Van Der Kar: MLO5
Cultural Praxis (Cultural Internalization and Language Immersion)
The end of this Major Learning Outcome is that coming out of my experience as a Spanish major here, I have demonstrated that I have been actively immersed in and have internalized the Hispanic culture. There are three different pathways in which one can fulfill this MLO; by participating in a study-abroad program in a Spanish-speaking country, by living and working in a local heritage community over an extended period of time without interruption for the last two years, or by having participated in a number of cultural learning scenarios. As I participated in a study abroad experience in a Spanish-speaking country that is the pathway I will elaborate on.
Upon graduating from high school and entering Santa Barbara City College, I knew I wanted to participate in a study abroad program at some point in my college experience. Being already intent on the language, I took a number of Spanish classes at the junior college. Through these classes I became aware of the opportunity to live and learn in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Santiago de Chile for three months during the fall semester of 2011. I made use of this opportunity and embarked on the greatest journey I have yet to participate in.
In both Argentina and Chile, I lived under the roofs of native residents. In Argentina this included an upper class widow who had a picture of herself shaking the hands of an ex-Argentinean president, her Paraguayan housemaid, and her boyfriend who worked as a narcotics officer in the local police force. In Chile I became part of a family of two children younger than myself and a single mother retired from having served as a police officer. Living with local, heritage speakers of the Spanish language and insiders of the local culture proved to be the aspect of my experience in which I was most fully immersed by the language and culture. Living with a foreign family was very interesting in that I had to be versatile and adapt to customs, habits, and practices with which I was unfamiliar. The significance of breakfast, lunch, and dinner for instance, is very different in California than it is in Argentina and Chile. Not only did I become accustomed to new types of foods and menu items, but also to different eating schedules and quantities. Breakfast in Argentina and Chile, for example, is usually very light consisting of a cup of coffee, a piece of toast, or some fruit. The families with whom I lived and all that I learned through them is one of the greatest souvenirs I could ask for from such an experience.
During the three months abroad, myself and the twenty-ish other students in the same study abroad program, were enrolled in classes at local international schools. Our classes taught us Spanish grammar but also taught us about the literature, culture, and history of Argentina and Chile. This was another noteworthy asset to the trip in that we were allowed the unique opportunity to learn about something in a classroom and then go down the street from the school and see in real life the history and culture we had just learned about. This was especially true in Argentina where the school at which we studied was but a block away from ‘La casa rosada,’ one of the most important historical buildings of the city. Furthermore, although we did have advisors from Santa Barbara City College as instructors for several of the courses taken, most of our teachers at the international school were locals themselves. This was a great advantage. I recall good times in which our local instructors would give us insider details on slang words, good places to eat, and fun things to do in the area.
Aside from living with local families and taking classes at local schools, there were also many educational experiences outside of the school or house. From visits to museums and historical buildings, weekend trips to cities outside of the city, tours of vineyards, bus tours of the capital city, train rides through the country, and many meals at restaurants featuring cultural cuisine, for three months I was truly immersed in several unique foreign cultures.
My three months abroad profoundly enhances my capabilities as a Spanish speaker and opened my eyes to the reality that there is much more out there than what we see in our day-to-day lives here in California.
The end of this Major Learning Outcome is that coming out of my experience as a Spanish major here, I have demonstrated that I have been actively immersed in and have internalized the Hispanic culture. There are three different pathways in which one can fulfill this MLO; by participating in a study-abroad program in a Spanish-speaking country, by living and working in a local heritage community over an extended period of time without interruption for the last two years, or by having participated in a number of cultural learning scenarios. As I participated in a study abroad experience in a Spanish-speaking country that is the pathway I will elaborate on.
Upon graduating from high school and entering Santa Barbara City College, I knew I wanted to participate in a study abroad program at some point in my college experience. Being already intent on the language, I took a number of Spanish classes at the junior college. Through these classes I became aware of the opportunity to live and learn in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Santiago de Chile for three months during the fall semester of 2011. I made use of this opportunity and embarked on the greatest journey I have yet to participate in.
In both Argentina and Chile, I lived under the roofs of native residents. In Argentina this included an upper class widow who had a picture of herself shaking the hands of an ex-Argentinean president, her Paraguayan housemaid, and her boyfriend who worked as a narcotics officer in the local police force. In Chile I became part of a family of two children younger than myself and a single mother retired from having served as a police officer. Living with local, heritage speakers of the Spanish language and insiders of the local culture proved to be the aspect of my experience in which I was most fully immersed by the language and culture. Living with a foreign family was very interesting in that I had to be versatile and adapt to customs, habits, and practices with which I was unfamiliar. The significance of breakfast, lunch, and dinner for instance, is very different in California than it is in Argentina and Chile. Not only did I become accustomed to new types of foods and menu items, but also to different eating schedules and quantities. Breakfast in Argentina and Chile, for example, is usually very light consisting of a cup of coffee, a piece of toast, or some fruit. The families with whom I lived and all that I learned through them is one of the greatest souvenirs I could ask for from such an experience.
During the three months abroad, myself and the twenty-ish other students in the same study abroad program, were enrolled in classes at local international schools. Our classes taught us Spanish grammar but also taught us about the literature, culture, and history of Argentina and Chile. This was another noteworthy asset to the trip in that we were allowed the unique opportunity to learn about something in a classroom and then go down the street from the school and see in real life the history and culture we had just learned about. This was especially true in Argentina where the school at which we studied was but a block away from ‘La casa rosada,’ one of the most important historical buildings of the city. Furthermore, although we did have advisors from Santa Barbara City College as instructors for several of the courses taken, most of our teachers at the international school were locals themselves. This was a great advantage. I recall good times in which our local instructors would give us insider details on slang words, good places to eat, and fun things to do in the area.
Aside from living with local families and taking classes at local schools, there were also many educational experiences outside of the school or house. From visits to museums and historical buildings, weekend trips to cities outside of the city, tours of vineyards, bus tours of the capital city, train rides through the country, and many meals at restaurants featuring cultural cuisine, for three months I was truly immersed in several unique foreign cultures.
My three months abroad profoundly enhances my capabilities as a Spanish speaker and opened my eyes to the reality that there is much more out there than what we see in our day-to-day lives here in California.
