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DESTINATIONS

All you need to know about Santorini

Find Santorinitours.org at Emporio 847 03, call us on 694 457 7918 and book Santorini tours. Read about all you need to know about Santorini.

Where is Santorini

Thira (the official name of the island), commonly known as Santorini, is located in western Greece, in the Aegean Sea and belongs to the group of islands called the Cyclades.

Thira consists of Santorini (main island), Thirasia, as well as the uninhabited islands, Palia and Nea Kameni, Aspronisi and Christiana.

The capital of Santorini is the beautiful Fira.

Why is it a popular island?

Santorini is world-renowned for its caldera, active volcano, cave houses, wineries to visit and the magnificent sunset.

It is famous as the ideal place for lovers who want to propose, marry in a picturesque church or organize their honeymoon, in one of the most romantic places in the world.

Population

According to the latest unofficial measurements, the permanent residents of Santorini are estimated at around 25,000 and every year it gathers more than two million visitors, as it is internationally recognized as one of the most beautiful islands in the world.

Name of the island

From ancient times until today, it has taken 5 names (Thira, Santorini, Kallisti or Kallisto and Strongyli).

The current official name of the island comes from the Spartan commander Thera, who according to Herodotus, led the Spartan settlers to the island with the name Kallistis, which means the most beautiful (name of the island in ancient times).

In 1204, with the arrival of the Franks, the island will be called Santorini, in honor of a certain church of Agia Irene (Santa Irina in Latin).

For many years the theory prevailed, that the name came from the monastery of Agia Irini built by the Crusader Franks in Thirassia.

Today there are several indications that the name ultimately came from the early Christian church of Agia Irini, which was uncovered by an excavation in 1992, in Mesa Vounos.

How was Santorini created?

Thousands of years ago, Santorini was a volcanic cone called Strogyli, due to its circular shape.

After the eruption of the Riva volcano, a large part of the island sinks, creating a caldera.

During the Bronze Age, in 1,600 BC, one of the biggest eruptions known to humanity will occur.

The so-called Minoan eruption submerged the central part of the island, dividing it into three parts (Santorini, Thirasia, Aspronissi).

The explosion was so powerful that it destroyed the prehistoric civilization that inhabited the island.

In 46 BC, magma emerges from the bowels of the earth, creating the foundations of today’s Palea Kameni.

In 1570, the foundations of Nea Kameni will be created, which in the last 150 years will triple in size, taking its current form.

Nea Kameni is a volcanic island in the center of the Caldera and is the most recently created piece of land in the Mediterranean Sea.

Sights

The Legend of Lost Atlantis

On the amphora is depicted the association of Plato’s Atlantis and Santorini.

Was Santorini in the past, the lost Atlantis?

Excavations carried out in Akrotiri brought to light one of the most important prehistoric cultures in the Aegean.

Researchers believe that this ancient civilization could be the lost Atlantis, as Plato’s descriptions speak of a circular island (Santorini before the explosion), which due to seismic vibrations and explosions, sank into the Sea and destroyed the Atlanteans in one day.

On this beautiful Greek island, you will find the Lost Atlantis Experience Museum, the first Lost Atlantis Museum in the world.

It is located in Megalochori and is open from 9 am to 9 pm.

The ticket costs 12 euros and the children’s ticket (6-12 years old) costs 6 euros, although the prices may change along the way.

A unique experience that will convince you that Santorini was actually the Lost Atlantis.

Santorini Volcano

Just the thought of being on top of an active volcano sends the adrenaline soaring.

Santorini belongs to the active volcanic arc of the Aegean along with Methana (Peloponnese), Sousaki (Peloponnese), Milos (Cyclades), Nisyros and Kos.

The volcanic complex of Santorini includes Nea Kameni, Palaia Kameni, Kolumbo and the Christian Islands.

The complex has two active volcanic resources.

One located in the land area of ​​the island of Nea Kameni (last eruption in 1950) and the underwater active volcanic resource Kolumbo (last eruption in 1650 AD) located northeast of the cape of the same name.

How to go to the volcano

Taking the cable car from Fira or going down the steps to the old port.

There you will find the tourist boats that take people to the volcanic islands.

Active Volcano

In April 2020, the Columbus volcano showed signs of awakening, causing residents to worry, however there are special monitors checking the volcanic activity of the island, with the authorities on alert.

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HOME DIY

SECURITY DOORS – HOW WILL I CHOOSE CORRECTLY?

SECURITY DOORS – HOW WILL I CHOOSE CORRECTLY?

Home insurance requires great care in the products you choose. The options are many.

