Effective Reflection

• Spanish 2 was definitely an eye opener. With the semester being only a few weeks compared to a whole semester, it has forced me to learn way faster than I would like to. As always, learning a new language is difficult as you continue to grow older, but learning and trying to master it in just a few weeks is challenging. While taking Spanish 1 it was more of a refresher, as the material was way easier. During the semester of taking Spanish 1, I could breeze through the work with no problems and obtain a perfect grade. Spanish 2 is very different. I didn’t just learn new words, but I also learned different tenses in which the word had. It became confusing to know which one to use at which time. After realizing how much more difficult it was, I took more time to study and engage in the activities. Once I took this step, I started to see my grade improve.

Exploring Culture

• After visiting Mexico this past semester, I was able to communicate a little more with the staff at the resort and some of the people who lived there. Last semester I was accustom to just basic terms and phrases, but now I know way more down to colors, foods, clothes and more. The food was more different than I expected but it was their culture. Every thing was so different down to the way they communicated with each other, made their foods and even the way they drove and danced. With traveling comes unfamiliar experiences, to another country and even to another state. I am now more open to trying new foods and doing things I wouldn’t usually do and plan to visit Mexico more often.

Engaging in Communities

• Engaging in the community means a lot to me. Pursuing a career in the nursing field displays that effort and care. I am pursuing a career in nursing simply because I genuinely like to help others. After helping and caring for someone that needs help or can’t do for themself, it gives me some sort of satisfaction. This satisfaction is a good feeling knowing that I have impacted someone else in a good way, a chance that something little could be remembered forever. I give back to the community constantly by working at the hospital and volunteering for blood drives, flu shot clinics and more.

Interpersonal Communication

• TalkAbroad was definitely a challenge for me. It’s one thing to talk to your teacher and other classmates who know you aren’t as fluent and are still learning, rather than to talk to someone from a Spanish speaking country who is much more fluent. It took me awhile to prepare and gather some questions and answers for my discussion. It was difficult for me in which they speak so fluently, meaning the words come out faster and takes me longer to understand them. I was very nervous but she was also very helpful. I overcame this by practicing more and by repeating to myself what was being said or asked.
• For assignments like discussion boards and VHL oral assignments, I would look back in my notes to put certain phrases together to piece what was being said. Some students would write in Spanish, while others would write in English. Practicing and looking over the vocabulary in my notes is what helped me complete these assignments more thoroughly.