With today being the last day of Spanish class, I wanted to reflect about my experience learning a new language in such a short period of time.
Looking back at my first day in Spanish, coming in with no knowledge of the language compared to today knowing so much more, I am very proud of myself. When I was in high school I took German for 4 years and for the majority of those years I struggled. I purposely didn't sign up for the trip to travel to Germany because I was so nervous about my lack of ability to communicate. Now I wish that I hadn't missed that opportunity because after coming to the Dominican Republic and learning a second language I see how wonderful and beneficial of an experience it is.
I sit down and have lunch with 3 women who speak no English everyday and I am not scared to go there. In fact I can't wait to get there and mingle and talk with my family. Everyday I am eager to learn something new from my family.
From the very first day in class, Spanish was the only language that was spoken. I remember being so confused and frustrated. I was worried that I wouldn't ever be able to speak even a little bit of Spanish. After a few days however, my optimism started to grow stronger and I felt more and more confident with my ability to learn and speak Spanish. Eating lunch with my Dominican family and interacting with the Spanish speaking children and adults at 3 Mariposas really helped me practice and learn Spanish. When you are speaking to someone who only knows Spanish and cannot communicate with you in English you are put in a sink or float kind of situation. You have to try and remember what you learned in class and use it with the people you are speaking to. It is a great way to solidify information and a great way to truly learn the language.
I now have a desire to continue my Spanish education when I get home. I want to be able to teach the children in my classroom as much Spanish as possible. It might spark and interest and make some of my students want to continue to learn Spanish or any new language.
Looking back at my first day in Spanish, coming in with no knowledge of the language compared to today knowing so much more, I am very proud of myself. When I was in high school I took German for 4 years and for the majority of those years I struggled. I purposely didn't sign up for the trip to travel to Germany because I was so nervous about my lack of ability to communicate. Now I wish that I hadn't missed that opportunity because after coming to the Dominican Republic and learning a second language I see how wonderful and beneficial of an experience it is.
I sit down and have lunch with 3 women who speak no English everyday and I am not scared to go there. In fact I can't wait to get there and mingle and talk with my family. Everyday I am eager to learn something new from my family.
From the very first day in class, Spanish was the only language that was spoken. I remember being so confused and frustrated. I was worried that I wouldn't ever be able to speak even a little bit of Spanish. After a few days however, my optimism started to grow stronger and I felt more and more confident with my ability to learn and speak Spanish. Eating lunch with my Dominican family and interacting with the Spanish speaking children and adults at 3 Mariposas really helped me practice and learn Spanish. When you are speaking to someone who only knows Spanish and cannot communicate with you in English you are put in a sink or float kind of situation. You have to try and remember what you learned in class and use it with the people you are speaking to. It is a great way to solidify information and a great way to truly learn the language.
I now have a desire to continue my Spanish education when I get home. I want to be able to teach the children in my classroom as much Spanish as possible. It might spark and interest and make some of my students want to continue to learn Spanish or any new language.