From alarm to Armored Security doors – θωρακισμένες πόρτες ασφαλείας, special railings on the windows, etc. Alfino Doors focus on Armored Security Doors, which are the basis to create a safe space, without having to resort to very expensive solutions.

Choose a company with experience

The right partners are not always the cheapest, especially when the product they are marketing has to do with the security of your entire real estate.

Do not choose a company of dubious origin, but a certified and well-known company that can offer increased safety and quality with Armored Security doors – θωρακισμένες πόρτες ασφαλείας.

Certification

The anti-burglary certification essentially gives the buyer the assurance that the Security Door – πόρτα ασφαλείας is made according to international standards with parallel certifications of sound insulation and thermal insulation.

This way you know very well in writing that the security door meets all the specifications.

Warranty

Depending on the cost of the Armored Security Door – θωρακισμένες πόρτες ασφαλείας, we must say that the warranty ranges from 1-6 years.

Read what the warranty includes before purchasing the Armored Security Door.

Armor

When choosing an Armored Security Doors – θωρακισμένες πόρτες ασφαλείας, you will find that there is a simple shield and the most reinforced.

The better the shield, the better the safety, thermal and sound insulation, so do not skimp on this choice.

Robustness is another very important feature of the Armored Security Doors – θωρακισμένες πόρτες ασφαλείας. Finally, the thickness of the door must be specific, so that an would-be burglar could not pass it.

Alfino Doors θωρακισμένες πόρτες ασφαλείας has 30 years of experience in the field and it is an honor to choose them for your Armored Security Doors.

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HOME DIY

You Can’t Have Emily Mariko’s Life, But You Can Have Her Stuff




We may perhaps in no way be as place jointly as the viral TikTok star, but we can attempt with these kitchen, residence and wellness products.



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FASHION AND BEAUTY

The Best Face Masks That Come In Fun Prints



We have been rocking deal with masks because spring of 2020, and in that time, the selection of solutions on the market has greatly expanded.

Whilst you may possibly be written content with the common blue disposable masks or a neutral reusable covering, take into consideration mixing factors up with an ornate print in vibrant hues. From geometric styles to fun motifs like fruit or bouquets, the prospects are unlimited.

Holding individuals suggestions in head, we’ve rounded up 26 masks in fun/cool prints.

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The Cozy And Quirky History Of The Onesie


Onesies, bodysuits, snapsuits. What ever you call them, if you’ve obtained a baby in the property then you almost certainly have dozens of these.

Technically “onesie” is a trademarked term that is been owned by Gerber Items Company due to the fact the early 1980s. As the Gerber Childrenswear website states, “The Onesies® trademark, or any confusingly equivalent variation thereof (e.g., “Onesie” or “Onezees”), may well not be employed as a generic descriptor or a noun it really should be made use of only as an adjective, when referring to the Onesies® model by Gerber®.”

Nevertheless, irrespective of Gerber’s “aggressive” approach to protecting their trademark, People in america are likely to use the term colloquially to refer to quite significantly any just one-piece infant outfit. And American dad and mom definitely go on to gown their infants in onesies ― Gerber-formal ones or otherwise.

Onesies from Gerber Childrenswear.

But have you at any time wondered where by this form of garment arrived from and how it grew to become so ubiquitous? It turns out the onesie has numerous exciting precursors and hyperlinks to historical events.

Union Suits And Blanket Sleepers

Although the term onesie tends to propose those quick-sleeved, legless bodysuits, individuals also use it in reference to the just one-piece, lengthy-sleeved pajamas toddlers wear. And it was that design of garment (minus the foot cloth) that begun getting preferred in the late 19th century.

The “union suit” was a type of long one particular-piece underwear with roots in Upstate New York in the course of the dress reform motion, aka the rational costume movement of the Victoria period. Though earlier variations of it existed, the 1st union go well with was reportedly patented in 1868 with the descriptor “emancipation union beneath flannel.” This garment provided an option to constricting corsets and bustiers for girls though it also turned a stylish selection for guys and kids.

Advertisement for Union Under-Flannels underwear (also known as a union suit). The ad originally appeared in Harper's Bazaar magazine in 1879.

Stock Montage by way of Getty Visuals

Advertisement for Union Under-Flannels underwear (also known as a union suit). The advertisement initially appeared in Harper’s Bazaar magazine in 1879.

The union suit was traditionally manufactured of flannel with buttons up the front and a flap in the rear recognized at various periods as a “drop seat,” “bum flap,” “access hatch,” “fireman’s flap” and other raunchier names. In excess of time, two-piece thermal undergarments (i.e. “long johns”) changed union suits as the go-to preference for “under flannels” in the 20th century.

