KT on the Radio!

Making a particularly astute point

My Spanish is good. I’ve transcribed interviews, written love letters, dreamt-up surveys with minutes to spare. I’ve given public talks to youth groups, women’s groups, environmental groups, and a bunch of folks once gathered for a pig castration. I can talk down a sewer line from toilet to tap. I’ve haggled over centavos with the toughest Guatemalan fruit vendors –and these señoras eat gringas for lunch.

Put a microphone in front of me, though, and my Spanish goes to jello.

Monday morning I was the featured guest on “Mar Sin Fronteras,” a 1-hour radio show hosted by my friend and work compañero, Oscar Romo. The show is broadcast weekly on Tijuana’s FM 102.5 by the Instituto Mexicano de la Radio, sort of Mexico’s answer to NPR. “Mar Sin Fronteras” (Ocean Without Borders) typically focuses on environmental issues related to coastal management and has featured luminaries such as “El Hijo del Santo,” one of Mexico’s premier professional wrestlers. What, you thought green meant boring?

50,000 Tijuanenses got to hear my thoughts on rainwater harvesting, greywater, urban development, and the state of Mexico’s indie rock scene (prognosis: muy bien). One person even shot me an email, seeking more information on rainwater harvesting workshops. No one seemed to mind that I couldn’t remember how to say “and then you rig up a gutter system.” So despite my occasional mind-blanks and slang-slippages, I’ll chalk it up in the “W” column.

FM 102.5 is not currently streamlined, so unfortunately I can’t post a recording. But take a look at these photos for a quick glimpse into the world of Mexican public radio. Panic was never this photogenic.

Radio magic: Romo on left, Meehan on right