Exploring Culture
During the course it was interesting to look up the different foods and music of the Spanish Culture. I really enjoyed researching the different ruins and their history. What I enjoyed most was being able to learn and experience this culture through the activities that my professor provided.
As Individuals we can learn so much from other cultures and their beliefs and customs. Music in any culture tells a story. It allows you to hear, visualize and grasp a better concept of an idea or feeling. The songs during the course by Juan Luis Guerra that we researched were really entertaining and they all told a story of this particular musician. Being able to research and learn the different ruins within Spain was also an enjoyable activity within the course. Being that I have never traveled out of the country I enjoyed being able to visit these beautiful locations virtually. It was insightful to learn the religious and agricultural uses of these places. After seeing these beautiful places I would definitely want to visit one day. Learning Spanish was very challenging yet beneficial because I learned so much more about the culture.
Below is a link and information about one of the ruins I researched during the course. “Moray Ruins” one of the many beautiful locations in Cuzco Peru.
Engaging in Communities
I live in an area in Virginia where there is moderate amount of Spanish Speaking individuals. It is important to be able to communicate with them effectively so that their basic needs are met. I’ve volunteered at a local childcare center and during my time with the childcare center there were many families whom spoke Spanish and the children were the only ones who knew or could speak English. However being that they were children somethings they were unable to communicate as well as adults. I believe that being able to communicate with individuals in the language they are most comfortable with is important. They are able to understand and convey their thoughts effectively and have their needs mets.
Interpersonal Communication
During the semester we participated in many interpersonal communication activities. We participated in two talk abroad activities where we talked with an individual who spoke Spanish about clothes, shopping, food and cooking. We engaged in communication activities with a selected partner where we communicated about visiting a hotel, shopping in an open market and discussing our daily routine. The discussion boards were also engaging where we were able to engage in discussion with our peers on different cultural ideas.
During my Talk abroad session I spoke with Sandra she was very nice and I chose her because we had a lot in common. She was very helpful during the conversation and used different nonverbal cues to help me along with my dialogue. I really enjoyed the conversation and towards the end I felt comfortable talking back and forth with her. The talk abroad allowed for me to practice the material from the lessons.
I enjoyed the activities with my partner she was very helpful and It was fun role playing the various scenes during the semester. Although I had trouble in the beginning it was very insightful and a great learning experience to complete these communication assignments. The discussion boards allowed for me to engage with my peers and learn their perspectives and ideas on the Spanish Culture. It was very interesting to read the different post and choices of my peers.
Presentational Speaking
During the course we used Voice thread where we were prompted to answer questions in Spanish while being recorded so that the professor could evaluate how well we pronounced our sentences in Spanish. This was one of the task that I had trouble with in the beginning but eventually was able to understand and effectively answer the questions in recordings. I liked that I was able to see and hear myself pronounce the sentences so that I could correct my pronunciation.
Presentational Writing
There were several assignments during the course where we had to write compositions. The one I enjoyed the most was writing about and activity or event that we attended with a friend or family. I wrote about attending a Halloween event at Kings Dominion with my oldest daughter. The compositions were difficult to write especially trying to make sure to write in the correct tense and to make sure the sentences made sense.
Interpretive Listening and Reading
We watched many videos and listened to different during the semester where we would have to interpret what was going on or being said. That part of the lesson was difficult for me but it allowed for me to put to use what I had learned so far in the lessons.