Continue to, young children were being rocking a a person-piece outfits merchandise at bedtime ― the blanket sleeper. In the 19th century, a Michigan textile employee named Whitley Denton reportedly invented a unique “sleeping garment” for small children that arrived to be mass-created underneath the name “Dr. Denton’s blanket sleepers.” The design was originally very similar to union suits, but it developed with new developments like the creation of the zipper.

In the 1950’s, a Vienna indigenous residing in Pennsylvania named Walter Artzt altered the onesie match when he invented a a person-piece sleepsuit with strategically placed snaps to make diaper changers much easier. He trademarked the title, “Babygro.”

Winston Churchill’s Siren Accommodate

Other just one-piece objects of clothing rose to prominence about the union suit’s heyday. French acrobat Jules Leotard invented a specific bodysuit that he wore although executing right until his dying in 1870. The garment was incredibly popular among the gymnasts, dancers and circus performers and sooner or later turned acknowledged by his name.

In addition, several performing-course males experienced been carrying one particular-piece coveralls also acknowledged as boilersuits in the course of the 19th century, as the Industrial Revolution made a will need for attire appropriate for new forms of labor ― like fixing and cleaning steam engine boilers.

In the 1930s, Winston Churchill commissioned unique a person-piece leisure fits, perhaps motivated by the boilersuits worn by bricklayers operating on his estate. He came to dress in them often in public, which include for the duration of visits to the White Property in the course of Planet War II.

Churchill demonstrates the zipper on his famous siren suit to General Dwight D. Eisenhower during their tour of troops preparing for D Day near Lydd and Hastings in Kent in May 1944.

IWM/Getty Images by means of Getty Pictures

Churchill demonstrates the zipper on his well known siren suit to Basic Dwight D. Eisenhower through their tour of troops getting ready for D Day in the vicinity of Lydd and Hastings in Kent in Might 1944.
Churchill walks with the American financier and Presidential advisor Bernard Baruch on the grounds of his Kent home in July 1949.

Hulton Deutsch by way of Getty Photographs

Churchill walks with the American financier and Presidential advisor Bernard Baruch on the grounds of his Kent residence in July 1949.
Churchill wears a siren suit as he relaxes in a garden chair during a visit to the U.S. in January 1942.

Central Press by way of Getty Photos

Churchill wears a siren suit as he relaxes in a backyard garden chair during a go to to the U.S. in January 1942.

In the course of the war, men and women in England were being typically woke up in the night time by the sound of air raid sirens warning of possible German assaults. Churchill’s loose-fitting zip-up suits essentially introduced a superior balance amongst jogging outside to seek out shelter in your pajamas or underwear and getting the time to get thoroughly dressed.

Alternatively, people today could just speedily put on this piece of apparel over no matter what they had been putting on when they read the sirens. So, it grew to become recognized as a “siren accommodate.”

Churchill wore a assortment of siren fits, ranging from gray pinstripe to delicate green velvet. In 2002, one particular of his fits offered at auction for about $40,000. His design was additional reminiscent of pilot apparel or other adult a person-piece garments, but it appears to be fitting to point out in the context of child onesie record, presented the guy famously stated, “All babies search like me. But then, I glance like all babies.”

These days, loads of grownups are nonetheless experimenting with grownup-sized onesies, specially all over Halloween. Newborn onesies have also grow to be a lot more inclusive, with smaller sizes for preemies and adaptive options for tiny types with disabilities. For the reason that obviously every person warrants to look lovable and cozy.





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11 Plus-Size Halloween Costumes That Are Actually Cute



Increasing up, I experienced incredibly combined inner thoughts about Halloween. Trick-or-managing with my pals and keeping up way past our usual bedtime? The very best. ”Halloweentown” marathons? Of course, make sure you. But obtaining a Halloween costume I loved? That element was a little less pleasurable.

As a kid, I was normally a handful of clothing measurements bigger than my mates, and that intended I was by no means in a position to in shape into the cutest Halloween costumes. As I acquired older and my weight ongoing to fluctuate, I discovered how to make Halloween costumes out of garments I presently owned, conserving me the disappointment and humiliation of trying to discover a additionally-dimension Halloween costume at a retailer and failing. These times, even though, things are a bit diverse (particularly when it comes to purchasing on the internet) and a little bit superior.

