Survival Guide | Guía de Supervivencia
Reflection
El Periodismo
Reflexión
In this project, we each chose a Spanish-speaking country to research. We were then paired with two or three of our peers who had similar interests in countries. We then researched a pop culture article, a current events article, an interview, or an advertisement and wrote about it in Spanish. We then teamed up with our group members and worked together to put together a newspaper or video. Things included in the newspaper or video were a weather report, a recipe, a horoscope, and the articles we all wrote.
The thing that I really liked about this project is the freedom to write about what we want. We could choose pop culture, current events, or some other form of writing. I was able to incorporate my interest in extreme sports into my project by writing about a surfing world champion from Peru. In this way, I was able to get excited about what I was writing about and really put my best effort into it. If I had been forced to write about something boring like celebrity relationships, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much.
I think that the hardest part about this project was getting the format right. I have never really done anything related to journalism, and I think this was a disadvantage in this project. I wasn’t sure how much detail to put in the first parts and how much to put in the last parts. I think that studying more articles could have helped me with writing my article. I also struggled with translating titles. I wasn’t sure if I should put the words in the same order and just translate the words, or if I should actually rearrange the words so that it makes sense in Spanish.
During this project, I learned that, during group projects, it is not ok to wait until the last minute to finish something. For example, I waited until two days before the deadline to finish my horoscopes. By the end, Ranier (the one putting the newspaper together) was getting nervous because I still hadn’t given her the horoscopes. Because of all the formatting, she needed all of the parts to be able to put the newspaper together in time for the deadline. By not getting my horoscopes to her in a more reasonable time, I put more stress on her and possible made the group suffer because of it.
I think that learning about current events in other countries forces us to forget the cultural norms that influence our media, and see the world as other countries see it. Every country and every culture interprets news a little differently. I think that it is important to view things from another person’s point of view. If we only view things from our own perspective, we will become blind to biases and our thinking will become very one-sided. To avoid this, we must read the news from other countries to get a fresh perspective on things.
The thing that I really liked about this project is the freedom to write about what we want. We could choose pop culture, current events, or some other form of writing. I was able to incorporate my interest in extreme sports into my project by writing about a surfing world champion from Peru. In this way, I was able to get excited about what I was writing about and really put my best effort into it. If I had been forced to write about something boring like celebrity relationships, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much.
I think that the hardest part about this project was getting the format right. I have never really done anything related to journalism, and I think this was a disadvantage in this project. I wasn’t sure how much detail to put in the first parts and how much to put in the last parts. I think that studying more articles could have helped me with writing my article. I also struggled with translating titles. I wasn’t sure if I should put the words in the same order and just translate the words, or if I should actually rearrange the words so that it makes sense in Spanish.
During this project, I learned that, during group projects, it is not ok to wait until the last minute to finish something. For example, I waited until two days before the deadline to finish my horoscopes. By the end, Ranier (the one putting the newspaper together) was getting nervous because I still hadn’t given her the horoscopes. Because of all the formatting, she needed all of the parts to be able to put the newspaper together in time for the deadline. By not getting my horoscopes to her in a more reasonable time, I put more stress on her and possible made the group suffer because of it.
I think that learning about current events in other countries forces us to forget the cultural norms that influence our media, and see the world as other countries see it. Every country and every culture interprets news a little differently. I think that it is important to view things from another person’s point of view. If we only view things from our own perspective, we will become blind to biases and our thinking will become very one-sided. To avoid this, we must read the news from other countries to get a fresh perspective on things.
Día de los Muertos
In this project, we each chose a family member/friend/pet that we have lost or an ancestor our parents could be interviewed about. We wrote, in past tense Spanish, two paragraphs about the chosen deceased. One paragraph tells about the person’s life in general, one paragraph is about specific memories that reflect a positive or joyful part of their life. We then created a piece of art using Mexican style (colors, skeletons, joyful mood) to represent the deceased and the activities or jobs that they did.
We then brought items to place on an altar and food to share with the class on Friday, November 1st. Then on Monday, November 4th, we recreated the altar, shared our writing and art, and discussed the Day of the Dead experience.
We then brought items to place on an altar and food to share with the class on Friday, November 1st. Then on Monday, November 4th, we recreated the altar, shared our writing and art, and discussed the Day of the Dead experience.
