Exploring Culture

Learning about different things outside of my country has been integral to my understanding of the Spanish language and the culture in Latin American countries. Using TalkAbroad and Contraseña assisted in educating me further about different cultural traditions.

Because I truly do enjoy communicating with people of a different background, TalkAbroad was certainly an eye opener for me. It was interesting to find commonalities with someone that speaks a different language from you and comes from a country with slightly different customs.

Interpersonal Communication

In my experience with using Spanish in interpersonal communication, TalkAbroad really helped me train my ears to interpret Spanish on the spot. One thing I noticed in the beginning of the semester was that while I did not struggle too much with understanding Spanish in an auditory sense or when I am reading it however speaking in the moment proved to be a bit of a struggle for me. Since then, I have approved upon speaking full on sentences and thinking in Spanish.

Participating in TalkAbroad this semester has definitely aided in strengthening my skill in Spanish. My first conversation went fairly well and though I was a bit unsure when it came to the second. I think I was a little unclear about how to answer questions pertaining to immigration laws in America. My partner was supportive though. To further reiterate, beforehand I was better at understanding Spanish than formulating responses sometimes. Where I had trouble communicating is using filler words or phrases in between asking questions or responding to statements. Remaining present in these conversation was extremely important in this process and thinking ahead in Spanish helped me with thinking of my responses.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/12UI718gXBuWV5J0rXXUenRwAPTyBntjm/view?usp=sharing

Presentational Writing

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QwT7Rse9JmuUoaiWpgu0AO5UXAa5OEUygTgfI0QiSO8/edit?usp=sharing

For Unit 11 Proyecto, we had to choose a person from the module on Contraseña, and create an outfit for them based on their body type and style preferences. In this project, I learned the vocabulary for that unit and how to use direct/indirect object nouns and pronouns.