From lovable and cozy Halloween gear to head-to-toe costumes, as well as-dimension Halloween outfits is much easier to locate than ever, but the selections? They’re considerably from fantastic. Disappointingly (nevertheless unsurprisingly), Halloween buying as a moreover-dimensions man or woman is a whole lot like common clothing buying as a as well as-dimensions shopper — generally, the moreover-size versions just are not as sweet or stylish as the straight dimension. Straight size Halloween costumes function trending styles, pretty silhouettes and exciting information, whilst furthermore-size Halloween costumes characteristic cold shoulder tops and out-of-date information. What’s a lot more, Halloween costumes and society are likely to be rampant with fatphobia, creating it even additional complicated to truly feel self-assured about dressing up for the vacation if you’re present in a larger sized physique.

However, there is hope. And inspite of what searching a nearby Halloween superstore may well have you imagine, there are, in fact, sweet dimensions-inclusive alternatives out there if you know just the place to look. Want to help you save some time and find fashionable, comfortable and on-pattern Halloween costumes this calendar year that essentially occur in your dimension? Listed here are 11 costumes to take into consideration.

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Funny Tweets About The Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp Outages



When the corporation has however not shared the trigger of the outages, people today are flexing their comedic muscle mass by tweeting jokes about the total condition however. We have rounded up a range of some of the funniest tweets about the social media outages.





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FASHION AND BEAUTY

These Sunday Riley Face Oils Are On Sale Right Now


The rise of encounter oils in skin treatment is actually a phenomenon, and for very good motive ― specially when they’re blended with actives, acids and other valuable components. You can combine and match which you use on any specified day to handle specific requires and customize treatment options.

Among the the most well-known deal with oil selections are from influencer beloved Sunday Riley, whose C.E.O. Glow and Luna night time oils are often cited by splendor aficionados. And there’s wonderful information: At least some of the brand’s goods are on sale proper now at merchants which includes Amazon, Nordstrom, Saks and Macys, providing you the possibility to not only conserve cash but to snag a reward with invest in, too, which each Macys and Nordstrom are supplying proper now.

The key to facial oils, dermatologist Samer Jaber formerly explained to HuffPost, is that “you want to make confident you have the correct face oil for your pores and skin.” Below are four very various Sunday Riley choices beneath, all on sale now:

HuffPost could get a share from purchases made by means of hyperlinks on this webpage. Every single merchandise is independently picked by the HuffPost Purchasing staff. Costs and availability are matter to improve.

C.E.O. Glow vitamin C and turmeric deal with oil

Want an instant glow? This oil has vitamin C, calming turmeric and other antioxidants for a brighter complexion.

Get it for $34 (at first $40) or $68 (at first $80) at Amazon, Nordstrom, Saks or Macys.

Luna sleeping night oil

These Sunday Riley Face Oils Are On Sale Right Now

This light retinoid oil also incorporates calming components like blue tansy and chamomile and will help lock in moisture (which is quite substantially crucial with any retinoid). And don’t get worried: It appears blue, but sinks in distinct on the skin.

Get it for $46.75 (initially $50) or $89.25 (at first $105) at Amazon, Nordstrom, Saks or Macys.

U.F.O. ultra clarifying pimples cure experience oil

These Sunday Riley Face Oils Are On Sale Right Now

This dry oil consists of 1.5% salicylic acid for clearing clogged pores, as well as substances like cucumber seed oil and licorice root to soothe the pores and skin.

Get it for $34 (initially $40) or $68 (at first $80) at Amazon, Nordstrom, Saks or Macys.

Juno antioxidant and superfood encounter oil

These Sunday Riley Face Oils Are On Sale Right Now

This chilly-pressed plant oil blend is stacked with antioxidants, natural vitamins, necessary amino acids, omegas and additional to support fortify, protect and soften pores and skin. Blend it with basis for added humidity.

Get it for $30.60 (at first $36) or $61.20 (originally $72) at Amazon, Nordstrom, Saks or Macys.





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In Heritage Classes, The Spanish You Grew Up With Is Welcome



On a recent Sunday afternoon, I joined a lawyer, a nail technician and a health care educator in dedicating two hours of the weekend to learning a language that is not foreign to us. But it wasn’t a class for school credit. It was a six-week intermediate course for Spanish heritage speakers hosted online by Mil Mundos, a bookstore in New York City’s Bushwick neighborhood.

Natalia Urbina, the nail technician, said while introducing herself to me and the other students that Spanish can feel difficult for her to take out out of her mouth, or “sacar lo de la boca.” “Poco a poco te lo sacamos,” replied our instructor, Kairy Herrera-Espinoza. Little by little, we take it out.

Urbina explained to me more of what she meant in a phone call after class. As a child of Nicaraguan immigrants who came to the U.S., she said she’s always been surrounded by the language at home, in addition to taking four years of high school Spanish. “If I was in a situation where I needed to speak Spanish and it was an emergency and I needed to talk about something important, I could do it,” she said. “But I don’t have it in my everyday life.“

When speaking with people in her neighborhood who are immigrants, Urbina feels embarrassed that she doesn’t speak Spanish like they do, so she sometimes ends up speaking in English, “which is annoying in itself.”

