In Spanish 3 this year we had two main novels that linked with our units and overall brought a deeper understanding about gang violence and immigration in Guatemala and the origins, geography and traditions of Bolivia. I learned all about the vast mountains and problems that pedestrians encounter in gang territories. The two books we read were a lot different. Which was good I feel like I ultimately learned a lot in Spanish this year.
El Ekeko: Un misterio boliviano
The first book that my class took on was named “el ekeko.” This book was a very good introduction to Spanish as it was easy to read and was very interesting. The young boy began the book with nothing but a soccer ball and some ragged shoes which he loved. After a wild discovery he found a mysterious man which he named el ekeko. This doll or figure could magically make anything appear that the pack wished for. This brings back a tradition that the people do, they put their Ekekos with an object under the Christmas trees and apparently the Ekeko is supposed to bring that thing to them. Paco the main character lives in Los Altos which is a city in the mountains. Quite literally the city is at elevations around 13,000ft. The city's streets have steep inclines and there’s lots of confusion one may say.
In the book there weren’t many Cholitas but I learned that they are the stronghold of power in the indigenous culture around Bolivia. They possess an eagerness to express themselves and strive to be the best while not judging. The point is they are oppressed currently but are forever pushing forward. In the book however there were plenty of witches. The witches gave me another perspective on Bolivian culture. I found the witches intriguing as they had information on magical items and such that would be radical to know about. During this unit of study I learned that I was more familiar with Spanish then I could have imagined. When we were reading I didn’t feel lost during the book, instead I felt fluent with the words I transcribed which allowed me to take away all the knowledge. This book taught me more about Bolivian culture while still teaching me more Spanish in every chapter.
In the book there weren’t many Cholitas but I learned that they are the stronghold of power in the indigenous culture around Bolivia. They possess an eagerness to express themselves and strive to be the best while not judging. The point is they are oppressed currently but are forever pushing forward. In the book however there were plenty of witches. The witches gave me another perspective on Bolivian culture. I found the witches intriguing as they had information on magical items and such that would be radical to know about. During this unit of study I learned that I was more familiar with Spanish then I could have imagined. When we were reading I didn’t feel lost during the book, instead I felt fluent with the words I transcribed which allowed me to take away all the knowledge. This book taught me more about Bolivian culture while still teaching me more Spanish in every chapter.
Testigo: La Historia de Brayan
In the second book that we read there was a completely different conflict. A young man at the age of 14 named Brayan encountered a tough decision after a fatal incident involving his best friend being murked by a gang member. He was forced to leave his hometown and started a long journey in hopes to smuggle himself across the United States border so he could live with his ma. Throughout this book I realized just how relevant gangs are in other countries. To be honest I was a bit ignorant on the topic and after this book I learned that the gangs practically control Guatemala. In this book we learned about a lot of different topics. For example, the main thing this book soloed out was the coyotes. I always thought that coyotes were the ones that smuggled people across the border but as brayan showed me otherwise I realized how wrong I was. Coyotes are the ones who travel with the migrants and commonly immigrants are passed from coyote to coyote. When the time comes there is the final coyote who brings the immigrants across the border. I forgot what they are called but I think the book called them the night walkers.
Once Brayan met his final coyote and embarked across the border he got caught within the first day. Brayan was brought to a detention center and was kept there in a cold cage with barely any food, water, or warmth. I gained another perspective on border control. I realized just how severe border problems are. Reading this also made me feel bad because he had gotten caught after this whole adventure which basically made his trip pointless. Not to mention the amount of money he spent alongside the things and people he left behind. Another cool thing I learned was that the coyotes give their clients a three strike policy. So if they are caught on the first time then they have two more tries to try and sneak into the EEUU. If they fail on their third the gotta repeat the process of finding and paying a new coyote. My favorite part about this unit was learning about the gangs in Guatemala. I knew gangs were relevant but I didn’t realize how bad they actually were. A lot of innocent lives are at risk and taken each day in gang areas and i'm glad I know this because I feel like I'm a little less ignorant and could speak my mind about the topic in my life.
Once Brayan met his final coyote and embarked across the border he got caught within the first day. Brayan was brought to a detention center and was kept there in a cold cage with barely any food, water, or warmth. I gained another perspective on border control. I realized just how severe border problems are. Reading this also made me feel bad because he had gotten caught after this whole adventure which basically made his trip pointless. Not to mention the amount of money he spent alongside the things and people he left behind. Another cool thing I learned was that the coyotes give their clients a three strike policy. So if they are caught on the first time then they have two more tries to try and sneak into the EEUU. If they fail on their third the gotta repeat the process of finding and paying a new coyote. My favorite part about this unit was learning about the gangs in Guatemala. I knew gangs were relevant but I didn’t realize how bad they actually were. A lot of innocent lives are at risk and taken each day in gang areas and i'm glad I know this because I feel like I'm a little less ignorant and could speak my mind about the topic in my life.
Personal Reflection
Coming into Spanish 3 this year I felt a bit nervous because I knew that the jump from Spanish 2 to 3 would be a lot and it would completely different from online Spanish. At least I thought that but within the first two weeks of Spanish I already felt comfortable in the class. I would say that the most I have grown In Spanish is my fluency in speech. The beginning of this year I could write pretty well but struggled when I talked in espanol. I started to become better and better at speaking and soon realized that I was starting to really get Spanish. Looking into the future I want to keep learning Spanish but I might want to do it in an environment unlike school. I want to talk to other fluent Spanish speakers and learn more from that then a school setting. I think it would be cool to get an accent too. But in regards to my Spanish future I want to make a goal to myself to keep speaking Spanish when I can and when its useful because I learned that having other languages under your belt is a very useful skill in life and that's my main goal after this class.