LEARNING SPANISH
This semester, I took on the task of learning a new language. I have been way too busy this semester to commit to this on the level I would like to, but luckily I had that in mind from the beginning. My plan was to focus more intensely on methods of learning that I could easily incorporate into my schedule and plans. This consisted of two major strategies, along with some supplementary methods. I used Duolingo nearly every day, using the "streak" feature to keep track of my progress. I already had a streak when I began this experience, but I was able to extend it to 282 days over the course of the Fall, ensuring that I made daily progress. According to an annual summary, I spent almost 2000 minutes learning languages, primarily Spanish over the course of 2023. In addition to this, I had over fifteen speaking sessions with my girfriend, Adriana. Adriana is a native speaker, and is someone I am comfortable practicing my limited Spanish with, which has been so helpful. It can sometimes be discouraging how few words you recognize when transitioning from a structured learning program like Duolingo to a real world conversation, so I really appreciated her support, and willingness to explain the many things I didn't understand. I have also engaged in other online resources like Reverso and Movies, with which I was able to expand my learning beyond Duolingo, and practice listening and gauge my comprehension.
Attempting to learn a new language has had a huge impact on me. For the first time, I have tried to learn a new language outside of a structured class environment like I did in high school. I think this was a really important step that this experience allowed me to take, as gaining the confidence to pursue learning like this on my own is a broadly applicable skill, and takes down a barrier of entry that I have had to learning something new, whether it be more Spanish, or other languages in the future. I feel that the best way to learn a language is total immersion, which is of course hard to do when you haven't learned the language yet. This is a bit of a paradox, but I think a way to get around it is to simulate immersion as much as you can where you are. During my co-op over the summer, I was around a lot of Spanish-speaking people at work and I definitely missed this opportunity in Cincinnati, around the same time I tried to focus more on Spanish. Speaking with Adriana and watching movies were definitely a couple good ways to simulate immersion a bit, but I think there is more I can do in the future. I plan to look into speaking groups once I have a little more skill and feel like I can follow a conversation. As far as personal impact of the learning itself, I think it's hard to say yet, but I have a feeling I will be able to better answer this as time goes by. I am not in a position where I am utilizing Spanish in the present, but I am confident I will be in the future. I plan to travel to Spanish speaking countries, and am super excited to be in an environment where I can learn and have a more impactful experience by being able to interact with people who live locally on a higher level. I have been wanting to go to South America for quite a while, and I think a higher level of fluency in Spanish would not only enhance the experience, but make me more likely to begin trips in the first place. I would love to return to California and my previous employer at some point, where I think knowing Spanish will be helpful as well. I touched on this a little, but many a vast majority of workers on many construction sites in California speak Spanish as their primary language, and some speak almost no English. It's not like it's a necessary skill for me to speak Spanish, there's always going to be someone who can translate, but there's something about being able to communicate more directly that feels important to me for some reason.
Estoy tratando de escribir este párrafo (con ayuda) para evaluar mi aprendizaje. La cantidad de cosas que tengo que buscar es un poco desalentadora, pero estoy tratando de desafiarme. Creo que voy a seguir practicando español, y espero tener más oportunidades para utilizar mis habilidades en el futuro.
This semester, I took on the task of learning a new language. I have been way too busy this semester to commit to this on the level I would like to, but luckily I had that in mind from the beginning. My plan was to focus more intensely on methods of learning that I could easily incorporate into my schedule and plans. This consisted of two major strategies, along with some supplementary methods. I used Duolingo nearly every day, using the "streak" feature to keep track of my progress. I already had a streak when I began this experience, but I was able to extend it to 282 days over the course of the Fall, ensuring that I made daily progress. According to an annual summary, I spent almost 2000 minutes learning languages, primarily Spanish over the course of 2023. In addition to this, I had over fifteen speaking sessions with my girfriend, Adriana. Adriana is a native speaker, and is someone I am comfortable practicing my limited Spanish with, which has been so helpful. It can sometimes be discouraging how few words you recognize when transitioning from a structured learning program like Duolingo to a real world conversation, so I really appreciated her support, and willingness to explain the many things I didn't understand. I have also engaged in other online resources like Reverso and Movies, with which I was able to expand my learning beyond Duolingo, and practice listening and gauge my comprehension.
Attempting to learn a new language has had a huge impact on me. For the first time, I have tried to learn a new language outside of a structured class environment like I did in high school. I think this was a really important step that this experience allowed me to take, as gaining the confidence to pursue learning like this on my own is a broadly applicable skill, and takes down a barrier of entry that I have had to learning something new, whether it be more Spanish, or other languages in the future. I feel that the best way to learn a language is total immersion, which is of course hard to do when you haven't learned the language yet. This is a bit of a paradox, but I think a way to get around it is to simulate immersion as much as you can where you are. During my co-op over the summer, I was around a lot of Spanish-speaking people at work and I definitely missed this opportunity in Cincinnati, around the same time I tried to focus more on Spanish. Speaking with Adriana and watching movies were definitely a couple good ways to simulate immersion a bit, but I think there is more I can do in the future. I plan to look into speaking groups once I have a little more skill and feel like I can follow a conversation. As far as personal impact of the learning itself, I think it's hard to say yet, but I have a feeling I will be able to better answer this as time goes by. I am not in a position where I am utilizing Spanish in the present, but I am confident I will be in the future. I plan to travel to Spanish speaking countries, and am super excited to be in an environment where I can learn and have a more impactful experience by being able to interact with people who live locally on a higher level. I have been wanting to go to South America for quite a while, and I think a higher level of fluency in Spanish would not only enhance the experience, but make me more likely to begin trips in the first place. I would love to return to California and my previous employer at some point, where I think knowing Spanish will be helpful as well. I touched on this a little, but many a vast majority of workers on many construction sites in California speak Spanish as their primary language, and some speak almost no English. It's not like it's a necessary skill for me to speak Spanish, there's always going to be someone who can translate, but there's something about being able to communicate more directly that feels important to me for some reason.
Estoy tratando de escribir este párrafo (con ayuda) para evaluar mi aprendizaje. La cantidad de cosas que tengo que buscar es un poco desalentadora, pero estoy tratando de desafiarme. Creo que voy a seguir practicando español, y espero tener más oportunidades para utilizar mis habilidades en el futuro.