Exploring Culture

In Spanish 102, we did a lot of research on Hispanic Culture. We focused on many Spanish-Speaking countries, such as Spain, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, and Portugal. We learned many customs, traditions, and ways of life for Spanish-speaking communities.

In Chapter 1, we learned how to greet people properly in different countries, and how a kiss on the cheek as a hello and goodbye is common for everyone, while in America it’s not. In chapter 2, we learned about how different the school systems are compared to in America. For example, many high school students choose their major before they graduate high school, and most likely have to get a high school degree that is specialized for the career they chose. In chapter 6, we learned about “Los Mercado’s al Aire libres,” or open-air markets, and their importance to the Spanish-speaking world. These markets are not only a place to shop, but also socialize, taste food, watch street performers, etc. Another important part we learned about Spanish-speaking culture is “La Siesta,” or the break is taken during the day to eat and nap. This is very different from in America, as most jobs don’t allow employees to go home during the day to nap and rest, while it’s engrained into almost every Spanish-speaking community.

Engaging in Communities

In Spanish 102, we took a deeper look at Hispanic communities. We learned that family is very important to the Spanish-speaking community. It’s common for people to have multiple last names, women often keeping their maiden last name while taking on their husbands. It’s also possible that the woman had two last names to begin with from her mother, often making last names multiple names long. Sports are also very important in the community, and it’s something people take seriously. There is a big rivalry in Spain against Real Madrid and Barca, two soccer teams. This rivalry is about much more than soccer, but the feud between the two cities. This is seen in America a lot too, and this could be compared to the rivalry between the Red Sox and the Yankee’s baseball teams.