Professor Alejandro Puga and students discuss the play
"La casa de Bernarda Alba" by Federico García Lorca during class.
PHOTO COURTESY OF DEPAUW
Alejandro Puga is a Spanish professor in DePauw’s language department and a distinguished harmonica player on the side. This week, The DePauw had the opportunity to sit down with Professor Puga and learn more about him.
The DePauw (TDP): Where did you grow up?
Alejandro Puga (AP): I grew up in Southern Minnesota, very much a child of the Midwest. My family is from Mexico, and we traveled back and forth at least annually to Mexico to visit family… I spent a year of my life in Mexico prior to going to college where I studied Spanish and Hispanic literature.
TDP: What was that continuous transition back and forth like for you?
AP: I would have to say it wasn’t a continuous transition back and forth in my early life, but I think later in my young-adult life, the parts of me that were curious about my Mexican heritage became more foregrounded.
TDP: Where did you go for your education?
AP: I went to McAllister College for undergrad, and then I spent a year studying painting at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). And then I did my masters at Loyola University in Chicago for Hispanic literature, and then I did my PhD at Indiana University.
TDP: What made you become interested in art?
AP: I minored in art, and I had a drawing professor who encouraged me a great deal… I started to think towards graduation that I wanted to do two things: live in a bigger city and study art. So I was lucky to have a chance to study it at the SAIC… It was great, I had a wonderful time, and I think my work was good, but… I just couldn’t see myself in the world of galleries and art-making permanently. Being an artist takes an absolute full-time commitment… So I asked myself, “What can I do that would demand things from every part of me?”
TDP: What made you want to go into teaching?
AP: I think… teaching in graduate studies was part of the game. You were a T.A. and you took methodology classes and you were given Spanish classes to teach. And like a lot of the best things in my life, I stumbled into a love of teaching. I discovered that it is incredibly revealing to have a certain amount of knowledge, and then have the problem of not just transferring that knowledge but making it dialogic, making it part of an interaction with a group of people who may or may not be interested in what you’re saying… I found that to be one of the most challenging and rewarding things I’ve ever done. And people told me I was… okay at it, so that made me want to do it more too.
TDP: When does it feel most rewarding to have another language under your belt?
AP: I don’t think one ever has any language under their belt… The greatest mistake anyone could make is to say, “I’ve got this now.” [But it’s been rewarding to be able to speak in a foreign language] every day. I don’t want to sound derogatory when I say this, but I really feel sorry for monolingual people, because for me, it’s at least a second life, if not a third and a fourth and a fifth that I’m living… I think that speaking a second language, reading a second language, writing in a second language, all the challenges and frustrations and rewards that endeavor brings makes life full and interesting and fun.
TDP: What’s your favorite Spanish-speaking country or city to visit?
AP: I love Mexico City. For me, it’s an addiction. It is a place that challenges me culturally and linguistically. The moment when I most think that I am a Chilango, there is an experience that reminds me that I am not… But other places that are Spanish-speaking that I’ve loved are Barcelona, Buenos Aires… Santiago, Chile was also just a wonderful city to visit. Basically, anywhere I’ve been that’s Spanish adds another layer of complexity to my experience… It’s difficult to choose one, but I would say that Mexico City is my constant frustration and joy.
TDP: How long have you been playing the harmonica for?
AP: On and off, about… I can’t believe this… 25 years, on and off… I remember… this friend of mine, who was into blues music, brought a harmonica one time and started playing it… It was one of those few moments where I said to myself, “I must learn how to do that.” So I learned initially through little instructional books and things like that and listening to lots and lots and lots of records.
TDP: What’s your favorite type of music?
AP: Blues, I like Chicago, urban blues especially… One of the things I like about blues is that there’s great blues and really terrible blues, and you still learn from listening to even the worst exponents. It’s just a very democratic form of music.
TDP: What’s the one piece of advice you would offer DePauw students?
AP: Be patient with the degree and the quality of your experience here. I think that a liberal arts education is something that goes through phases. There are immediate returns and much longer-lasting returns.