Exploring Culture

Getting a chance to look at poetry written in a different language was an amazing opportunity as an English major, as it gave me a chance to look more closely at how word choice changes meaning between languages. English and Spanish are very different, and no two things translate exactly to each other. Reading poetry reminded me that even if I were to continue learning the language, there are things that I would not quite understand unless I had grown up with the language. Languages are a beautiful thing that need to be protected.

Engaging in Communities

It is important to engage in your own community because when you do you can learn about yourself. When looking into stereotypes, I found that I myself followed quite a few of them. Allowing yourself to speak to others also allows you to learn more about your language, as everyone talks in a different way. It was nice to learn that I’m not alone.

Interpersonal Communication

My first TalkAbroad for this class went interestingly. I didn’t quite mesh with the person I was talking to, and though she was sweet the conversation felt a bit blocky and awkward on my part. I did my best, but it was not my favorite assignment. I think that my second TalkAbroad for the class went much more smoothly, and I enjoyed it more. I felt like I knew what I was talking about, and I had met the guy I was talking to in a previous assignment, and that certainly helped.

Being able to talk to people who speak the language far better than me has always been a bit stressful, but I enjoyed the opportunities. It allowed me to break out of my comfort zone, which was good for me. I found the TalkAbroad to be a useful tool to my growth.

Presentational Speaking

Being able to have a chance to tell people about myself has always been more daunting then not, but it is always useful to my growth, as no one knows me better than me. It also gave me useful skills when speaking in general in the language.