Chia Jung Ho, FLA (Taiwan)

In Between

     "Yo tengo clase de español, yo hablo un poquito de español." That is my favorite sentence to introduce myself in Spanish.
As a Chinese FLA, taking a Spanish class in America is a special experience. I remember the first day of the class; it was a little strange to be a student, because my classmates might be friends with the students I was teaching in Chinese. It was difficult at first for me to adjust to my new position (after all, now I was a student rather than a teacher), but I was very lucky to have very good teachers and classmates to help me to learn Spanish. We're always chatting, discussing, and doing the homework together.
     For me, the biggest difficulty in learning Spanish is learning in English. Each time when the professor illustrates grammar, I need to understand in English first, and then translate to Chinese, and translate to Spanish in the end. I think when I learn Spanish, I improve my English as well.
     Taking Spanish helps me to feel what my students feel. When I first came into contact with a new language, I was anxious, and it made me think of my elementary students, who were experiencing Chinese for the first time. My anxiety made me understand my own students better. On the other hand, I'm also studying teaching skills, so watching my professor gives me ideas for my own classes.
     I am very excited about taking Spanish at Holy Cross. It has led me to make many good friends and I have a lot of good memories. I also plan to continue to learn Spanish when I return to Taiwan. Thanks to my professor, my classmates and FLAmily! I am really happy to meet all of you! ¡Adiós!