CHARLANDO CON AMIGOS: Catching Up With Friends At Eau Claire's 'Habla En La Cabra'
for decades a weekly gathering of students and community members has continued to educate, inspire curious Spanish speakers
words & photos by Evelyn Nelson
This past Wednesday night, area students, community members and I met at The Goat Coffeehouse (336 Water St., Eau Claire) to enjoy lattes and share stories from our recent holiday adventures – and doing so by speaking entirely in Spanish.
Habla En La Cabra – which meets as a group from 5-7pm weekly – has remained a grounded local organization among the changing landscape of student- and community-driven groups in the Chippewa Valley.
The group’s founding principle (since its origins over a decade ago) remains to bridge the gap between language, cultures and offer the chance for intersectional identities to meet and converse in a casual setting, according to Gerardo “Lalo” Licón, a co-founder of Habla En La Cabra.
“Habla connects people of many backgrounds, ages and Spanish-speaking proficiency levels,” Licón said. “This helps build community among people who might not otherwise have an opportunity to meet.”
Over the years, the group has ebbed and flowed due to student turnover and its various partnerships with other Spanish-centric organizations in the Valley. All the while, community organization El Centro de Conexión and the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s languages department have remained anchors in the group’s longevity.
“Through bridging language barriers with warmth, curiosity and excitement, we also unite together as people, as a community, as one.”
–Noah Felix, co-leader of Habla En La Cabra
“A través de superar las barreras del idioma con calidez, curiosidad y entusiasmo, también nos unimos como personas, como comunidad, como uno solo.”
–Noah Felix, un co-líder de Habla En La Cabra
Today, Habla En La Cabra is co-led by Abrial Kuvista and Noah Felix, two current UW-Eau Claire students who are determined to foster new growth for the social group.
“I believe Habla En La Cabra has implications far beyond just language acquisition,” Felix said. “Through bridging language barriers with warmth, curiosity and excitement, we also unite together as people, as a community, as one.”
“It is incredible to meet different people and build those lifelong relationships,” Kuvista, who has been with the group since 2024, added. “(Habla En La Cabra is) a great way to foster learning and to encourage us all to keep learning.”
The framework of Habla En La Cabra is simple. Every week, English and Spanish speakers of all skill levels and dialects gather to provide each attendee with the opportunity to explore the language's nuances.
Conversations can be casual or complex in nature – depending on the students’ and community members’ interests or questions as they learn from one another, Kuvista said.
In the past year, the group has seen fluctuations in weekly attendance, the co-leaders said; collaborations with the UW-Eau Claire Spanish Club have led to larger gatherings at The Goat Coffeehouse, bringing together about 10-15 locals and returning students.
These collaborations have also led to cross-group attendance and even Spanish-centered dancing events held on-campus – a nod to the nightlife scenes of the very countries where the language originated.
Ultimately, for Felix, the group’s future lies in the reconnection to “third spaces” – community settings where open access to varied backgrounds can foster a sense of belonging and even lifelong connection.
“Through Habla En La Cabra, the most exciting aspect for me is to be able to spontaneously connect with new people, hear their story and celebrate their wins and feel their losses,” Felix said. “I have yet to find another way to connect with strangers – whom are now my friends – so meaningfully.”
“I like to come to Habla En La Cabra not only to learn, but to also share my thoughts with other people that want to learn (and I can) be more of a mentor.” –Nicolas Marchini Geada, an international student at UW-Eau Claire
“Me gusta venir a Habla En La Cabra no solo para aprender, sino también para compartir mis pensamientos con otras personas que quieren aprender (y yo puedo) ser más como un mentor.” –Nicolas Marchini Geada, un estudiante internacional en UW-Eau Claire
For Nicolas Marchini Geada, a third-year international student at UW-Eau Claire who calls Spain home, Habla En La Cabra has become a valued opportunity for interpersonal growth.
The group has allowed him to share the distinct dialect and deep history of his community with an audience of curious language learners who appreciate his story.
“I like to come to Habla En La Cabra not only to learn, but to also share my thoughts with other people that want to learn (and I can) be more of a mentor,” Marchini Geada said. “Having lived (in Spain) for more than 19 years and having all that experience; it’s really great to share with everybody.”
“Groups like these are really important. There is something different about communicating in real-time,” Aly Herpel, an Eau Claire resident and new attendee of Habla En La Cabra, agreed. “If you are learning Spanish to practice, use it in a workplace or to travel, this is where you're going to get that real world experience.”
As for myself, a fluent Spanish speaker (whose first language is English) who continues to search for new ways to connect with this linguistic background, I anticipate this will be the first of many gatherings I attend with Habla En La Cabra.
Habla En La Cabra meets once a week from 5-7pm on Wednesday nights at The Goat Coffeehouse (336 Water St., Eau Claire). To learn more about the social group and ways to get involved, visit its Facebook page online (@Habla.Cabra).