{"id":423,"date":"2021-07-07T15:58:27","date_gmt":"2021-07-07T15:58:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/basicspanishdraft2\/?page_id=423"},"modified":"2021-07-30T22:25:28","modified_gmt":"2021-07-30T22:25:28","slug":"101-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/negretespan101\/101-2\/","title":{"rendered":"SPAN 101"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational Modes of Communication<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exploring Culture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have always possessed a desire to learn Spanish and understand Spanish culture on a deeper level. The first time I met my husband’s grandmother, I was taken back because she greeted me with an air kiss on the cheek, or “un beso”. If I had a deeper understanding of Spanish culture, I would have been prepared for this encounter and would have embraced this greeting rather than express confusion. Because of this moment, I realized the importance of understanding other cultures and seeing the world through a different perspective. A few of the products and practices that have helped my understanding along the way were Flash Cultura videos, Comprehension Lecturas, and videoclips of Hispanic culture and practices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dos Besos<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In one of the first Flash Cultura videos we watched in SPAN 101, they showed differences between greetings in Latin American countries and the United States. This video explained that Spanish culture is very friendly and does not require the same distance “bubbles” that many people from the U.S. are acquired to. This explains why I had such an awkward interaction with my husband’s grandmother and how my lack of understanding of Spanish culture interfered with my ability to connect with someone from another culture than my own. This challenged my worldview in assuming that all initial greetings began with a handshake or hug. These lectures and videos also helped me to understand how tightly-connected families and communities are in traditional Spanish culture and that many of their values are centered around family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Engaging in Communities<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I believe it is absolutely important to engage in immediate and global communities. I know that many small businesses were extremely hurt from COVID-19, so my husband and I try to order from local restaurants when we can. While we were in California, we would visit several local street vendors selling street tacos among an array of Mexican dishes. It was unfortunate that I could not speak Spanish because there was an immense language barrier that was difficult to cross and a missed opportunity for a positive connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Street Tacos Vendor<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

After taking SPAN 101, my husband and I have since visited other local Mexican restaurants in Texas who only speak Spanish and now I am able to understand and communicate with them more clearly than I could in California. Being able to engage with these business owners in our community has been incredibly rewarding, but there is still so much more help to be given. I hope to be able to further participate in our community and experience the invaluable culture that each of our community members has to offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Melis Taqueria- Fort Worth, TX<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Interpersonal Communication<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In SPAN 101 we had several interpersonal oral, audio, writing, and reading activities such as our weekly discussion boards and breakout room chats in Spanish with other classmates. We also had Lecturas in Blackboard that required for us to read a portion of text in Spanish, then interpret it and answer questions in Spanish. Below is an example of what a few of our discussion posts look like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Examples of two discussion boards in SPAN 101<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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One of my discussion post responses<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Our very first interpersonal communication in SPAN 101 were introductions between ourselves, the professor, and our classmates in breakout rooms. With each new week, the questions covered in our breakout chats grew more extensive and complex. For instance, we started with “\u00a1Hola! \u00bfC\u00f3mo est\u00e1s?” and we eventually graduated to questions like, “\u00bfTe gustan los deportes? \u00bfQu\u00e9 deportes practicas?”. Our first discussions were very simple and introductory, but as our vocabulary and confidence grew, my classmates and I were much more fluent with our conversations and sentences. The interviews were specifically challenging because of the spontaneous nature of the questions and the inability to prepare answers or thoughts. These interviews were immensely important in helping me to think on my feet and engage in a conversation in a more natural manner. I was able to learn how to ask questions if I did not understand something in order to continue the conversation rather than abruptly pausing. I think that I still have quite a bit of room for improvement in my interpersonal communication skills as I would like to be able to answer questions and sentences more spontaneously. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Presentational Speaking<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since SPAN 101 was online, our presentational speaking was replaced through breakout room chats in Spanish, Interviews with one another and the professor, and in-class participation by answering questions. Below is a video of a conversation in Spanish between myself and my classmate, Hailey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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