Assignment 3 - Anna Baskin

My first big cultural experience actually occurred all the way back in elementary school as a participant in the Maxwell Spanish Immersion Program. Teachers taught in Spanish half the day, so I was near fluent by 5^th grade. While my skill regressed after changing programs, Spanish remains a huge part of my life. In fact, it used to materialize somewhat embarrassingly. For example, I didn’t know the order of the months until freshman year, and I still count on my fingers to make sure I’ve remembered all twelve (September and I have difficulties). My trouble isn’t because Maxwell forgot to teach their kindergarteners the months. No, we recited the months and sat in front of the calendar daily and discussed the different seasons. We just did it all in Spanish. So while I pause occasionally to consider whether October or September comes first, know that the Spanish months song rolls of my tongue without a second thought.

My Spanish experience sometimes backfires on me, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Even as my childhood fluency fades, I can still understand almost any speech and writing. But Spanish immersion taught me something even more valuable than a language: an appreciation for culture. With teachers from at least five different countries Hispanic, every day in class was an opportunity to learn something new. We would cook empanadas, dance to salsa music, sing Mexican folk songs, and celebrate Spanish holidays like Dia de los Muertos. This appreciation of culture is something I’ve carried with me; it’s increased my acceptance and curiosity when I travel or make new acquaintances, and imparted an openness to the world that most kids don’t get. Counting the months on my fingers doesn’t seem too bad in return.