Exploring Culture/Engaging in communities

When it comes to exploring Spanish Culture, I can’t think of a better example than when I went to Spain in 2018 as part of my Europe trip in my senior year of high school. I got to visit the absolutely gorgeous Spanish city of Barcelona. Barcelona was rich with Spanish Architecture, culture, food, museums and people. I was able to meet many Spanish Speakers, eat delicious Spanish cuisine, and engage in Spanish culture.

Interpersonal Communication

I met two wonderful individuals from my talkabroad sessions. In my second session I spoke to a woman named Monica. My Spanish had been improving considerably and I was able to have a somewhat full conversation with her. I learned that she lived was a business major who lived in Bogota, Colombia. Her life has been severely impacted by the Venezuelan refugee crisis caused by Nicolas Maduro. She doesn’t have a favorite type of artwork but enjoys popular spanish music like Puerto Rican smash hit “Despacito”.

Presentational Speaking

The best example of presentational speaking I can give is a project I worked on by my self. I had to write a script about a communication difference. I wrote and translated the script. Then I recorded myself saying both lines in spanish, then I edited the clips together. I am extremely proud of this project and you can see the final product for yourself.

Presentational Writing

This is the word document/script provided for the video above

Interpretive Listening

My interpretive listening has vastly improved throughout the semester. While I don’t have an artifact for this one. I can say that during class when Professor Gordus was speaking in Spanish I was starting to be able to translate what he said inside my head. The same logic applies for both talkabroads. I am at he point where I can begin to translate certain aspects of Spanish dialogue and piece together what they are saying in English.

Interpretive Reading

This project I did on powerpoint embraces the power of reading and storytelling. I cover the the famous historical event of the Spanish conquistadors and their daring escape of fighting out of the Aztec Capital. The event is famously known as La Noche Triste.

Reflection

I have learned alot from this course, Before taking my first Spanish class I was extremely intimidated. But after taking 4 classes of it now, the language is not as scary as originally thought. I have truly learned and retained much knowledge when it comes to reading, writing and speaking in Spanish. This is knowledge that will follow me into the future when I have my own classroom and will certainly come in handy one day. With Spanish being the second most spoken language in the United States, speaking spanish is becoming more of a necessity every day.