SPAN 323 or World Cultures and Contexts is a course that teaches about and reflects on the many aspects of Spanish and Hispanic cultures around the world. There were ten units to study from the required course material, Todas Las Voces, each composed of different components linked to the culture and identity of a Hispanic or Spanish country or region. Throughout the semester, each of these units contained specific assignments to be completed, such as activities from the book and the diarios. This section of my e-Portfolio will contain reflections of the assignments that had the most impact on my perspective of Hispanic and Spanish cultures.

1st Diario

After re-reading my first diario on the history of Spain and Latin American countries, I was surprised to find that I had ended this course with the same thoughts as when it begun. I mentioned that while I had learned some information about other countries, I have very rarely encountered information about Spanish and Hispanic countries throughout my studies in high school or university. I reflected on this especially at the end of the semester, because I realized that without this course, I would still be ignorant to so many parts of these cultures even after studying Spanish for four years and living in Spain. Learning the history behind the identity and culture of these peoples, I have developed a profound respect for societies that were not able to tell their story because someone else told their own version of it for them.

1st Mesa Redonda

The Mesas Redondas that we completed in this class each varied in length and depth. Out of the three, the first required the most thought and time to define culture, identity, and cultural appropriation. I believe that the Mesas Redondas were important for us as a class to discuss our points of view regarding different aspects of culture. It was an activity during which we could share our opinions, respectfully, on certain topics and discuss any differences discovered. However, the majority of these discussions were spent in agreement, not disagreement.

There were two things from this Mesa Redonda that greatly impacted me. The first was a video of an indigenous woman who was trying change the way her people believed and lived so that women could have access to education and become leaders of the community. I know that there are struggles like this occurring all around the world, however, hearing a first-hand account was deeply moving. During this moment, it was easy to see how trivial our complaints are regarding the education system in the United States and how easy it is to forget how fortunate we are with freedoms that we take for granted every day.

The second was a question asked about the originality of cultures. I believe that there are some aspects of cultures that are completely original, however, sharing of customs and ideas between cultures is what allows for societies in this world to continue to survive and function. This question, however, led to the topic of cultural appropriation and whether a sharing between cultures can become this. I believe that certain companies and celebrities who have chosen a path of using certain customs and commodities of certain cultures, especially under-represented and/or oppressed cultures, to their advantage and gain are a very large part of cultural appropriation we see today. However, I also believe that there are people in this world who fully understand and respect these cultures, and their use of certain customs and commodities of a culture is coming from a place of deep respect for a culture.

Educación

I had the privilege of experiencing a different education system when I studied abroad in Spain. However, this activity was able to open my eyes even further to the differences in the structure of the American and Hispanic school systems and how, if I had been raised in Mexico, or another Latin American country, my life would be very different in terms of education and career. If I had been led down the same path towards veterinary medicine in Mexico, after four years, I would be very close to completing my education and training to become a veterinarian. Rather than spending four years obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Biology and then four more years completing more schooling and training in a veterinary program, I would graduate high school, where the education system would have prepared me adequately with courses centered around the Biological sciences, take an exam and, with adequate scores, be placed in a veterinary program immediately. In five to six years, I would be a veterinarian.

This was incredibly significant to me because it left me with these questions: Does all of the education required to be a veterinarian create better veterinarians? Or does it just create veterinarians with debt and anxiety? Could veterinarians in Mexico, who, after the initial coursework, began working and practicing under a veterinarian’s supervision for four or five years, have a more advanced knowledge and skillset than veterinarians here? While this would be an incredibly difficult comparison to confirm, it is now something that I reflect on. I believe that the education systems in Spain and Hispanic countries prepare students for life, rather than a job. Learning about and experiencing this hands-on education model gave me a new perspective about American school systems and a question of how much this country could benefit from adopting parts of it.

Poesía

Poetry is not something that I have ever truly understood. My mind has always had trouble inferring the deeper meaning behind the words. I wanted to include this activity as something that I hope to improve upon. I can read poetry, and I can put the correct inflections and emphasis on words that need it (in English more so than Spanish), however, I believe that this video is a good representation as to how I interpret poetry. I simply go by the exact, literal definition of the words rather than the deeper meaning behind them. Recently, I have discovered modern poets, including a young woman from Mexico, on social media, whose poetry I am better able to understand. I hope that with time and practice, I will be able to see true context in poetry in any language that it is written.

Música y Bailes

My parents always encouraged my sister and I to learn to play instruments and sing. They both could play the piano and guitar, and singing and playing was something that connected us. I had the privilege of getting to attend a Flamenco performance in Granada. While it was not our generation’s preferred style of music, the students in our group were clapping along, smiling and cheering for the dancers and the musicians. I wrote about this in the diario for this unit. I mentioned that music and dance connect us all, because the words will not matter when there is a good beat and tune. Our brains are wired to feel that beat, connect to it, and move.

Music and dance are incredibly powerful in their ability to remove a barrier between cultures. There isn’t a society I personally can name that doesn’t have a traditional song and dance. Learning more about the different types of music and dance in Latin American and Spanish countries was simply enjoyable to me because it was something I could immediately connect to.

Ensayo de Reflexión 1

Ensayo de Reflexión 2

I wanted to reflect on both ensayos together as I believe that I improved in connecting the materials and skills from the course with my life experiences, courses, and my future career. It was possibly the material itself that made making connections easier. We discussed more topics, such as education and fake news, that I had more experience with in life and in my courses. In my contrasting of the ensayos, I found that in the first I talked more about what I had done, whereas in the second, I talked more about what I will do. Perhaps that is because from this final ensayo, from this final Spanish course, my next step is my career. Albeit, I will be in a veterinary program, but within the program I will be working with clients and with others from all over the country and the world. I thought more about what I will do because right now that is what is imminent to me. Having this knowledge to carry with me and reflect on, I know that I am heading into my future with the skills I need to be understanding, empathetic, and malleable in learning about another’s way of life.

This video restates what I mentioned above and adds to it with examples from my experiences.