“You know what it’s supposed to sound like, and it’s like, mine doesn’t sound like that,” Urbina said. “You see how fluid Spanish is, and you feel so choppy.”

I can relate. When my Salvadoran mother talks to me in Spanish, I instinctively answer back in English. Spanish stopped being my dominant language once I started attending school, and I am still self-conscious about my stumbling, limited vocabulary. I could only do interviews for this article about Spanish in English. Many Spanish heritage speakers like myself and Urbina are what researchers call “receptive bilinguals,” meaning we can understand more of a language than we can speak of it.

Heritage Spanish programs recognize that Spanish is a U.S. language.

Stanford education professor Guadalupe Valdés has a widely known definition of heritage speakers: “individuals raised in homes where a language other than English is spoken and who are to some degree bilingual in English and the heritage language.”

Spanish heritage programs in the U.S. began in the 1970s as grassroots efforts and have boomed in the last two decades. One 2012 nationwide survey led by language development researcher Sara Beaudrie found that there were 163 Spanish heritage programs in postsecondary institutions across 26 states and Washington, D.C., a number that was 22% higher than what a nationwide 2002 survey had found.

“The goal is to just talk, to move past that discomfort, to find yourself in a safe space to let stuff come up.”

– jo Valdés

Spanish heritage programs are different from the “travel Spanish” classes that students in the United States typically encounter in foreign language learning. For one, they acknowledge that Spanish is a U.S. language, as the University of New Mexico makes a point to do in its heritage program.

“In [Spanish as a second language] textbooks … they’ll highlight everything but the U.S. That shows students that the Spanish you learn in an L2 program doesn’t belong here,” said Damián Wilson, coordinator of UNM’s Spanish as a Heritage Language program. “For us, it’s very much highlighted that it is a U.S. language. It means that yes, we might speak a little bit of so-called Spanglish. We might say troca [for truck], we might say breca instead of freno,” both meaning brakes.

In other words, a Spanish heritage course goes beyond pushing students to master the present-perfect tense for a study abroad trip; it affirms the evolving speech and debates that U.S.-based Spanish-speaking communities, not foreign language textbooks, actually talk about every day.

In the class offered by Mil Mundos, for example, we learned “Spanish sowed by colonization and shaped by Indigenous influences,” as Herrera-Espinoza described it. We discussed miscarriages of justice in the film “Presunto Culpable,” the anti-Blackness that Gina Torres has faced in her acting career, and race in memes by the social critic Ciguapa.

There were times when students needed to switch to English to complete a thought, and Herrera-Espinoza, who uses they/them pronouns, would then translate what each person meant in Spanish, deftly keeping the conversation moving.

Keeping up the flow of discussion is a strategy that Herrera-Espinoza’s students appreciate.

“They’re talking a mile a minute and they make it very accessible because they repeat themselves a lot,” said jo Valdés, a student who uses a lowercase first name and has taken at least five of Herrera-Espinoza’s classes. “Instead of slowing down, they’ll use Spanglish so people in the class feel understood.”

A heritage class can offer acceptance and a space of shared understanding.

Herrera-Espinoza, who developed the Spanish heritage courses at Mil Mundos, said they saw a need for the classes after a Puerto Rican student dropped out of an earlier foreign-language class, citing the social anxiety of being the only Puerto Rican among a bunch of students who were learning Spanish for the first time.

This resonated, they said, because they’ve seen how Spanish can be “the language that perhaps you were reprimanded in, a language that is emotional but also painful, and it’s difficult to unpack that in a room with people who might not understand what you’re saying.”

Indeed, heritage speakers can experience alienation not only in foreign-language classes that don’t validate their lived experiences, but also from their own families and friends in daily life.

“When I try to talk to my mom [in Spanish], she’ll constantly correct me, or switch to English, or make fun of how I say something, and that has a permeating influence,” said Valdés, whose mother is from the Dominican Republic. “In this set of classes, it’s been particularly nice to speak Spanish with people who sound like me. The goal is to just talk, to move past that discomfort, to find yourself in a safe space to let stuff come up.”

Taking heritage classes improved the relationship Valdés has with themself as a person who grew up surrounded by the language, but not encouraged to speak it. “When you have this thing that is constantly suppressed in you … I think that getting to open that vault has allowed more air into my lungs,” they said. “I feel like there is more fluidity in the way that I think about the world.”

