Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational Modes of Communication
Exploring Culture
The cultural exploration sections of the textbook helped me to gain a better understanding of Hispanic culture. Each chapter had a section that included the perspectives and beliefs of Spanish-speakers living in South America and the Caribbean. Some of the topics discussed where the body positive movements, the environment, and immigration. One of the topics that was discussed was the body positive movements that occur within Hispanic culture. Many people believe that there are stereotypes to look a certain way, but it is impossible for everyone to fit an ideal standard because there are so many types and sizes of bodies. The thing that matters most is being and feeling healthy and comfortable within your own body. Many Hispanic countries also deal with pollution and environmental issues like climate change. The people within these countries belief that trying to reduce pollution and fix environmental issues are crucial to their countries and communities.
I believe that these practices helped me to see many similarities between Hispanic and American culture. I think that in both cultures, body image is very valued, especially with the rise of social media. While this ideal standard exists within both cultures, the common attitude is that being healthy and accepting your body is what is most important. I think that in many instances, the Hispanic culture is seen at a lower standard to American culture, and there are many stereotypes that exist within American culture that is hurtful to Hispanic culture and gives it a negative reputation. However, after studying and learning about different aspects of Hispanic culture, I have a better understanding of the attitudes and beliefs that Hispanic people have.
Engaging in Communities
Becoming involved within your immediate community is extremely important because it helps people to make connections to people who may have a different culture or background. When a diverse community comes together, they are able to use their different perspectives to create solutions to problems that they may face as a community. Within the immediate community, people who have different cultures and beliefs may be able to come together and find similarities, and change any misconceptions they may have.
Today, the world is too interconnected to not be engaged in the global community. The Internet and social media has made it possible for the average person to be constantly connected to people and organizations outside of their own country. Since so many of the things we do today affect what happens internationally, such as what companies we support, what apps we use, and the products we consume, we have to be engaged within the global community to monitor our effect on the world. If there are people or groups within the global community who need help or support, it is important that we collect and use our power to call for change.
Interpersonal Communication
I completed a TalkAbroad with a very nice woman from Guatemala. The first topic we discussed was articles of clothing. We discussed what clothing we would wear to certain events, like going to work or going on a date. We also talked about our everyday style, and how the weather affects the type of clothing we normally wear. The next topic we discussed was ecotourism. We talked about where we would want to go on vacation, as well as the ecotourism activities that are available in our area.
One of the most difficult aspects of the TalkAbroad that I had to overcome was how nervous I was to speak to another person in Spanish. I was extremely nervous that I would forget what I had planned to say, or have such a hard time speaking that my partner would not understand what I was trying to say. However, I found that the more time I spent speaking, the less self-conscious I became. This activity really helped me to overcome my fear of speaking Spanish in public. This is extremely beneficial because I believe that one of the best ways to learn Spanish is by speaking it. Now that I have become more comfortable, it has given me more confidence to talk to my relatives who speak Spanish in Spanish, so I can continue to practice and build up knowledge. Another aspect of the conversation that was difficult was thinking of things to say in response to my partner. I do not think I prepared enough additional questions to ask, which stopped the flow of communication at times. Next time, I would prepare more questions to ask, as well as give answers that have more detail and are more in-depth.
Presentational Speaking
One presentational speaking activity I completed this semester was giving a speech about a trip to Vieques, Puerto Rico, and ecotourism destination. The speech included information about the Island, how we traveled to our destination, and the different types of environments the Island has. I also talked about some of the activities that are available in Vieques, like kayaking in a bioluminescent bay. Finally, I talked about some environmental problems that the Island is dealing with, such as pollution.
A problem I faced while giving this speech dealt with the pronunciation of certain words. This was one of my first assignments in which I had to discuss pollution and other problems and activities related to the environment and nature, so I struggled at first to pronounce each word correctly. I overcame this by spending time practicing the script and repeating each sentence multiple times to ensure that I was pronouncing everything correctly. By doing this, I had more confidence when doing the actual presentation and was able to pronounce every word to the best of my ability. One aspect of this presentation that I excelled at was giving a good amount of information about the Island of Vieques and the activities available there. I think my inclusion of certain pictures and videos also helped to make the presentation more entertaining. For my next speaking presentation, I think I would work on looking up when I am speaking, so I can be better understood.
Your-Title-Here-1Presentational Writing
The presentational writing activity that I completed was a short story called, “The Error of Holmberg”. This short story is about an American student named Allen Holmberg who travels to an area called the Beni in Bolivia to live with an indigenous tribe called the Sirionó. After living with the Sirionó, Holmberg writes a book in which he describes the group as wandering nomads with no culture, and makes the assertion that nothing of importance occurred in South America before the arrival of Columbus, which becomes the common belief within American academia throughout the mid-1900s. However, it is later revealed that the Sirionó population has been decimated by disease which has erased a large amount of Sironó culture, and the group was also being hunted for their land, which forced them to go into hiding and constantly be on the move.
When we began completing writing assignment at the beginning of the semester, I had trouble conjugating verbs in the past tense, because I was always unsure of which tense to use in certain situations. However, practicing using the different past tenses both within class and while completing writing assignments, such as the short story, have helped me to grow stronger and more confident when using the past tense. When I did have difficulties conjugating in the past tense, I would use my notes from class as well as from Contraseña. One aspect of the writing presentation that I exceled at was using more complex sentences to give more details and information about the story. Usually, I tend to find myself writing more simple sentences, because it is easier to understand. However, since I was really intrigued by this specific story, it was easier to write longer and more complex sentences that had more depth and emotion. In the future, I can continue to practice using the past tense, and learning more about when to use a specific verb tense.
El-Error-de-Holmberg-1Interpretive Listening
An interpretive listening activity I completed this semester was listening to a video about the 60th anniversary of the Museum of Modern Art in Buenos Aires. The video explained the history behind the museum, as well as some of the events and exhibitions the Museum currently holds.
One aspect of the listening activity that was a challenge was keeping up with the pace of each person speaking throughout the video. While each person was speaking, I was trying to actively listen while trying to translate in my head, but at certain times I could not keep up and failed to understand what they were saying. However, after re-watching the video a few times, it became easier to understand each sentence. The video also included Spanish subtitles, which was a great aid while listening to the video. If there were any words I did not know or understand while listening, I could find the words within the subtitles and search for their definitions. I benefited greatly from listening to the video. Not only did I learn more about the artistic and cultural history of Buenos Aires, but I also improved my listening skills and ability to understand spoken Spanish.
Interpretive Reading
The interpretive reading activity I read this semester was El Eclipse by Augusto Monterroso. The story is about a Spanish friar, Bartolomé Arrazola, who gets lost in a forest in Guatemala and ends up being captured and sacrificed by an indigenous tribe. Before he is sacrificed, he tries to trick the indigenous people into freeing him by promising to tell them the scientific work of Aristotle and solar eclipses. However, the indigenous tribe was not impressed by this information, because eclipses were already commonly known and recorded within their culture.
Some of the phrases and vocabulary used within the story were challenging for me to understand, which required me to search for the translation in order to understand. A few of the words I was unfamiliar with, but after looking for their definitions and writing them down in my notebook, I now have a better understanding of the story and feel more confident while reading it. I thought that this story was interesting because it offered two different perspectives of the same story. Many people believe that European science and knowledge were superior to that of non-industrial societies and tribes. However, this story argues that these indigenous tribes were just as knowledgeable, even if their culture was different. With each reading assignment, I think my ability to understand the text grows, and it is easier for me to make sense of a text by looking for words and phrases I understand and using context clues to help provide more information.
