Recently I decided to change my Spanish minor to a major. My reasoning for this change is that I can spend more time in the Spanish culture and have a better understanding of the Spanish language. I plan to pursue a career in the medical field and having a comprehensive understanding of the Spanish language will allow me to reach more patients. Latinos represent 16% percent of the Spanish population and are the fastest growing ethnic minority group. For this reason, I have chosen to study Spanish over other languages such as Mandarin or French. Being immersed in the Spanish culture will sharpen my speaking skills and also help me better understand the history and culture of the Spanish-speaking people. Although learning in the classroom has
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Over the last three years I learned to support myself and adjusted to life on my own. Living on my own allowed me the opportunity to mature and flourish into the person that I am today. This ability to thrive in new and foreign environments will benefit me while studying abroad. While studying abroad I will be further away from home and see my family even less than I do now. However, I am not worried about this because I have accustomed myself to rarely seeing my family during my time at Grace. My level of mature is another strength that will benefit me during my time abroad. I understand that every culture is unique and when experiencing a different culture it is important to always be respectful of their culture and costumes even if they are unalike what I am familiar with. I have been fortunate enough to travel to several other countries with and without my family and have experienced first hand how to behave in a foreign country. Each culture has its own unique traditions and when experiencing that culture it is key to keep and open mind and always be polite and respectful. In order to fully embrace the experience of being in a different country one must employ cultural relativism rather than ethnocentrism. Fortunately I have experience with other cultures and this will greatly benefit me while studying …show more content…
My family comes from Mexico and they all speak Spanish. Since I am fluent in Spanish already, taking the Spanish classes at Grace allowed me to refine my skills and acquire a more thorough understanding of the history of the Spanish culture. Although Spanish is my second language, being in school did not allow me to use the language on a daily basis, unless I was in Spanish class. I had some difficulty re-accustoming myself to having Spanish conversations after not practicing or implementing the language regularly. I plan to practice holding conversations in Spanish while in class and with family members in order to refine my skills and abilities. Practicing now will ensure that my conversational skills are up to bar so that I am prepared to study abroad in a Spanish speaking country. While in Spain I will refrain from speaking English and only speak Spanish in order to embrace the culture and further develop my appreciation for and understanding of the culture in Spain. I believe the only way to maximize my experience and become an optimal learner while abroad is to fully immerse myself in the culture exercise cultural
Over the last three years I learned to support myself and adjusted to life on my own. Living on my own allowed me the opportunity to mature and flourish into the person that I am today. This ability to thrive in new and foreign environments will benefit me while studying abroad. While studying abroad I will be further away from home and see my family even less than I do now. However, I am not worried about this because I have accustomed myself to rarely seeing my family during my time at Grace. My level of mature is another strength that will benefit me during my time abroad. I understand that every culture is unique and when experiencing a different culture it is important to always be respectful of their culture and costumes even if they are unalike what I am familiar with. I have been fortunate enough to travel to several other countries with and without my family and have experienced first hand how to behave in a foreign country. Each culture has its own unique traditions and when experiencing that culture it is key to keep and open mind and always be polite and respectful. In order to fully embrace the experience of being in a different country one must employ cultural relativism rather than ethnocentrism. Fortunately I have experience with other cultures and this will greatly benefit me while studying …show more content…
My family comes from Mexico and they all speak Spanish. Since I am fluent in Spanish already, taking the Spanish classes at Grace allowed me to refine my skills and acquire a more thorough understanding of the history of the Spanish culture. Although Spanish is my second language, being in school did not allow me to use the language on a daily basis, unless I was in Spanish class. I had some difficulty re-accustoming myself to having Spanish conversations after not practicing or implementing the language regularly. I plan to practice holding conversations in Spanish while in class and with family members in order to refine my skills and abilities. Practicing now will ensure that my conversational skills are up to bar so that I am prepared to study abroad in a Spanish speaking country. While in Spain I will refrain from speaking English and only speak Spanish in order to embrace the culture and further develop my appreciation for and understanding of the culture in Spain. I believe the only way to maximize my experience and become an optimal learner while abroad is to fully immerse myself in the culture exercise cultural