Exploring Culture

The main practices that helped me gain a new perspective on Spanish culture was primarily the YouTube videos and Talk Abroad sessions.

Being able to interact with native Spanish speakers in Hispanic countries was very eye opening. I didn’t go into my Talk Abroad sessions with any preconceptions. I had a very open mind and was willing to learn more about the person individually and the culture they live in. Additionally, watching You Tube videos of native Spanish speakers from Hispanic countries was intriguing.

Engaging in Communities

In English, give a brief description of the value of, and importance of, engaging in your immediate community and the global community.

I believe in the importance of engaging in my immediate community as well as the global community. I currently work with at-risk youth in a residential facility. This profession is very near and dear to my heart. By helping these youth, who have experienced many different forms of trauma, I am engaging in building a stronger community. I would love to be able to engage in the global community at some point in my life.  

*Due to privacy laws I cannot post any pictures or audio clips of the juvenile residents I work with.

Interpersonal Communication

During the course of this semester, I have interacted in TalkAbroad sessions, discussion boards and Flipgrid assignments. The TalkAborad activity consisted of 2 sessions with native Spanish speakers in Hispanic countries. The discussion boards provided a platform for my classmates and I to share experiences and outlooks on various topics. The Flipgrid video assignments were helpful ways to practice my conversations in Spanish.

The TalkAbroad sessions really allowed me to put my Spanish in practice and talk with a native Spanish speaker. I was extremely nervous at first. But as my conversations went on, I began to feel more comfortable to the point where I was able to be in the moment. I found it difficult to not only speak fully in Spanish but to also think in Spanish. I found myself unknowingly responding in English at times.

The discussion board assignments didn’t prove much difficulty. I have grown into a person who sees the value in different options and perspectives of life. So I highly enjoyed interacting with other classmates.

The Flipgrid video assignments were pretty difficult for me. I found my pronunciation and cadence of speech to be hard. These assignments, however, helped prepare me for my TalkAbroad sessions.

Presentational Speaking

One professional speaking activity I completed was an Flipgrid audio assignment. The Flipgrid assignment was a platform for me to practice having a conversation in Spanish. Provided below is the link for one of my audio assignments:

flip.com/s/sADspXryprWi

I found it challenging to fully pronounce properly and keep a steady cadence of speech. With practice, I was able to feel more comfortable with my speech.

Presentational Writing

I do believe I was assignment any professional writing assignments to present fully in Spanish. However, we were assigned multiple discussion board assignments in which some of our responses had to be in Spanish. This provided me the opportunity to practice writing my responses in Spanish which caused me to practice thinking in Spanish.

Interpretive Listening

We were assigned multiple interpretative listening assignments this semester. The main activity that helped me the most was our Flipgrid audio assignments. From these, I had to practice my listening skills to understand what was being said so that I could respond back in Spanish. These assignments provided an opportunity to begin the foundations of having a conversation in Spanish. With ultimately helped prepare me for my TalkAbroad sessions.

Interpretive Reading

On Lingro, we were given a few investigative assignments where we were asked to investigate given topics in Spanish on Google. From my research, I had to practice reading and interpreting information in Spanish. These assignments proved to be somewhat difficult. However, with practice, I was able to feel more comfortable with completing these tasks.