used to their forma de hablar. Many of the personajes have certain sayings that they use often too. These things and an interesting plot make for fun language learning. I highly recommend this entertaining method!

As 9pm draws nearer, Big Brother says, "Is it time for our show yet?"  Little Sister has this strange reaction every time she hears the theme song come on (when she is usually nursing) and she always stops taking milk and jerks her head toward the television to watch the horses gallop on the opener.  She even grins, giggles, claps, and bounces now too! She likes the music and horses.  Most of the time both of them fall asleep before the show finishes, and then we have to wait another day before it returns. 

Big Brother has picked up more vocabulary however. He heard one of the brothers call their girl, "mi reina" and he said, "Why are they talking about the Reina del Sur?"  (Reina del Sur was a very popular novela that earlier this year, followed Los Herederos on Telmundo, but it has since ended.) Little connections here and there are what I was looking for. More exposure to Spanish helps him want to try to use it more as well. 

We are now in the final weeks of the story and unlike Soap Operas in the US which last for 40 years or more, this one, which started in January 2011, will be completed before August I'm thinking. 

So much more to share about novelas, and this one in particular, but that's for another day. What about you? Do you watch Los Herederos del Monte or another telenovela?  We may be in the market in a few months for a new one!