SPAN 111 was a challenging course. I took three years of Spanish in high school, but still did not feel prepared for the first day of class. With any foreign language it took a lot of practice.  I felt very comfortable in the classroom setting. I had many peers who encouraged me through the process and a teacher that was patient. One thing that helped my foreign language skill develop is the strict Spanish only rule in the classroom. We were challenged to use Spanish words we knew or our actions to communicate instead of resorting back to English. I think this strategy really pushed me to learn the language in more depth to communicate with others. Not only did I learn the Spanish language, but I also learned more about the culture. Spanish culture is very prevalent in America, but is barely talked about in other classes. This class helped me understand more about the Spanish culture and taught me a lot about how important communication is. I can say I can confidently understand a Spanish conversation now, which is a drastic change in attitude from the first day walking in. Below is an example of a homework assignment. The professor would post a question and we would reply with our answer and comment on others’ posts.

Question: ¿Cómo te vestías cuando eras niño/a o adolescente? ¿Cuál era tu ropa favorita? ¿Te gusta todavía? Usa el imperfecto. 5-7 frases.

Post: Tenía  ropas raras cuando era niña. Yo usaba pantalones cortos de cuadros con camisas de diferentes colores. Yo usaba una variedad de colores que no emparejaba. Tenía una camisa favorita con un mono en la parte delantera. Ya no me gusta esta ropa.

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