Written Reflection on Critical Thinking and Expression

I chose the artifacts that I included because firstly, the argumentative paper that I did on

the book Soldiers of Salamis by Javier Cercas was one that explored in a very deep

way psychological realities of the political landscape in Spain during and after the

Spanish revolution. This was a very formative time in Spanish history that profoundly

impacts the social and political landscape of Spain today. More than a historical account

however, Soldiers of Salamis was an exploration of the creative process, the impact of

history on the present, how history can be in the eye of the beholder and even

subjective and written by the victors. The book explores these themes in a very

personal and impactful manner that allows the reader to be able to understand them on

a personal level and be able to experience them for themselves. This is an excellent

example of how Spanish expression is used to portray the realities and difficulties of life

and especially something as difficult as war. The reading of this book for my Culture and

Literature of Spain class while living abroad in Madrid really helped me to get a

perspective of the Spanish mindset and how it is expressed while immersed in the

culture.

In the case of my research project on depression for the Spanish for Medical

Professions class, I was able to explore a common mental disorder that affects cultures

from all across the world however I did focus specifically on Latino culture and

depression within it as well depression is something that impacts every culture and does

so in a very unique way in Latino culture I was able to better understand the impact that

this disorder can have upon men and women of Latino culture. In addition to this I was

able to understand the specific challenges that both men and women and Latino culture

face from this debilitating disorder for example with the presence of machismo in

Mexican culture it is very difficult for a male in Mexican culture 2 humble himself enough

to ask for help that he needs when struggling with this disorder in addition to this self-

sufficiency is held as incredibly important and in high regard in Latino culture and if

someone is struggling with issues of self-sufficiency it presents a greater risk of

depression in a male who is struggling with his status of self-sufficiency. The

assignment helped me to understand the barriers that people in general face when

confronting depression, but even more specifically the Latino demographic in any

population.

Having taken the Spanish for medical professions class and learned so much medical

vocabulary, it will undoubtably help me in my work in the field of microbiology as many

of the careers in microbiology have to do with medical interventions, treatments, and the

sterilization of tools and development of medicines to treat various conditions. I intend to

continue my efforts to expand my vocabulary and skills in Spanish as it is my goal to

work in the microbiology industry abroad.