“You’ll have these receptive learners … in these families where Spanish gets used a lot, and they feel isolated,” Wilson explained. “They might even have family members tease them. In their minds, everybody around them is an amazing speaker, and so they end up feeling like they are personally defective. They don’t really realize it’s something that works at the level of our society.”

That’s why for Wilson, who identifies as a Spanish heritage speaker himself, one of the most powerful parts of a heritage program is that heritage speakers gather in a room together and are able to see how common their experiences are.

Take it from Victoria Peña-Parr, who experienced this personally. Once a Spanish heritage student at the University of New Mexico, she now teaches beginner-level heritage classes there.

“He started off the class with: ‘You not knowing Spanish is not your fault.’”

– Victoria Peña-Parr

Peña-Parr said her mother made a conscious choice not to teach her children her native language of Spanish, because she wanted them to have “easier lives” in a country that valued English. When Peña-Parr joined her first heritage class as a freshman in college, she finally felt accepted.

“Our teacher at the time, he started off the class with, ‘You not knowing Spanish is not your fault,’” she said. “For a lot of Mexicans, Chicanos, Chicanas — I identify as a Chicana — there is this idea that you have to speak Spanish, and if you don’t, then you’re not a ‘real Mexican.’ Because of that, it was a relief off my shoulders. My identity had been invalidated for so long, and now I’m in a classroom where I feel validated as a student.”

Peña-Parr said language abandonment is mostly a result of generational trauma. People grew up dealing with societal pressure to assimilate in the U.S. and abandon Spanish, or to make it a private language only spoken in the house, and then passed these ideas down to the next generation. Wilson noted that this often happens because speakers believe their children will have better job prospects without a Spanish accent.

Several of the students I talked with said their desire for greater ease in Spanish was not just for personal growth, but for their jobs. Valdés, for example, said they plan to take a private class with Herrera-Espinoza in the future as they train to become an intimacy coordinator.

“I think it’s really important for me to think about as someone who has this language capacity, to refine it, to perfect it, so if I do choose to speak in a context with only Spanish speakers, I’m not relying on my Google translate,” Valdés said.

Taking a Spanish heritage class can transform family relationships, too. Valdés said their Cuban father passed away due to “a clusterfuck of COVID and cancer and heart failure,” but because of Herrera-Espinoza’s classes, they were able to practice with him while he was sick: “I had some of the longest conversations in Spanish that I have ever held with him in my life.”

Valdés was also tasked with communicating hospital updates about their father to family in Cuba. “I remember saying multiple times, ‘I’m so fucking glad I took that class,’ because all of a sudden I needed to get really, really comfortable communicating with my family.”

Valdés grew closer to their family as a result. “A lot of why there was so much distance there was because of the language barrier that doesn’t exist in the same way anymore,” they said.

Fluency is a lifelong journey that heritage speakers get to define on their own terms.

At what point do you become fluent in Spanish if you’re a heritage speaker? There is no shared consensus. Some language researchers see heritage learners as “incomplete acquirers” because of the formal grammar they did not learn growing up, although other critics argue that this terminology is an insensitive, inaccurate label that doesn’t recognize the differences in how language is acquired.

“Spanish fluency is an informal construct that is based entirely on one’s confidence to speak.”

– Kairy Herrera-Espinoza

But Spanish heritage programs like the ones I observed follow a glass-half-full approach that celebrates the cultural competency heritage learners already do have. For Wilson, fluency is not a binary category with a cutoff point at which someone is suddenly fluent or not; it’s more about “getting students to realize what areas they want to improve in.”

Herrera-Espinoza told me it’s about confidence.

“I don’t think think that fluency has anything to with literacy, really, especially when we consider that a great portion of Spanish speakers aren’t able to pursue a formal education, so a lot of the Spanish that we do know and that we’ve been raised with is informal,” they said. “I would say that Spanish fluency is an informal construct that is based entirely on one’s confidence to speak.“

Using confidence as a barometer for fluency resonated with me. I took decades of foreign-language Spanish classes, but the Spanish-language heritage class I signed up for in college was the time I felt most self-assured speaking Spanish. And even then, it was tough. I remember that in the beginning I was too shy to raise my hand, a characterization that my Williams College professor María Elena Cepeda confirmed when I called her. I confided to her that I felt guilty for letting my Spanish lapse in the ensuing years.

In response, she gave me a pep talk that may be helpful to other heritage speakers.

“You can recapture it. It ebbs and it flows. Language is elastic, it’s living, it’s not static, even though the world tries to tell us otherwise,” Cepeda told me. “People get very rigid in their ideas about language, and those language ideologies affect us all, and they really came to bear on you and they really come to bear on most of the students. I feel like so much of the work of heritage speakers’ teaching is undoing all of these ideologies and all of this linguistic and cultural baggage.”

