Exploring Culture
When watching a video about the open markets and restaurants that apart of Spanish culture. I learned that in Spanish countries their is a lot of bargaining and haggling involved when at markets, which shows that there is a charismatic skill when trying to buy items. Also, I found it very interesting that some Spanish restaurants determine how much the customers pay by counting toothpicks. In addition, I loved watching Spanish channels because they are very dramatic and funny.
Watching Spanish television showed me how important it is to speak in a certain way and tone. such as, having a certain tone to show that you are asking a question or answering one. Another thing I noticed is that a statement can turn into a question by adding no after the statement. For example, Te gusta ir la playa. No? Even though my world was limited about Spanish culture I was very open to it. I have learned about the naps or personal times that they take during the day. The only thing that was a big challenge for was the name of Football and Futbol, which are both different names when outside the U.S.
Engaging in Communities
It very important to engage in the intermediate community and global community because not only can it help better others lives, but also gives inspiration to others to do the same thing as well. Another thing that it can do is help you meet new people and establish relationships with them. Getting involved in the community can also help build new skills and gain new experiences.
In high school, I volunteered in to help with the running for breast cancer. In which, participants ran laps around mount Trashmore in order to help raise funds for breast cancer. ME and my group were giving the job of standing along the race tracks and support the runners to keep going. Also, we were cheering on the women who were affected with breast cancer and participated in the event. I enjoyed this event so much because I was able to help cheer people on and boast their confidence when participating in the run. This event helped me get even closer to the people who also volunteered.
Interpersonal Communication
My TalkAbroad interview was really exciting and fun. My interviewer was very knowledgeable in what I was trying to say. She was very patient with me and nice. Also, I thought it was good experience because I was able to ask her what it was like where she was at.
Once I completed the TalkAbroad interview I realized that I needed to practice more of my communication skills in Spanish. I had trouble sometimes trying to speak fluently and I stumbled a bit however, I did not speak English at all during the interview. A good way I was able to describe what I was saying was by using my hands and changing my tone. Another that I learned after the interview was that I need to take my time when responding, since sometimes I would talk and not know what I was trying to say. In addition, when listening I need to listen to the whole sentence and not the just key words so I know what the interviewer is trying to say.
Presentational Speaking
During class we constantly practiced on each other speaking. For example, we asked each other what we did as weekend in Spanish.
When doing interviews with classmates I found out that I would forget certain words that help describe. A way I was able to overcome this was trying to think of other words that I could use instead. In addition, I had to change up my sentence to help go along with the word I was trying to use. Since, forming sentences was another difficulty that I experienced. I decided to think of what were the main words were needed to help complete my thought and, then add them all together in the correct sequence.
Presentational Writing
During my time enrolled in the course the class was required to write a class announcement, talking about new fashion clothes and trends.
When doing writing assignments I found out that I would constantly mess up with conjugations and confusing feminine and masculine items. However, I was able to get better at this by using Quizlet to help with vocab words> Due to this constant practice I was able to use my memory to help with masculine and feminine words. Even though conjugation was easy for me I still struggled to conjugate the verbs after the “y” in a sentence. Once I found out that the first verb after “y” should be conjugated it was an easy adjustment for me.
Interpretive Listening
I have participated in various listening activities from test and homework. The hardest ones are always on the homework.
When doing the listening assignments I had a difficult time understanding the conversations due to the speed in which they were talking. At first, I would just listen for key words to help understand the sentence, but it only helped a little bit. So I decided to watch Spanish channels with the captions on so I am able to keep up with what they are saying. This is starting to help a lot more, and in due time I ill have better understanding when it comes to listening.
Interpretive Reading
When it comes to reading I enjoy it a lot. Especially, when we read about the siesta in Spanish countries. I found it really interesting.
When doing the readings I do not find it that difficult because I am able to process it a lot faster/easier than listening or speaking. However, I do find that some sentences are difficult to read . If that happens, then I usually read the next sentence or before to see if I can use context clues to see what they are talking about. Furthermore, if I’m not able to figure it out from that I analyze the sentence and look at the key verbs. I find the readings interesting because I like learning new things about Spanish culture.
