The Significance of Indigenous Languages in Latin America, My Second Reflection

This past weekend I had a super-enriching experience volunteering for the 2nd Symposium on Indigenous Languages and Cultures of Latin America in conjunction with the 4th Symposium on Teaching and Learning Indigenous Languages of Latin America on Sunday, October 28th for the entirety of the program that day from the hours of 8am-2pm. I primarily worked in the Faculty Club and the Thompson Library but the symposium was also held in a variety of locations across campus during the other  three days it was held. This event relates to the topic of International Affairs because of its emphasis and focus on the indigenous languages and cultures of Latin America and the immersive atmosphere of speaking the Spanish language throughout the symposium.

So far, this event is most definitely my favorite event I’ve ever attended for International Affairs Scholars. This is because I gained so much from this experience. Professionally, I was able to take part and witness a more formal environment than what I am used to attending classes everyday. This environment allowed me to utilize certain soft skills that benefited me to practice and exercise. Personally, I met and engaged with many native Spanish speakers and understood more and spoke better than I expected. This checked off a bucket-list item and a personal goal for me that made me feel really proud of myself and affirmed my love for Hispanic culture and my decision to keep studying Spanish. This also benefited me personally because the people I met were also some of the most inclusive, kind and helpful people I’ve ever encountered. They seemed genuinely interested in my journey as an undergraduate student, my studies, and my interest and love for the Spanish culture. We shared our backgrounds and what led us to be at the symposium that day. We also talked about the differences between the universities in the United States and Central America, which was an interesting discussion, and some people were even impressed with my speaking abilities. I even met someone that came all the way from Ecuador to Ohio for the symposium. Overall, everyone was just so open, kind, and willing to connect.

Academically as someone minoring in Spanish, I gained and learned so much just from immersing myself in the environment of people speaking only Spanish and navigating my way through that. I payed attention to the cadence of how native speakers spoke and asked them questions about the Spanish language and about some of the several indigenous languages discussed at the symposium. Also because I am minoring in Spanish, this event lends itself to all that I’ve learned in my Spanish classes at The Ohio State University. Depending on the different Hispanic countries focused on during the class, we, the students, also learned about the indigenous languages specific to those countries. Learning vocabulary and practicing pronunciation all those times in class really solidified my knowledge and helped me feel confident when I spoke and not as uncomfortable as I thought I would before I volunteered. This experience will remain a highlight of my college career.