During Spring Break I went to my hometown in Jalisco, México to celebrate Semana Santa ("Holy Week") with my family. Throughout my stay there, I noticed that I was able to have longer and more meaningful conversations with relatives and strangers on the street. The other person in the conversation usually led the conversation, but I was happy that I no longer had to think too much or for too to reply. I think that the work I've done in and outside of my Spanish class is paying off.
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Though I've been improving my vocabulary and comprehension by reading Spanish Literature, I've realized that my speech isn't improving at the same rate. To change this, I've started listening to a lot of audio in Spanish. An easy way in which I am exposing myself to the language is by listening to more Spanish songs and watching Spanish movies, which is something I already enjoyed. Because I've been listening to song lyrics and dialogue in movies, I've been able to mimic what I hear and speak more clearly and with a more natural accent.
On a similar note, I recently came across an article on the issues that Spanish Heritage speakers encounter in learning their native language in non-native countries (i.e. the United States). By definition, Spanish Heritage speakers are those that informally learn a language that is not dominantly used for their education; in my case, English.
I took the time to read the article because I had always wondered why I always felt like I wasn't learning anything from routine grammar lessons and asking/answering shallow questions like "¿cómo estás?" The suggestion made by the article was that in order to compensate for the lack of stimulation in the classroom, one should participate in voluntary reading outside of the classroom. I felt relieved to know that I wasn't the only one suffering from the implications that come with being a Spanish speaker who is expected to be completely fluent in both Spanish and English, but receives all of their formal education in English. It surprised me that I had already begun to address this issue by reading on my own time, and now that there is proof that voluntary reading is probably the only way I can genuinely learn the language, I will certainly be doing more of it. This year I am taking AP Spanish Literature and Culture. I decided to take this course because it would expose me to Spanish literature and its history, which is something I'd been wanting to do on my own for a long time. I personally enjoy reading, so I wouldn't mind being able to do so in two languages.
So far we have covered multiple time periods and their respective ideals. We will be covering topics such as family, carpe diem, the meeting of two worlds. modernism, etc. Aside from this, we've been learning the functions of literature devices found in our readings. This has proven to be really helpful because--just like in my AP English class-- I am able to delve deeper to find the meaning and purpose of what we're reading.
So far I've been surprised by how much has changed here since my last visit. Apparently the new MotoTaxis have become a popular way to get around the town. They're the funny looking carts like the ones in India.
Also, I was invited to watch the rehearsal ("ensayo") of the local dance group that will be performing along with other dance teams from the country in the "Te Te Kaneine" ("bailemos juntos" in Huichol language) Festival from the 27th to the 29th . During the 4 hours of rehearsal, I realized how intense the communication between the instructor ("el profe") and the dancers had to be in order for them to make progress. There was a lot of goofing around, laughing, talking, etc., yet the group was able to pull off a really good dance in the end. It was especially nice to have witnessed this because the dance was specific to the culture of Jalisco, México. By the end of this week I'll be in Mexico; visiting family and enjoying a break from school. I already know that I'll be exposed to an incredible amount of the Mexican culture--one that requires foreigners or returning "paisanos" to understand its language in order to fully appreciate it. Besides enjoying the beautiful features of Mexico, I'll also be witnessing how individuals, including the local indingeous people, live on a daily basis, and comparing it to the various aspects of my "Americanized" lifestyle. I'll try to post some pictures and/or reflective blogs.
This week in my AP Spanish Language and Culture class we are learning about Hispanic countries. We gave presentations about the effects of immigration in central and south America as well as the various types of educational systems established in Latin American countries.
During our education unit, we were exposed to the hardships that many students have to face on a daily basis when their governments neglect their need for a quality education, qualified instructors, and new material. Meanwhile, in some nations (i.e. Chile), education is a valuable aspect of life, thus allowing for the development of excellent students and skilled citizens. We've also been discussing the benefits of attending college after high school (la prepa), and eventually assuming a profession with our specialized knowledge. So, my teacher gave us an assignment where we had to create our own resumés and practice interviewing each other in class. This activity was very though provoking because I had to think of my achievements and experience while creating my own resumé. This assignment was even more challenging because I had to write in formal Spanish. Nevertheless, it made me reflect on how much I've been involved in so far, and realize that I could potentially apply for a job that was based solely on the Spanish language. {Educational System Powerpoint} Up until this unit, we've also been analyzing art (my assignment was to study one of Frida Kahlo's self-portraits). This unit also focused on surrealism, which is a theme associated closely with Salvador Dali from Spain. Art analysis really interested me, and so I bought a biographical book on his preeminent paintings. I read it slowly and enjoyed every single piece that was shown. While I read it, I was able to look at his techniques; I was also able to use Dali's biography and paintings side-by-side to search for his purpose. This experience was rather satisfying. {Frida Kahlo Powerpoint} |
AuthorIBCP student at Wooster High School aspiring to be a civil engineer. Archives
April 2018
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