Cepeda said she believes in a definition of bilingualism centered on whether you can “get your needs met” in that language. These confidence-boosting answers helped me reflect on what I still could do. I made some of my interview requests in Spanish, and even though participating with intermediate level students in an icebreaker that required us to tell truths and a lie in Spanish had me sweating, I still did it. There were always moments of progress and restarts I could take pride in, if I was willing to see them.

Or, as Valdés put it to me, “Once you lose that pena [shame], once you’re like, ‘I don’t care,’ and just talk, it’s really powerful.”





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The Best Products To Treat Sagging Skin, According To Experts


For people of a certain age, these are the wonder years — the years when you look in the mirror and wonder, “What happened to my face?” If the children’s storyThe Saggy Baggy Elephant” is starting to hit a little too close to home, you might want to see how our panel of experts can help you understand what’s happening and what you can do about it.

Why does the skin on your face sag, anyway?

Yes, you can blame the matrix, no matter which color pill you took. “The structural foundation of your skin is provided by something called the dermal extracellular matrix,” dermatologist Brandon Kirsch told HuffPost. “This matrix is composed of molecules such as collagen, elastin and glycosaminoglycans, also known as hyaluronic acid, which is an active ingredient in skin fillers. Aging and environmental factors such as sun exposure, stress, pollution and smoking lead to the breakdown of these substances, leading to wrinkles, crepiness and sagging skin,” he added.

The face you have today is not the same one you had yesterday. “Our face is kind of a moving target, with changes over time in the bones of our skull, as well as the fat and muscles underneath the skin,” dermatologist Arianne Shadi Kourosh, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, told HuffPost. “Loss of these underlying support structures that are holding up the skin, and shifting of the fat from our cheeks downward toward the jowls and jawline, can add to the sagging appearance of the face.”

Gravity is great for keeping us, well, grounded, but it’s not our friend when it comes to sagging skin. “The facial bones that provide a framework start to resorb and lose density and structure, so it’s like the hanger holding up the garment loses its strength,” dermatologist Corey L. Hartman told HuffPost. “Youthful fat pads also start to shrink and disappear, leading to the decrease of another layer of deep, structural support.”

Lifestyle Changes To Make Right Now

There are simple changes you can make to prevent even more sagging, the experts say. Here are some suggestions:

“A sugary diet can cause a process called glycation of collagen, in which sugars bind to it and accelerate the sagging and aging of the skin,” Kourosh said. “Drink enough water and maintain a healthy, low-glycemic index diet,” Hartman suggested. And knock off the sauce, too. “Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it will deplete your body’s natural store of water,” Kirsch said.

“This further weakens the skin, and it creates textural irregularities and pigment changes, as well,” Hartman said. “Avoiding exposure to first- and secondhand tobacco smoke is of critical importance, since that smoke contains a high concentration of free radicals, which are highly oxidative and damaging to all human tissue,” Kirsch said.

“Chronic exposure to ultraviolet light causes reduction in collagen and elastin, as free radicals contribute to an increase in matrix metalloproteinases that further degrade collagen, which gives our skin firmness,” Hartman said. “Commit to using daily sunscreen with SPF 30 to 50.”

“Massive weight changes, especially weight loss, can affect the skin’s sagginess,” dermatologist Janiene Luke told HuffPost. “There may be redundant or excess skin when a large amount of weight is lost suddenly.”

How Topical Treatments Can Help To Firm Up Sagging Skin

There’s no such thing as a facelift in a jar, but there are some products that might help. “Certain ingredients in topical creams can be helpful in small and gradual ways,” Kourosh said. “But they’re limited in the depth and extent of their effects.”

“While topical products do not give the same results as a cosmetic procedure would, there are some that are effective and can help improve the appearance of aging, sagging skin,” Luke said. “Many of my patients are either afraid of or not interested in undergoing surgical procedures or facelifts, so they’re more inclined to try products or non-invasive procedures.”

“Although few results are documented with high-quality and objective evidence, based on my decades of clinical experience, it’s clear that limited benefits for sagging skin can be achieved with topical products,” Kirsch said. “These topicals work primarily to stimulate the formation of collagen, elastin and other structural components of the skin matrix. In addition, good moisturizers, when used in a regimented manner, can provide modest improvements by hydrating the skin.”

