Reflection Essay / Seminar Questions

I chose the Baja Bound Osprey Block because I hoped to increase my Spanish speaking skills and
experience a new and unique culture I do not know a lot about. I was afraid I would not be able to
communicate properly with people in Mexico or worse than that, that I would offend them or something
similar. I am currently in Spanish 4 and thought that I would be prepared, but I realized I have a lot to
learn. It was difficult to communicate with even little children, where all I could do was smile and nod
and mutter “Sí” over and over. I do not feel discouraged by this though, it makes me want to learn even
more, especially after seeing Jenny and Kat speak so well to all the locals. I want to expand my
knowledge of the world and speak to people in their own languages, I think that is a key to connection
across borders.
In addition to having realizations about my language goals, I was met with a couple other
challenges. One of these was being in a large group for an extended period of time. I enjoy being with my
peers, but it is mentally exhausting and left my metaphorical candle burned low in Mexico. I was able to
overcome this by taking moments by myself and reading, especially near the end of the trip. This let me
recharge a bit and made everything more enjoyable. Going to the ocean was also helpful. There was also
the challenge of the bugs, which was easily overcome by using our fans and bug nets properly. AJ and I
were still bitten, but it was not for lack of protection on our part, they were just unavoidable. On the flip
side of my challenges, my biggest success was communication despite not understanding fully. When we
went to the elementary school, I was able to talk with the kids and teach them something. This was
incredible for me because without having full mastery of the language, I was still able to pass on a
specific idea. It was not very articulate, but it was successful, which is all that mattered in that situation.
This makes me feel better about bumbling along and really diving into a new language. After that, I was
able to make friends with some of the kids, despite not sharing a language. They showed me hospitality
and kindness and made me very happy.
One of my biggest takeaways from this experience, besides learning about language learning, was
the effects tourism has on small and rural communities. We got to go on a historic tour of Todos Santos,
seeing how the town has changed throughout history. Todos Santos used to be a remote, little town, but
after it was “discovered” and people knew about its beautiful beaches, they flocked there to buy property.
This totally changed the population’s way of life and even the area’s landscape. Originally the town was
based around fishing, farming, and ranching, but they have become more and more tourism based. This
changes the cultural landscape, with people learning English and shops opening to cater to American
needs. On top of that, foreign real estate companies have been building beach property for the past few
years. This destroys the beach’s natural ecosystem, allowing more sand to be pulled away and disrupting
marshes and mangroves in the area. Something I learned though, is that people in Todos Santos and all
throughout Mexico are fighting to protect these areas and their way of life. They have already stopped
huge developments in Todos Santos, saving the city's water supply.
There are a couple of steps I need to take to further my education in Spanish. The first is to stay
with it in Spanish 4 here at Animas and learn as much as I can in a classroom. The second is as most of
my teachers have said, to go and live in another country. This immersion would make me a Spanish
speaker quickly and let me experience a different culture for a year. I also plan to continue language
learning well into my life, Kevin did not learn another language until he was in his 40s, this gives me
hope I can too.