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    Impacts

    Spring20-SPA-321-002

    BASIC INFO:
    Date of exchange: 5/27
    Duration of exchange: one hour
    Name of your exchange: Manuel
    Occupation: Software programmer
    Linguistic level of your exchange: advanced
    Where does he/she live? Where is she/he originally from?: Andalucía
    How did you find this exchange? : through professor Ana

    REPORTING
    What questions did you prepare or have in mind before going into this exchange?
    I wanted to ask him about immigrants in Spain and the perception of Spanish citizens of them, any discrimination, etc.
    Points and structure of your conversation
    immigrants in Spain and general perspective of Spanish population, minorities in Spain, some popular Spanish foods in the summer, identification in US vs Spain
    What did you enjoy about this conversation the most?
    Manuel is very knowledgeable in the things I ask him about and explains them all very well and in-detail.
    What did you enjoy the least?
    The connection was really bad and it cut out a lot
    If you get to talk to this person again, what would you like to ask them to expand your knowledge about Spanish culture?
    I would ask him about the LGBTQ community, and womens rights

    REFLECTION
    What did you learn in this specific conversation exchange about Spanish culture?
    I learned about a variety of immigrant groups in Spain and their general perception of the Spanish population of them. Manuel explained to me that in general Spain is very accustomed to having a diverse population and is overall welcoming of immigrants. He said he believed Latinx immigrants were able to integrate into society fairly easily because the general culture and language is very similar. He also talked about African immigrants, Chinese immigrants, and gypsies.
    How did you connect to the class material and what questions did you ask to expand on the class material this far?
    When he was talking about the Chinese immigrants I asked him why he thought they didn't struggle as much as other Spanish populations during the economic crisis. I also asked him about his general thoughts about the gypsy population. All of this connected to the different types of immigrants we learned about.
    Do you have any concerns about this exchange or exchanges in general? Do you have any questions for your professor?
    No

    Gave 1.00 hour on 05/27/2020 with Gustavus Adolphus College
    Spring20-SPA-321-002

    BASIC INFO:
    Date of exchange: 5/20
    Duration of exchange: over an hour
    Name of your exchange: Manuel
    Occupation: Software programmer
    Linguistic level of your exchange: advanced
    Where does he/she live? Where is she/he originally from?: Andalucia
    How did you find this exchange? : through professor Adams

    REPORTING
    What questions did you prepare or have in mind before going into this exchange?
    I was going to ask him about environmental issues and tourism in Spain
    Points and structure of your conversation
    Coronavirus updates, some environmental laws in Spain, tourism in Spain, different dialects within Spain, and the heath care system in Spain vs US
    What did you enjoy about this conversation the most?
    This is my fourth time talking to Manuel so our conversations have improved since we feel more relaxed and comfortable asking each other questions. Manuel is very knowledgeable on Spanish history and culture so he is able to thoroughly explain the topics we discuss.
    What did you enjoy the least?
    The connection was't great and kept cutting out
    If you get to talk to this person again, what would you like to ask them to expand your knowledge about Spanish culture?
    I would like to ask about immigrants in Spain and the LGBTQ community and any other types of discrimination noticed in the country
    REFLECTION
    What did you learn in this specific conversation exchange about Spanish culture?
    I learned a lot about environmental laws in Andalucia, specifically laws prohibiting the hunt of certain animals that were once popular to hunt. I also learned about the different types of tourists in Spain and the perspective of Spanish people on them. Also, about the different types of dialects of Spanish within Spain.
    How did you connect to the class material and what questions did you ask to expand on the class material this far?
    I learned about new environmental issues/ laws that we didn't specifically cover in class, so it was interesting to learn about that. It was also interesting to hear Manuel's perspective on tourism and tourists in general, and how it affects the Spanish culture and population.
    Do you have any concerns about this exchange or exchanges in general? Do you have any questions for your professor?
    No

    Gave 1.00 hour on 05/20/2020 with Gustavus Adolphus College

    This Impact is private

    Spring20-SPA-321-002

    BASIC INFO:
    Date of exchange: 5/6/2020
    Duration of exchange: 1 hour
    Name of your exchange: Manuel
    Occupation: Software Programmer
    Linguistic level of your exchange: Advanced
    Where does he/she live? Where is she/he originally from?: Andalucia
    How did you find this exchange? : Through Professor Ana

