OK so I didn’t expect my first appearance on TV as a vet to be a national one. International, even, if you consider the broad audience of mixed nationality US Hispanics.
Nope. I expected something sleepy and local where I wouldn’t be up against all that cleavage! (If you’ve ever watched Univision or Telemundo you’ll know what I’m talking about.)
Tomorrow on 7:30 AM EST on Telemundo you too can watch me live on national television—in Spanish!
Strangely enough, I’ll be talking about well bird care. Those of you who know me might be scratching your heads right about now (since when does Dr. Khuly ever write about birds?) but, hey, a girl’s got to catch a break wherever she can and this Tuesday’s topic is as good as any.
I’ll confess to being a tad nervous about this. No, it’s not the TV thing. And the national bit doesn’t really freak me out either—nor does the bird topic for that matter. My issue is the language.
Like most Cuban-Americans of my age living in Miami my Spanish is not the kind of fluent by-the-book Spanish you might learn in a college classroom or by living in Spain, for example. It’s got quirks. Luckily I’ve spent significant time in Mexico and Spain in both academic and professional capacities—though it’s been a while.
That’s why today I’ll be brushing up on my Spanish—for veterinarians. I bought this great book every vet and vet tech should purchase if they interact at all with Spanish speaking pet owners. Aside from learning the proper terms for dehorning goats and castrating pigs it’s got all kinds of fun small animal medicine words I’d never heard of!
Sure, tomorrow morning I’ll be nervous, quaking in my heels, even. But you’ll never know it—not under the obligatory half inch of makeup I’ll likely be wearing. Wish me luck!
