Tag Archives: Spanish

Palabras to Words Plans

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I have recently committed to being Co-President of Palabras to Words, our ESOL tutoring club, for next year, and I am incredibly excited to strengthen the organization’s presence on campus. Right now, not a lot of people know that the organization even exists, and I plan on launching a campaign to attract both community members and student tutors next year. Some specific ideas that I’ve been turning over for next year include:

Making the club more accessible to women. Right now, we meet on Sunday nights and only have male students learning English. My advisor suggested that this might be because we meet at dinnertime and women might need the time we meet to make sure their kids are ready for school the next day.

Adding a childcare option. We also may have a lack of women because there is no one to watch their kids while they learn English. We are thinking that if student volunteers offer childcare during our tutoring sessions, then more women would be able to take advantage of our services.

Reaching out to local organizations that support Spanish-speakers. Two non-profit organizations, United Hands and Headstart, aid Spanish-speakers who need help settling in the area. Connecting with them would allow us to reach more people in need of English tutoring and help us learn about the needs of the local Spanish-speaking community.

Starting an ESOL tutoring workshop. Currently, we do not have any tools for new tutors to learn how to best interact with their tutees, so my goal is to connect with the graduate ESOL department at McDaniel and try to informational session on ESOL tutoring so that new tutors feel more comfortable with their commitment to teach.

I’ll be sure to update the blog as these goals come to fruition, so stay tuned!

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End of the Semester…Fun?

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Last day of classes was surprisingly easy for me, even enjoyable. In my Spanish class I took a quick quiz on the final chapter of our textbook and then we ended up just hanging out and laughing with our teacher for another 30 mins before she let us out early. This was a nice end to the course I thought. It’s nice to hang out with a cool professor and learn more about them, especially one that is enjoyable to be around like Dr. McNichols. Getting out 30 minutes early isn’t too bad either!

In my second and final class of the day, my teacher surprised us with a game of jeopardy to help us study for finals. I’ve always thought jeopardy was a great way for teachers to help students study. It’s fun, it’s easy, and really helps you figure out what areas you need to focus on for study. We were put in teams based on which rows in which we were sitting in one of the lecture halls on the first floor of Hill Hall. I, however, was late and ended up in a two person team with one of my brothers which proved comical since neither of us were truly prepared for a game of jeopardy and we finished out the game at -2100 points. It was still a fun way to spend the class and for the students who were prepared, a good way to solidify key course concepts.

After I finished classes, I resigned myself to the library and forced myself to crank out the rest of my 8 page paper which I had only completed about half of at this time. There was some work to be done to say the least. Mind you, with my mind in it’s present state, working on a paper means a max of 20 mins of productivity and then ample break time in between these moments of pure focus. Sometimes this is the way it happens though and honestly it is important to allow yourself this break time. In my case, if I do not take this little break time, I will end up becoming too unfocused to accomplish anything and will not get any work done. It’s better to get a little bit of work over a long period of time then none done over a longer period of time. After three hours of this effort, I had a completed, full cited and edited paper and could finally take a break.

Tonight, I’m celebrating my accomplishment by going to a Christmas date party my fraternity, Alpha Sigma Phi, is hosting at our apartment. Even though the end of the semester is really stressful and half the time I feel like I’m about to explode, it’s manageable with good study habits and knowing your limits. But having good professors helps too!

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Flamenco field trip

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Each semester, the Spanish department organizes a field trip to Gala, a Spanish theater in DC. This past weekend, we saw a flamenco show! I was excited to go because the theater is in a really awesome part of town with lots of little restaurants and I had never seen a professional dance show before.

When we arrived, our professors gave us some time to walk around and grab food before the show. I had been to the theater before and gotten some tasty empanadas, but they didn’t have vegetarian options this time. Instead, I got an awesome tomato and mozzarella sandwich.

After lunch, we filed into our seats to watch the show. Flamenco requires three elements: el cante (singing), el baile (dancing), and las palmas (handclaps). There were two guitarists, a violinist, two singers, and two dancers in the show. I was amazed at the concentration and intensity the dance requires as well as the fluidity of the different roles in the performance. Throughout the show, the singers would stand up and dance onstage or the dancers would sit with the musicians and add to the percussion element of the performance.

When studying a language, it is important to not only enrich vocabulary but to also increase your understanding of the various cultures that speak that language. The Spanish department does a great job of enlightening us culturally and helping us to gain a greater appreciation for the language we are learning and the people who speak it. Next semester, I’m pretty sure that we’re going to a tango performance!

Interested in learning more about flamenco? Check out this video:

 

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Taste of Latin America: El Caribe

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Last night was the 6th Annual Taste of Latin America dinner, hosted by the Hispano Latino Alliance (HLA) here on campus. Many of my housemates are in HLA, so I went to support all the hard work they’ve been doing on decorating, selling tickets, and working on song and dance performances for after the meal.

When we walked into the dinner, we found that it was decorated like a cruise ship and that buffet tables lined the walls. I could smell foods that reminded my of my time in the Carribean, such as platanos, which are similar to bananas and fried. I was also excited to see that they were serving flan, a sweet dessert made with condensced and evaporated milk.

After eating, we got to watch a video that an HLA member made about growing up in Cuba, a performance of Ojalá que llueva café, and a bachata dance. The song was probably my favorite part; you can check out the original version here!

Events like this might inspire you to spice up your Spanish, even if it’s not the language you’re studying here at school. Here’s a review of some Spanish words that you might need at a restaurant or dinner:

Los cubiertos- Silverware

Plato- Plate

Tazón- Bowl

Aperitivo- Appetizer

El plato principal- Main course

Postre- Dessert

Quisiera ____- I would like _____

 

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Moving to the Spanish House

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After studying in Costa Rica last semester, I found myself yearning for Spanish. I blasted Spanish music in my car and tried to read Spanish newspapers, but I missed being immersed in the language. I missed the consistency, the stumbles, and the feeling of pride that grew with my conversation skills.

Luckily, I was offered a chance to relive the immersion experience when I moved back to campus and was offered a spot in the Spanish house. I gladly accepted and signed the contract, promising that I would only speak Spanish in the house, attend tertulias (conversation hours), and keep the house clean.

There are 10 of us in the house, and only three are not native speakers. There is a pleasant mix of Spanglish and slang, and I’m excited to pick up new vocabulary from my housemates. I’m also hoping to learn some new recipes and cook my favorite foods for everyone in the house. The other day, my roommate made Dominican juice, a mix of orange juice and milk, and I definitely want to make it for my own family the next time I go home.

I’ve attended two tertulias so far, and last night we discussed the theme of friendship. I was able to learn more about my housemates as we talked about our past friendships, and also learned some different terms for the word “friend” in Spanish. Additionally, we were all assigned an amigo invisible, or invisible friend, for whom we’ll secretly be making presents for the next who weeks. I’ve already decided what I want to give my assigned friend, and I’m excited for the night we get to reveal who we are!

Even though I’m far from Costa Rica, I still feel that I’m gaining an international experience and becoming more globally aware this year through living at the Spanish house. It’s already promising to be a great experience full of new vocabulary, friends, and experiences.

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