    REPORTING
    What questions did you prepare or have in mind before going into this exchange?
    Coronavirus in Spain, about the Monarchy, and the education system
    Points and structure of your conversation
    Cornavirus in Spain, the economic crisis, the education system, specifically for the career I want to go into, working in and traveling through Europe, the monarchy
    What did you enjoy about this conversation the most?
    Manuel is very knowledgeable on the subjects I ask him about, and he explains things very well
    What did you enjoy the least?
    He is very enthusiastic about the subjects we talk about and sometimes speaks very quickly
    If you get to talk to this person again, what would you like to ask them to expand your knowledge about Spanish culture?
    I would ask him about the independence movement in Cataluña and about the healthcare system in Spain
    REFLECTION
    What did you learn in this specific conversation exchange about Spanish culture?
    I learned a lot about the role of the Spanish monarchy and the issues its helped the country with in the past. Manuel knew quite a bit about the subject and told me he believed the monarchy played an essential role in the country. He also explained to me how the education system would work for the career I wanted to go into, which was really interesting because its quite complicated.
    How did you connect to the class material and what questions did you ask to expand on the class material this far?
    When we were talking about the monarchy, Manuel elaborated on the various perspectives people had as well as his own. He gave some very specific examples as to when the monarchy has stepped in and helped the country in an international problem, or stood by the people in a political debate within the country. He also explained how with the education system the EU has within Spain, its easy for people to work in other countries in Europe.
    Do you have any concerns about this exchange or exchanges in general? Do you have any questions for your professor?
    No

    Gave 1.00 hour on 05/06/2020 with Gustavus Adolphus College

    This Impact is private

    Spring20-SPA-321-002

    BASIC INFO:
    Date of exchange: April 15th
    Duration of exchange: 1 hour and 15 min
    Name of your exchange: Cristina
    Occupation: Student
    Linguistic level of your exchange: Advanced
    Where does he/she live? Where is she/he originally from?: Sevilla
    How did you find this exchange? : Through Professor Ana

    REPORTING
    What questions did you prepare or have in mind before going into this exchange?
    I had planned to ask her about how the COVID situation was going in Spain and how she was doing with it. I was also planning to ask her about the situation with the monarchy, and the King renouncing his inheritance and what she thought about that.
    Points and structure of your conversation
    First we talked about the COVID situation in Spain and the US and how each of us were doing with it. Cristina told me she´s been in quarantine for about a month now and how she also is doing online classes the rest of the school year. We also talked about what we had been doing while we've been home with a lot of time on our hands. We then talked a bit about meals, and the differences in the things we eat for breakfast. We also talked about the differences in high school and college within the US and Spain.
    What did you enjoy about this conversation the most?
    It flowed really well and we felt comfortable asking each other questions and for clarification when we didn't understand something
    What did you enjoy the least?
    The connection was bad
    If you get to talk to this person again, what would you like to ask them to expand your knowledge about Spanish culture?
    We never got around to talking about the monarchy so I will plan on asking her about that next time. Also I would like to ask her about her perspective on the independence movement in Cataluña.
    REFLECTION
    What did you learn in this specific conversation exchange about Spanish culture?
    I learned about the types of foods that are typical for breakfast, and also how high school and college works in Spain. She also talked a little about the economic crisis in Spain, and possibly going to a different country to study and work
    How did you connect to the class material and what questions did you ask to expand on the class material this far?
    Our conversation connected well with what we learned in class about the economic crisis in Spain and how its affecting the younger generations. Also, the types of foods we learned about in the different regions of Spain
    Do you have any concerns about this exchange or exchanges in general? Do you have any questions for your professor?
    No

    Gave 1.00 hour on 04/15/2020 with Gustavus Adolphus College
    Spring20-SPA-321-002

    BASIC INFO:
    Date of exchange: 3/22/2020
    Duration of exchange: 1 hour
    Name of your exchange: Cristina
    Linguistic level of your exchange: Advanced
    Where does he/she live? Where is she/he originally from?: Sevilla
    How did you find this exchange? : Professor Ana Adams

