Malia Obama's Spanish skills proved to be helpful on a Presidential visit to Cuba

Malia Obama is a woman of many skills. Years ago, while her dad Barack Obama was serving as President of the United States, Malia was making headlines due to her great Spanish skills, which helped him while on an important trip to Cuba. 

© Dia Dipasupil

In 2016, the Obamas spent part of their Spring Break in Cuba, a momentous occasion that marked the first time in almost 90 years that a President had visited the island.

In an interview with ABC News, Obama revealed that Malia provided some help on the Spanish-speaking front. "My accent is very good, but my vocabulary is the equivalent of a 2-year-old's," he told the news outlet. "It's one of those things I've always said to myself that I'm gonna take care of. But... it turned out that, during the presidency, I didn't have time to take Spanish lessons."

"Her Spanish is much better than mine," Obama said. "I'm hoping she has a chance to get entirely fluent." 

Malia's experiences with Spanish

That year, the Obamas visited Cuba and Argentina, offering plenty of opportunities for the family to immerse themselves in Spanish. Malia seemed committed to her Spanish, with her traveling to Bolivia the following year, where she went on hikes on the stunning Cordillera Real. 

According to a New York Times report, Malia attended the hikes with her guards and was signed on for a five-day trek. “She was very humble, chatty, and spoke Spanish very well,” said the tour guide. “She was mesmerized by the Bolivian landscape.”

The report claims that Malia received no special treatment and was fully immersed in the experience, performing the chores she and the other guests had signed up for. She lived in a town called Tiqiuipaya, staying at a family's home as a part of a program called Where There Be Dragons. According to the site, the program is designed for students, prompting them to "examine current political trends, social movements and environmental conservation efforts in the mountains and jungles of Bolivia and Peru.”