When Samantha Gamarra thinks back on Sundays of her childhood in Buenos Aires, she hears music.

But not the Tengo songs one would stereotypically associate with Argentina.

She hears Flamenco, specifically songs of great artists like Paco de Lucia, Lola Flores, or Camarón de la Isla.

I was lucky with those songs, Cado Mingo. We listened to music in cassette.

Mom and I sang the songs while I was trying to dance Flamenco.

Samantha's grandfather migrated to Argentina in the 1930s, from Spain's Southern Region of Andalusia.

That's where Flamenco was born.

It's a mix of dance, singing, and guitar playing, and it's famous for its emotional intensity.

It's been around for over 200 years.

I'm sure that my mother put that music on Sundays to record her father.

I think she dedicated that day to record it.

Listening to Flamenco was how Samantha's mom reconnected with her father, Samantha's grandfather.

And decades later, it would serve as a connection between Samantha and her own mom when she most needed her.

Bienvenidos and welcome to the Duolingo Spanish podcast. I'm Martina Castro.

Every episode we bring you fascinating, true stories to help you improve your Spanish listening and to gain new perspectives on the world.

The storyteller will be using intermediate Spanish and I'll be chiming in for context in English.

If you miss something, you can always skip back and listen again.

And we also offer full transcripts at podcast.duolingo.com.

Today's story comes from Buenos Aires, Argentina. It's called Flamenco, told by Samantha Gamarra.

Please note that you'll be hearing Samantha speak in an Argentine accent.

They pronounce their double Ls and Ys with a shoest sound, as in asher or caché instead of ayer or cayer.

Angela Romero, Samantha's mother, had hazel eyes that appeared to shift in color depending on the weather and the light.

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