As a young adult I had never hoped that I would have the opportunity to learn a second language: being billingual was merely a hopeless dream I had always had. Without many resources or instruction for learning a language, I decided to embark on the journey of acquiring a second language – Spanish. After years of dedication, study, and practice, my dream became a reality, opening my eyes to the linguistic-learning capacity of the human brain.

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Importance:

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This experience was essential to develop the necessary knowledge and experience that I use to not only teach a language, but also to communicate and maintain interpersonal relationships in Spanish, living in Peru. Learning a new language – as well as its respective culture – has conditioned me to deliver effective language classes.

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Skills Gained:

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• The ability to effectively communicate in Spanish

• Knowledge of the necessary elements of second language acquisition

• Linguistic awareness of the many unique nuances possessed by languages

• Awareness of the nuances that are unique to cultures

• Experience necessary to understand the perspectives of my language learners

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Impact:

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Bilingualism changes your introspective: after learning a new language, it is possible to view the world through different viewpoints because a person’s language is affected by behavior; conversely, components of behavior are affected by language.