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What I Learned In Spanish Class

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Born in Washington D.C., my time was spent observing others and listening closely. My parents were hard workers trying to make ends meet. My first language was Spanish but also learned English by the various lessons taught by my cousin. In a sense, the language that was acquired consisted of Spanglish. As I moved around and lived in different locations throughout the area, I became aware of the various languages and foods. Eventually, I moved to Silver Spring and enrolled at Sligo Creek Elementary School, the place where I was first introduced to the Pledge of Allegiance. At the time, I did not understand the significance of the Pledge of Allegiance let alone the American flag. My observation of students putting their hand over their heart …show more content…

The school offered Spanish and or French class which became a turning point. Spanish was important to me thus my choice of class to take was Spanish. I soon became aware that my Spanish was basic and ended up learning a great deal. My teacher taught me there was more to it than just the language. In my Spanish class, I learned a small amount about culture and was assigned a project. The project consisted of picking a country where Spanish is used and to learn about the culture. Also, my teacher taught the class that not every Spanish speaking country speak only Spanish. In addition to Spanish class, it was a requirement to take social studies. However, the social studies course emphasized more on geography than history. The main topics discussed in middle school that had to do with history were about various Acts and treaties. However, for some reason, it was difficult for me to understand the significance of these …show more content…

The combination of my minor and major helped me develop a broader perspective about culture. My English classes such as American literature, British literature, and Literature & Culture of the U.S. helped me gain a wider understanding of the injustice that people have faced and are still facing. The texts that were assigned to the class included No-No Boy, The Woman Warrior, Silk, Bless Me Ultima, and much more. The literature we read revealed the lives of various people and the customs. My professor taught the class about multiple religions. Also, while discussing topics about the texts, he helped me understand in greater depth about socio-economic differences. In addition, to discussing the texts, my professor had us watch videos such as The Joy Luck Club and El Norte. In addition to my English literature courses, Life & Culture of Hispanics in U.S. further enhanced my knowledge of the meaning of culture. I learned that Puerto Rico is part of the U.S. due to the Jones Act. Additionally, my professor emphasized the difference between terms such as Chicano versus Tejanos and Hispanic vs Latino. Overall, my undergrad years became an important time where my knowledge of culture

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