    REPORTING
    What questions did you prepare or have in mind before going into this exchange? I wanted to ask her how Coronavirus was affecting Spain and her family, and compare how the US and Spain were handling the pandemic.
    Points and structure of your conversation: In the beginning of our conversation we spent a lot of time talking about the Coronavirus and how it has affected us individually and our country. Cristina talked about how the entire country is under quarantine, and that you're not even allowed to be outside. She explained that if the police would see anyone out and about, they would ticket them with a fine, and that only one adult of each household was allowed to go out to get groceries. The rest of her school year will also be online, and she said that all activities got cancelled. She also mentioned how there is a festival every April in Sevilla, called La Feria de Sevilla, which got postponed to possibly September, and how a lot of people are upset about it. The festival reminded me a lot of the carnivals in Spain, except she explained that the costumes people wore were historical, traditional outfits, and not necessarily bright, extravagant outfits. Later we talked about what our hobbies and interests are, as well as why we are learning different languages.
    What did you enjoy about this conversation the most? The conversation flow was smooth and we were easily able to ask each other questions and understand each other.
    What did you enjoy the least? The audio would sometimes cut out of the image would freeze
    If you get to talk to this person again, what would you like to ask them to expand your knowledge about Spanish culture? I would ask her more about her schedule and more about what types of food she eats, where she shops, the times she eats, etc.

    REFLECTION
    What did you learn in this specific conversation exchange about Spanish culture? I learned about some of the traditions and festivals in Sevilla, which was similar to the carnivals in Spain, and also about how the country is handling the coronavirus pandemic which was interesting to learn about.
    How did you connect to the class material and what questions did you ask to expand on the class material this far? The festival she talked about in Sevilla is similar to and reminded me of the carnivals in Spain we learned about. I also learned a bit about the type of music she listens to, which we briefly talked about in class.
    Do you have any concerns about this exchange or exchanges in general? Do you have any questions for your professor?
    No

    Gave 1.00 hour on 03/22/2020 with Gustavus Adolphus College
    GivePulse profile picture of Ana Adams Ana Adams  4 years ago
    Keep reaching out to Cristina to set up other exchanges. Do you have other contacts? Did you reach out to people in the Mixxer?
    Spring20-SPA-321-002

    My most recent exchange took place this past Sunday, the 8th, and lasted for an hour. The person I had the exchange with was a student named Cristina, who is from Sevilla. I got her contact from Prof. Ana. Her level of English is very advanced, and our conversation in both Spanish and English was very natural and smooth.

    Since this was our first Skype call speaking to each other, we first spent a lot of time introducing ourselves and getting to know each other. Cristina is currently in her last year of high school and plans to go to college after graduating, although she is unsure of what she would like to study. She shared a lot about her travelling experiences within Spain, as well as other parts of Europe. This upcoming week, she will be going to Denmark for an "exchange" and will be staying with a host family. I was a bit nervous before the exchange, but after talking for a while the conversation felt a lot more relaxed and we were able to comfortably ask each other questions. Cristina also asked me a lot of questions about America and the American culture, and expressed that she really wants to visit sometime. What enjoyed the least about this exchange was not knowing who I was going to be talking to, and being a bit anxious for the exchange. However, I really enjoyed that we were quickly able to feel comfortable with each other and that the conversation felt very natural. For our next exchange, I want to ask her about the economic situation of Spain, her experience and perspective on it, and if it has an affect on where she would like to study or work in the future. I also want to ask her about siesta time in Spain and about the merienda.

    During this exchange, I asked her about various things we had learned in class, such as the carnivals, the mix of Christian and Muslim culture that is present in the country, the royal family, and about the food. She not only gave me her own opinions about the topics, but shared the perspectives of her peers as well. Overall, I think this conversation went really well and I was able to connect many aspects of it to what we learned in class. I look forward to continuing to talk to Cristina in the future.

    Gave 1.00 hour on 03/08/2020 with Gustavus Adolphus College

    This Impact is private

    This Impact is private