Reflection
Exploring Culture
After taking Spanish 101, I learned a lot about the Hispanic culture, especially Spain to be particular. I learned more about Spain this semester because I chose to do a couple of my class discussions on this country. There’s not as much variation between the various Spanish dialects as there is between dialects in other languages. Most Spanish speakers, no matter where they’re from, can understand each other simply by speaking more slowly, listening carefully and using context clues for unfamiliar vocabulary.
I wish to share some of the lessons that I have learned, and how this learning has shaped my current identity. By doing research on different cultures and countries, I was introduced to new information on cultural diversity. As societies become more intertwined on a global scale, countries’ demographics diversify, and our cross-cultural exchanges become more frequent. Learning Spanish is very important for many reasons, which include creating a relationship with Spanish speaking cultures which can be personal, or business related!
Spanish people tend to be extrovert and friendly as is typical in Mediterranean culture and they place modesty and personality foremost to professional or business success. I have always been very open minded and due to growing up in Miami, I learned a lot about the Spanish culture; therefore, I was not as unknowledgeable as some people are. For example, as a young child, I always said hello to my friends by giving them a kiss on the cheek. To me, this form of greeting is very normal and accepted by my family, however many Americans find this to be uncomfortable or an invasion of space. I on the other hand do not, I believe it is a very nice and warm greeting to give someone. One thing that I was not familiar with until taking Spanish 101, was how the holidays are celebrated in other countries compared to how we celebrate them here in America. I personally find the holidays in other countries to hold more meaning in the way in which they are celebrated!
Artifacts (An assignment from this semester)
Good afternoon!
I would feel comfortable greeting people with two kisses on the cheek in the states. Having been raised in Miami Fl, this is completely normal to me. The majority of my school was made up of Hispanics from all around the world; therefore, I was introduced to greetings such as this as a young child. We always usually greeted each other with one kiss on the cheek and sometimes two. I think that it is a very interesting yet welcoming way to greet one another. The PROS to this way of greeting is that it is very sincere, respectful and indicates a friendship. The CONS to it, is that sometimes people will have a ton of makeup on, or they will be sweaty when they kiss you, which can rub off on your cheek. However all and all, I am comfortable with this form of greeting!
Engaging in Communities
As we get older, it can sometimes get harder to connect with the people around us. But, that connection will ultimately ease stress and feelings of loneliness. As a part of a strong community, we are a part of a group of people who want to help each other, whether that is socially or professionally.
I love to be engaged in my community by simply reaching out to people and giving a helping hand whenever I can. I recently joined a garden club, where we plant flowers every Spring in the neighborhood!
Interpersonal Communication
The Lingro-Learning platform, I used this semester was absolutely amazing. It allowed me to have visuals and great examples of the work that was expected of me this semester. I loved being able to use the audio because it truly allowed me to speak out loud in Spanish, which was perfect for practicing the language. The discussion board gave me the opportunity to build a relationship with my classmates by getting to know them individually, along with their views on different subjects.
Each assignment gave me the opportunity to grow in a new way. For example, the discussion boards were helpful because I could see the opinions of my peers and also gain knowledge from the experience in which they had. One obstacle I faced this semester was that I found it difficult to get around my quizzes being timed because I don’t always perform well under pressure. I overcame this dilemma by simply hiding the time and doing the best I could. Slowly but surely, I realized that I would get the quizzes done ahead of time, when I stopped focusing on the time countdown. For next semester, I will be sure to not procrastinate on any assignments and get them done ahead of schedule!
Here is an example of an assignment that gave me the visuals I needed to succeed!
Los perfiles sociales de John Debow y María León
John and María are students, like you, who are taking this course. You will read the profiles they created for LingroFolio. At the end of this unit, you will use this text as a model to create a description of yourself as well as your own profile for this social network.
Presentational Speaking
This semester, I had the opportunity to use Flipgrid for the very first time. I got to practice my Spanish and then record myself. Once I recorded myself, I would reflect on my recording and make changes when necessary. Practicing Spanish in this way was very beneficial for me.
Spanish101Audio.mp4
Flip | SPAN 101 ONL ASYN FALL 2022
Presentational Writing
During this semester, I did a lot of written assignments throughout the discussion boards that helped me engage in my Spanish communication skills! The class presented their favorite person and described the reasons why they were there favorite person. Below is the assignment that I completed!
Hola Clase,
“I have attached a photo of my favorite person, my husband! He is very special to me for many reasons. Mi esposo es muy cariñoso, amoroso y con los pies en la tierra. Le encanta hacerme sonreír. Él es mi mejor amigo y alma gemela.”
Interpretive Listening
While using Lingro Learning I had the ability to actively listen to people speak Spanish and my job was to interpret it. I found this to be a challenging yet fun activity. It was challenging because spanish is spoken very fast and in order for me to comprehend the language I had to replay it many times. This was beneficial to me though because the more practice, the better!
Interpretive Reading
As a part of the assignments given to me this semester, I researched important information in spanish. I learned how to change my browser to show everything in Spanish which I found to be very exciting as I never knew how to do this before.
Here is an example!
Exploración 1-4 Búsqueda en Internet. Now it’s your turn to explore the use of social networks throughout the Spanish-speaking world. Follow the steps to complete this activity.
Paso 1. Select a country or region you would like to research, including Spanish-speaking communities in the United States and Puerto Rico, which is a U.S. territory where both Spanish and English are spoken.
Paso 2. Research the information listed in your country or region and take notes of your findings. Try searching in both Spanish and in English. Then, compare the results you get when using each language for your web search. Think about which language search yielded better results, and why.
The only thing I found challenging was understanding every last thing I was reading. I could only understand portions of each sentence when I researched it, so I ended up having to do research on the research! This was overcome by simply spending the necessary time needed to understand what it was I was researching. I found it very interesting when I discovered that in Spain people get to go home after lunch and take a nap, known as a siesta. I really wish this is something Americans would incorporate in our daily routine.
Each assignment this semester helped me learn new and exciting material, which is going to be crucial for my future!