Exploring Culture

Unit 18 in our textbook “Contraseña” introduced me to a poem called Nuyorican Tales by J.F. Seary. The poem is written in Spanglish and details the mixed cultures of someone who is a New Yorker and Puerto Rican.

As stated in the textbook, Seary explored the issues of identity in a bicultural and bilingual context. This poem helped me to better understand Hispanic values because it shared how proud the author was to be Puerto Rican roots, and how difficult (and sometimes rewarding) it is to be in New York. This opened my eyes to the fact that the mixing pot called New York may not always be so easy to mix into. The story solidified a stereotype that I am aware of, but it is a good one. Puerto Ricans are known to constantly wave their flag and be very open about their nationality/ethnicity.

Engaging in Communities

It is integral that individuals engage in their local and global communities. Not only are connections made, but lives can be changed through being more social or volunteering.

This summer, I volunteered at The Hampton Public Library. This experience helped me gain an understanding of other cultures, communities, and socializing. I was also able to help others by doing some tasks around the library.

Interpersonal Communication

I participated in two 15-minute TalkAbroad conversations this semester. The first one was about stereotypes and indentities, and the second one was about influencers and customs. I also had a 30 minute conversation with Profe. Christine Mitchell in which we discussed all topics from this semester.

The first TalkAbroad went well. I did have trouble understanding what my conversation partner was saying at times, but the discussion flowed well. She had to stop me and tell me that time was up. The second conversation was difficult. I did not study enough and struggled to remember vocabulary. Because of that, I studied a great deal before my conversation with Profe.. The conversation with Profe. Mitchell went very well. We talked for a while and I did better with vocabulary.

Presentational Speaking

 I did one presentational speaking assignment this semester. This was my introduction for Span 202 (on a site called FlipGrid).

Because I have taken Spanish so often, this assignment was not too difficult. I just need more confidence in my skills.

Presentational Writing

There were no written presentations assigned this semester.

Interpretive Listening

In Unit 24 of Contraseña, there was a TEDTalk the famous chef Gastón Acurio. The 13-minute speech was in Spanish. It is difficult to understand when people are using a broader vocabulary than what we have learned, and when they are speaking at a faster pace.

Other listening activities included the videos the class responded to in discussion boards, listening activities in the Aplicar sections of the textbook, and a few listening questions in quizzes. Context clues helped me the most when handling listening assignments.

Interpretive Reading

An interpretive reading from this semester was La leyenda de la yerba mate, a legend from Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. The linked website does not share the story exactly like our textbook, but I am not able to link the textbook version.

Truthfully, it becomes difficult to look at a lot of paragraphs of a different language. Because I was not studying properly in the beginning, this story was tiring to keep trying to read. Overall, like with the listening activities, I used context clues and could understand majority of what was happening. What I found most interesting is how sacred the herb is to the people of those countries. Also, I love the moon and its beauty, so its role in this legend is nice to see. Something I took away from La leyenda de la yerba mate was the importance of balance between nature and people.