Exploring Culture

The biggest opportunity I have had so far in life has been the Navy. The Navy and I have a love hate relationship. It has taken a tremendous toll on my personal life and it has put multiple strains on my life. But one thing it has done for sure is broadened my horizon. I was raised in a very small town of 500 people. I didn’t have much exposure to any culture. The Navy is a huge mixing pot. It allowed me to meet and learn from so many different people. I am able to travel the world and first hand see other cultures and how their society works together and functions. This challenged me to open my mind past the things I was taught and accustomed too from a small town. There is a beautiful big world out there filled with different people. Who many live different lifestyles and believe in different things. The Navy allowed me to go from a small pond to an ocean of knowledge.

Engaging in Communities

Everybody has heard the saying it takes a village. Community is such an important and beautiful thing to be apart of. At every chance possible you should give back to the people and area around you. Whether it is volunteering in a local food bank, planting some trees, or just picking up trash. Every morning on my way to work there is an old lady in my neighborhood who walks the streets and picks up liter. She is a perfect example of dedication, selfless love, and giving back. I always push myself and my junior sailors to give back. We volunteer and the SCPCA in Virginia Beach and the amount of joy it brings to the people and the animals is undeniable.

Interpersonal Communication

The discussion boards in this class allowed me to see other people’s perspective and how they saw they world. We were able to interpret things differently than share it to others. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing everybody else’s posts and how they felt and thought about certain topics.

Presentational Speaking

The biggest challenge that I had at first was the flip grid assignments. I have never had to record myself speaking to others and post it online before. That definitely took me out of my comfort zone. But being uncomfortable sometimes creates a positive environment to grow and that is what it did. It allowed me to learn a new skill that hopefully I can use in the future.

Presentational Writing

As the semester went by I definitely gained more confidence in my writing. I still struggle a lot with the grammatically correct language but I realized that I just need to practice reading and writing more and I will get better.

Interpretive Listening

One thing that I do everyday is listen to a couple Spanish songs. It is almost always Bad Bunny. He produces a lot of fast paced music and it helps me get motivated for my day. Listening to the music also helps me become more familiar with the Spanish language and help with pronouncing certain words.

Interpretive Reading

I regularly use Dueling, it’s not the same as taking of course a language class but it does allow me to learn more words here and there. I typically sit in my car for about fifteen minutes before work and I utilize this time to practice and drink my morning coffee. It keeps my brain sharp. I have noticed that that added onto the Spanish course that I have been learning a lot quicker. I plan to keep up with it regularly and try to practice my reading and writing even more.

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