Written Reflection on Language Competence

My journey towards language competence in the Spanish language begin when I was

called on a Spanish speaking mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day

Saints and was called to go to San Diego CA speaking Spanish. I served a great deal of

my mission adjacent to the border to Mexico and so I learned a great deal about

Mexican culture and their specific linguistic idiosyncrasies. But more than just Mexican

Spanish, I learned a great deal about many central and south American cultures as San

Diego was somewhat of a melting pot for Spanish speaking people from many cultures.

I was able to teach serve and help people from every single Spanish speaking country

in central and South America. I was able to gain an understanding of their cultures their

specific speech patterns and accents and gain an appreciation of their distinctive

cultures.

When I attended BYU, I started taking Spanish classes especially because I gained

substantial proficiency in the two years, I spent speaking Spanish and teaching others in

that language. More than just taking classes on BYU campus I attended a study abroad

in Merida Mexico where I was able to more fully immerse myself and Mayan culture and

the descendants of indigenous peoples of the area. I learned a great deal about the

linguistic proclivities of the Yucatan peninsula and southern Mexico and a great deal

about the culture in that region. I am a firm believer that language influences culture and

vice versa so in understanding a culture, one is aided in understanding their language.

Two years after my experience of the study abroad in Merida Mexico, I went on an

internship to Madrid Spain where I taught children of elementary and middle school age

English. It is said that often the best way to learn something is to teach it and being able

to teach English to Spanish speakers help me to understand their language much

better. In teaching these children I was able to gain an understanding of commonly used

words and slang which is very different in Spain than anywhere else in the world thus

allowing me to even further deepen my linguistic understanding of the Spanish

language and to better be able to understand a broader variety of Spanish.

With this broader understanding of Spanish language and culture I have gained a great

deal of confidence in navigating Spanish speaking society and intend to make a large

part of my career in Spanish speaking countries and environments where I can serve

and help the people that I have come to love so much in a language that I have come to

thoroughly enjoy speaking my aspiration and my career is to continue to improve my

Spanish and continue to gain deeper insights and understanding about Spanish culture

and history so that I may be a more effective participant in Hispanic society. I have

included a copy of my Spanish language certificates and proficiency levels as further

evidence of the skills I have gained through my journey prior to and in BYU towards

becoming adept at navigating any Spanish speaking environment.