Ingredients To Look For

When you’re shopping, Kouroush said she tells her patients to “take a scientific approach, read labels and look for the right ingredients that have evidence behind them.” Here are some ingredients the experts said to watch for:

Antioxidants, Plant Extracts And Peptides

“Antioxidants scavenge free radicals that cause a breakdown of collagen, and they act as a cofactor in the production of new collagen,” Hartman said. “Antioxidants like Vitamins C and E, as well as plant extracts and peptides, have been used with some success to address the various pathways involved in sagging skin,” Kirsch said. “They target the extracellular matrix to address the loss of supportive structure and elasticity, and the antioxidants protect against contributing environmental factors.”

“Antioxidants such as Vitamin C and niacinamide have been shown in the literature to increase collagen production,” Luke said. “Peptides are amino acids that can penetrate the skin and signal our cells to produce more collagen and elastin.”

“Some eye creams contain caffeine because it’s a vasoconstrictor, which means that it shrinks blood vessels,” Kourosh said. “This helps because it reduces blood flow, which decreases inflammation and redness and ‘depuffs’ swollen areas of skin. Some slimming or cellulite creams also can contain caffeine or xanthene stimulants, which are found in cocoa beans, tea and yerba mate. It’s also possible that regular massaging of the cream into affected areas improves circulation and the appearance of the skin.”

“These are the building blocks of a healthy skin barrier, like the mortar that secures the ‘bricks’ of skin cells,” Hartman said.

“They promote healthy, efficient production of key proteins in the skin,” Hartman said.

“Also called fruit acids, these are some of the most widely used and studied anti-aging skin care compounds,” Kirsch said. “When applied to the skin, they increase epidermal proliferation, thickness and hydration. Clinical trials have shown the effectiveness of these ingredients in reversing the effects of photo-aging and improving wrinkles, skin elasticity, tone and hydration. The two main classes to look for are alpha hydroxy acid, such as glycolic acid, and beta hydroxy acid, such as salicylic acid.”

“The highest level of medical evidence supports the use of retinoids such as retinol, tretinoin, adapalene and tazarotene,” Kirsch said. “They’re closely related to Vitamin A, and they’re well-recognized for their ability to stimulate collagen production and enhance the appearance of skin by effacing fine wrinkles, lightening age spots, firming skin and improving surface texture. They also imbue the skin with a flattering, rosy glow.”

“They can help slow the sagging process, especially in those who use them regularly for months to year,” Kourosh added.

The Top Anti-sagging Skin Care Products Recommended By Experts

HuffPost may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Prices and availability subject to change.

La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Face Moisturizer

La Roche-Posay

“For those whose skin requires more moisture than a lightweight serum, this is a good choice,” Kirsch said. “It’s also great for sensitive skin types, and its soft, oil-free texture is easily absorbed.”

Get La Roche-Posay Moisturizer for $19.99.

Alastin products

Alastin

Alastin Restorative Neck Complex (left)
“This is ideal for helping skin that’s aging, has dark spots or is tissue-paper thin,” Kirsch said. “It helps increase skin hydration and supports the production of new, healthy elastin and collagen.”
Get Alastin Restorative Neck Complex for $110.Alastin Restorative Skin Complex (right)
“This is ideal for fine lines and wrinkles,” Kirsch said. “It restores volume by supporting production of healthy elastin and collagen, and it improves skin texture and evens skin tone. It’s great for reducing dryness caused by dry climates and retinoids, because its potent antioxidants help protect the skin from free radical damage.”
Get Alastin Restorative Skin Complex for $195.

Revision Skincare

Revision Skincare

SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore

SkinCeuticals

SkinCeuticals Silymarin CF

SkinCeuticals

Hartman said, “This is the first antioxidant serum made with oily, acne-prone patients in mind. In addition, it contains vitamin C and ferulic acid, plus salicylic acid and silybin to control oiliness.” Kirsch noted that this product has been clinically proven to reduce environmental oxidative damage by up to 41%.

Get SkinCeuticals Silymarin CF for $166.

SkinMedica TNS Advanced + Serum

SkinMedica

Luke and Hartman both recommended this product. Luke said, “It’s pricy, but worthwhile for the growth factor serum that produces visible results in four weeks. The new improved formulation builds upon the TNS technology that made SkinMedica a household brand, but with the inclusion of peptides and antioxidants, and no more smelly odor.”

Get SkinMedica TNS Advanced + Serum for $295.

Bonus: A NuFace Trinity facial training device

NuFace

“This is the one product I’ve used that has made a noticeable difference in my face when it comes to tightening and toning skin,” makeup artist Ashley Rebecca told HuffPost. “The microcurrent technology is incredible, and I use it every day for at least five minutes. I recommend this to all my clients as well, and they’ve been loving their results.”

Get the NuFace Advanced Facial Toning Kit for $339.





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