Teva, Mi Gato
El gato se llamaba Teva. Él era un gato gris, que tenía pelo largo. Teva nació en un granja cerca de Fredericksburg, TX en 1994. Él tenía diez años cuando se murió en 2004. Cuando se murió, yo tuve cinco años. Teva tenía muchos hermanos. Su hermanos se llamaban al modo de marcas de zapatos. Un hermano se llamaba Reebok, y otro hermano se llamaba Adidas. No tenía una esposa, por lo que no tenía niños o nietos. Teva tenía un amigo, que se llamaba Paco. Un mejor momento de su vida fue cuando mi papa y yo nos mudamos de una casa en el campo a una casa en el pueblo. Él no le gustaba el pueblo y se escapó de casa, nunca ser visto de nuevo.
No recuerdo mucho de Teva, pero recuerdo que Teva le gustaba viajar. Particularmente, el le gustaba viajar en nuestro VW Vanagon Westfalia. El viajó con mi familia cuando nos fuimos a Alaska. El iba se acurrucar en un lugar aleatorio. Cada vez que parábamos a una gasolinera, Teva iba afuera. Nos asegurábamos poner su collar en su cuello porque no queríamos Teva huir. Luego, entrábamos en la furgoneta y continuábamos en la calle a Alaska. Imagino que después de Teva huía, viajó a través de la país. Imagino que vivó en lugares muy bonitos, y vio muchas cosas bonitas.
El gato se llamaba Teva. Él era un gato gris, que tenía pelo largo. Teva nació en un granja cerca de Fredericksburg, TX en 1994. Él tenía diez años cuando se murió en 2004. Cuando se murió, yo tuve cinco años. Teva tenía muchos hermanos. Su hermanos se llamaban al modo de marcas de zapatos. Un hermano se llamaba Reebok, y otro hermano se llamaba Adidas. No tenía una esposa, por lo que no tenía niños o nietos. Teva tenía un amigo, que se llamaba Paco. Un mejor momento de su vida fue cuando mi papa y yo nos mudamos de una casa en el campo a una casa en el pueblo. Él no le gustaba el pueblo y se escapó de casa, nunca ser visto de nuevo.
No recuerdo mucho de Teva, pero recuerdo que Teva le gustaba viajar. Particularmente, el le gustaba viajar en nuestro VW Vanagon Westfalia. El viajó con mi familia cuando nos fuimos a Alaska. El iba se acurrucar en un lugar aleatorio. Cada vez que parábamos a una gasolinera, Teva iba afuera. Nos asegurábamos poner su collar en su cuello porque no queríamos Teva huir. Luego, entrábamos en la furgoneta y continuábamos en la calle a Alaska. Imagino que después de Teva huía, viajó a través de la país. Imagino que vivó en lugares muy bonitos, y vio muchas cosas bonitas.
Project Reflection
I learned that Día de los Muertos is almost exclusively celebrated in Mexico. This is because Day of the Dead is a combination of Aztec and Catholic traditions. I think that it is interesting that two very different religions can come together to make a celebration that incorporates elements from both Aztec and Catholic culture. I also think it is cool that people in Mexico don't view death as the end. The dead come back to the world of the living as spirits to visit their loved ones, and I think that knowing this can help a person get through the death of a family member or friend. I am lucky and haven't had any of my close friends or family die, so I don't know what it is like to lose somebody. But if I knew that they were going to come visit me once a year, I think I would not be as sad. I would know that they are not leaving forever, they are just leaving until next year, when they will return again.
I learned that Día de los Muertos is almost exclusively celebrated in Mexico. This is because Day of the Dead is a combination of Aztec and Catholic traditions. I think that it is interesting that two very different religions can come together to make a celebration that incorporates elements from both Aztec and Catholic culture. I also think it is cool that people in Mexico don't view death as the end. The dead come back to the world of the living as spirits to visit their loved ones, and I think that knowing this can help a person get through the death of a family member or friend. I am lucky and haven't had any of my close friends or family die, so I don't know what it is like to lose somebody. But if I knew that they were going to come visit me once a year, I think I would not be as sad. I would know that they are not leaving forever, they are just leaving until next year, when they will return again.