Personal Narrative: My Experience Of Speaking Spanish

Speaking Spanish or any second language opens a lot of doors in life. While the little Spanish I do know is incomprehensible to most fluent Spanish-speakers, it has helped me in some situations. The article Se Habla Espanol by Tanya Maria Barrientos is the story on how she (Tanya) dealt with the tribulations of being born in Guatemala, moved to and raised in the United States, and attempting to learn her native Language once again (Barrientos 645). While many of us, including Tanya, have difficulties learning a new language and understanding others cultures, the struggle will prove to be worth it in the end.

When I was in eighth grade and my class was choosing our schedules for our first year of high school, I was told that for the diploma I wanted, I would have to take a foreign language. I chose Spanish, because I thought it would be easy. Little did I know that that decision would change my life forever.

In the beginning of the semester when I was in Reading 80, I was overconfident about my own skills so I didn’t pay much attention to the instructor. I was also ashamed to tell my friends that I had this class so on my way to class I would take detours to the classroom jsut so they won’t know what class I had. I was miserable every time I was in this class. I had a hard time reading and I never understood anything. Every time I would duck into class quickly and pray that the teacher doesn’t pick on me to answer questions from our reading assignment. I was even more embarrassed because it was starting to seem like I do need this class, but I was still denying it. Sometimes to bypass the time I would doodle and procasanite instead of reading. I should have not done that. I was slowly falling behind, but I never talk to the instructor about it. She tried to help me many times but I never use my whole heart to try and listen to her. I acted as if she was a tiger and if I approached her I was going to get bit or something or she probably doesn’t care about me. One day during class

I was aware that I was academically behind which lead to low self-confidence. It was my first year at this new school. We have moved in with my grandparents after my parent's divorce. I was already feeling alienated. I feared my classmates would discover the hidden truth that I was illiterate. I would often pass on reading out loud. Although, it was apparent to me that my peers were eager to read, their hands shooting up and waving as they pleaded to be called on. One afternoon, my teacher sent me to a small building adjacent from the main office. It was a small cramped room. Bookshelves outlined the room, stacks of papers unfilled sat on the desk in the corner of the room. I felt nervous and scared. There I was given a series of test like reading flashcards, pronouncing each letter in the alphabet several times, as well writing and reading basic sentences. I was exhausted after the drills and I knew my secret was

“Wow...there is no way you’re Latino. You’re way too white!” was the ignorant remark made by a one of my peers during my school’s annual Latin-American Fest. Initially, hearing this claim made me look into the mirror. I began to stroke my face and examine my physical features. Was this true? Was I not Latino enough? Did the amount of melanin or lack thereof deem me as Latino?

It all started when I first went to school, my principal gave me two test; one in math and the other in English to see what level I was on. I first completed the math section which wasn’t a problem for me but,yet after he handed me the English part and I saw this story filled with words and sentences that I don’t know. After looking through the text I looked at him and told him with my broken English “I don’t speak English.” He looked at my dark brown eyes that were filled with fear and were about to tear up, he said “It is okay, do not worry” and took the test away. I left the classroom crying because I felt like I don’t belong here but then my mom told me that it is all in my power, I am in charge of my future and I should take

I am a native Spanish speaker, English teacher, writer and translator from Venezuela. I have 5 years of experience in the field of general/legal translations and about the same time as a creative writer.

Every year, a few days before Christmas break, my Spanish teacher hosts a Christmas party for all of the faculty. The students in his Spanish four class are responsible for preparing Hispanic influenced cuisine. However, the whole fiesta is coordinated by those brave enough to venture into AP Spanish. Although I’m in the level four course, my teacher assigned me as the chief organizer and décor extraordinaire. We only had four weeks to pull everything together so time was of the essence. By infusing a lot of positive energy and publicity about the occasion, we managed to spread the news and excitement among the faculty. Despite a few challenges with communication and organization, we managed to pull it off with great success. The teachers

We also believe that as our society assumes an increasingly global focus, becoming proficient in at least one foreign language is important. To attain as many foreign language skills as possible during her high school years, Kaitlyn studied Spanish concurrently for four years at Aim Academy and augmented her Spanish courses with independent study, using a variety of print and online resources. In addition to her high school Spanish language studies, she has also demonstrated great personal initiative by engaging in further independent study of other foreign

Today I gave John a warning during Spanish II class. I have called his attention many times for speaking out loud without raising his hand, or without being called upon. After the group project presentations, I began to give instructions on their Midterm Review packet, and John kept interrupting me. I told him to please raise his hand but he ignored my instructions. As they worked on their packet, I played Spanish Christmas music, and John spoke out loud again, saying “is that how you sound when you sing Ms. Molina?” I gave him a demerit as a warning, and advised him if he kept interrupting I would fill out and have him sign it. He remain silent doing his work for the rest of the class, but before leaving the class he tossed the demerit on

As weeks passed by my worked harder days and nights trying to improve my English, I watched movies, communicative videos, read books and even tried talking to myself in the mirror. As my English improved a bit, I got the confident to speak to others and make friends. By my second week, I made some good friends and they had helped me a lot throughout but I still wasn’t able to speak one third as good English as them, and on the other hand my grades were getting lower, especially for English. Soon came the report card day, I got devastated looking at my grades; right on that moment, a girl from my classroom walked up to me, stared right into my soul and said, “I can challenge you that you will never be able to get grades better than these and neither will you be able to speak English like us, you will

As a member of the National Honor Society, not only is academics important, but also signs of leadership, service, and character are needed to be taken into consideration. Unlike many of the students in Jenison, my background story is quite distinctive. I was born and raised in South Korea, immigrated to California at the age of 6, and now, it’s been three years in Michigan. However, one thing that hasn’t changed is my motto, to strive hard to make a difference in people's’ lives with the talents I’ve been given.

In my current community, the Spanish language is everywhere. I took the opportunity my school provided to take a Spanish class in order for me to understand the people that lived near me. Conversing in Spanish never came easily to me. I recall struggling to learn the many verb tenses and the complex vocabulary, but the struggles seemed nothing compared to the satisfaction I got from helping a Hispanic mother during a community service event. She could not speak English well, as I could not speak Spanish well. However, through my choppy sentences and limited vocabulary I was able to ask her what backpacks she wanted for her kids and how many she needed. Another memorable, proud moment, all due to my taking the time to learn a

I have been taking Spanish since fifth grade as a mandatory class and have come to love being able to understand and use a language in both academic settings and real-life situations. Spanish, in particular, is helpful to know in the U.S because it is the second most spoken language. I hear it all around me in public daily. A well-rounded knowledge of Spanish opens up many job opportunities because many companies are looking to make themselves more accessible to a wider range of people. Even if not for the opportunities, Spanish is a beautiful language. It’s mesmerizing to hear and I could only dream to speak it fluently. I already have a foundation from my Latin studies that would help me with Spanish as it is a Romance language. Unlike Latin,

For a background story, I am bilingual and I my parents sent me to Mexico to learn more Spanish. I came back, to complete my fourth grade, here back in the USA. Then, during that year, I made new friends from both Spanish and non-Spanish speaking kids, I had one friend in particular. We would play together during recess. One night during a parent teacher conference, we both saw each other and hugged, all while her mother was behind her. When I wanted my friend to meet my parents, all of a sudden, her mom grabs her by her arm and looked at me. Her mother then asked me, "are you a Mexican?" And I answered "I guess, but I speak Spanish too!" Suddenly she looks at my friend and says "why are you friends with her? We got to go now." When all of