Exploring Culture

The purpose of this semester’s exercises was to help us understand cultural perspectives through the presentation of profiles of different cultures around the world. By viewing their profiles, I was able to understand that not everything is the same everywhere. It is true that everyone has their own preferences and that is true not only for Americans but also for people in other countries around the world. It is especially important when it comes to communication. Each country has different body movements and beauty standards in the Spanish-speaking world. In the body positive movement, certain things are made visible that are hidden by many people, whether they are physical characteristics, such as acne, freckles, scars, stretch marks, cellulite, being overweight, or other things that are generally regarded as imperfections by traditional beauty standards. A movement that promotes acceptance and empowerment regardless of gender, age, or size, in recognition of the diversity of human body sizes and shapes. As a result of gaining a greater understanding of how other countries do things, it opened my eyes to a whole new world of understanding that just as America has its own methods that make sense, so do other countries have their own methods that make sense as well. Having gained this knowledge, I am confident that both the United States of America and the other countries that I have studied could benefit from receiving ideas and inspiration for their own countries so that they will have a better quality of life in their daily lives.

Engaging in Communities

Engaging both the immediate community as well as the global community is crucial to creating a balanced approach to social responsibility. Global engagement broadens perspectives and addresses challenges that transcend borders while strengthening local bonds and addressing specific needs in the immediate community. By combining these two approaches, there is the possibility of creating a sense of responsibility at various levels of society and contributing to a more interconnected, harmonious world. During this course we learned and got input on different countries thoughts or how they do things such as with read about migration trends, environmental challenges and policies, body movements and beauty standards, and popular types of art in the Spanish-speaking world. It has been a rewarding and enlightening experience to engage with various perspectives of the Spanish-speaking world throughout this course. Exploring migration trends, environmental challenges, body movements, beauty standards, and popular art forms has provided valuable insights into the diverse perspectives and practices within these communities. The cultural richness and complexity unique to Spanish-speaking societies were made evident to me through participating in discussions on these topics. As a result of understanding migration trends, we are able to better understand the societal factors that determine individuals’ movements. Discussions on environmental challenges highlighted the global impacts of local policies and practices. Cultural context plays an important role in shaping societal norms through body movements and beauty standards. As a result of studying popular art forms, we can discover how dynamic and vibrant the creative expressions of Spanish-speaking countries contribute to their cultural heritage. Throughout this experience, I have come to appreciate cultural diversity and to realize the importance of diverse perspectives in developing global understanding.

Attached above is Yesica and Francisco discussing popular types of art in their Spanish-speaking countries.

Interpersonal Communication

TalkAbroad was a program I utilized this semester to enhance my conversational skills and cultural understanding by engaging in live oral conversations with native Spanish speakers. In addition to the course’s content, I participated in a number of interpersonal writing activities, such as writing compositions, in which I practiced reading and responding to prompts in Spanish. During class, I also answered Spanish-based questions among my classmates. In addition to my formal studies, these experiences have been very beneficial as they have provided practical applications and helped foster an approach to learning languages that is well-rounded.

It has been very beneficial for me to engage in telecollaborative conversations through TalkAbroad in order to greatly improve my abilities to communicate spontaneously in Spanish. It was challenging for me at first to think very quickly and respond in a timely manner, but as time went on, I came to be more fluent and confident in my ability to think on my feet. I have been able to enhance my written communication skills through the writing compositions I have done so far, as I have grappled with complex prompts and presented my thoughts in a coherent manner. Maintaining conciseness while maintaining clarity was a challenge for me, and I had a hard time balancing the two. The experience pushed me to become more precise with my language. Overall, these activities widened my cultural awareness because I encountered a variety of perspectives and nuances in language that broadened my understanding. Based on my current level of proficiency in Spanish, I would aim to diversify the language resources that I have and immerse myself further in authentic materials in order to enhance both my spoken and written proficiency in Spanish.

Presentational Speaking

Our class has been using presentational speaking in multiple ways through Lingo Learning throughout the course of the semester.  In Lingo learning, we had to create a three-minute video describing a trip, either imaginary or real, to an ecotourism destination. I did not find the speaking activities difficult, except that I had to keep taking new takes to match the picture and screen timing to the audio timing. For that small challenge, I timed myself as I said each sentence I planned to say to try and match it with how long the slide would be shown in the video. As a result, my pronunciation improved, and my speech flowed better as well as quicker. As far as how I did things, it was what worked for me, and I wouldn’t change a thing. Practice makes better, so the more you do it, the better it sounds.

Attached is a link to my video presentation on describing a trip to Costa Rica and what I would do there.

Presentational Writing

During the presentational writing portion during this course, we had to write a short story of about 150–200 words based on a historical event. We also had to include verb tenses in the present, the preterite, the imperfect, the present and past perfect. My experience of writing a historical fiction story in Spanish has significantly contributed to my growth as a writer. I have learned both language proficiency and storytelling skills through the assignment. Throughout each assignment, I became increasingly comfortable expressing details and emotions in Spanish, demonstrating a significant improvement in my language skills. My challenge was to maintain a compelling plot while adhering to the historical backdrop while maintaining historical accuracy. It required a lot of research and an effort to include historical facts seamlessly into the narrative in order to overcome this challenge. In the future if I had to do another assignment like this again, I intend to incorporate historical elements seamlessly, aiming for a more engaging and detailed narrative.

Attached is the short story I created.

Interpretive Listening

For this course, we listened to a video that discussed called “The green backpacker”. This is a videoblog about ecotourism trips around the world. ‘Juan’ is a biology student who enjoys traveling and hosts this videoblog as a hobby. Juan shares his experience traveling through some prime ecotourism destinations in Mexico in this episode. It was initially difficult to comprehend specific vocabulary associated with ecotourism and biological concepts in a conversational context while listening to “The Green Backpacker” video. Rather than passively watching the video, I took a proactive approach by pausing to look up unfamiliar terms and by further researching. One of the most interesting aspects of the recording was Juan’s first-hand account of ecotourism destinations in Mexico, which portrayed in a vivid manner the beauty of nature as well as the conservation efforts that have been made there. As a result of the listening experience, I have become more aware of the importance of integrating real-world applications of vocabulary into language learning. My takeaway was a better understanding of the environmental impacts of ecotourism and the importance of responsible travel on local communities. With these activities, I have developed a more thorough and practical understanding of the Spanish language and its use in the real world, improving my language comprehension and ability to gain meaning from genuine, natural content.

Attached is “The green backpacker”video

Interpretive Reading

We used interpretive reading through Lingo learning we read and identified main ideas in an authentic short story from Guatemala and its historical significance. This short story included visuals and an audio to follow along as we read the slides. The challenge of reading a short story in Spanish presented both a learning opportunity as well as a challenge. It was initially difficult to comprehend the narrative fully due to unfamiliar vocabulary and complex expressions. My technique for overcoming this was to combine contextual inference with language practice, resulting in a more effective understanding of the language’s features. One of the most fascinating aspects of the experience was seeing the way cultural elements were intertwined with the storyline, providing a deeper understanding of Spanish culture. As a result of reading, I gained a greater understanding of how language reflects cultural diversity. My comprehension of Spanish has improved significantly and my ability to navigate challenging situations has increased throughout these assignments. Besides enhancing my language skills, this journey has also enhanced my understanding of how language and culture are intertwined, fostering growth and understanding.

Attached is the short story from Guatemala and its significance.