Fluency In Spanish!

Ellie Eaton Start Date: Mar 6, 2017 - End Date: Jun 28, 2017
  • Cultural Exchange
  • Professional Development
  • Study/Degree Abroad
  • Querétaro, Mexico

My Travel Story

by: Ellie Eaton Start Date: Mar 6, 2017 - End Date: Jun 28, 2017
  • Cultural Exchange
  • Professional Development
  • Study/Degree Abroad
I traveled to Europe this past year with just a backpack, staying in hostels and staying on the couches of my new friends. I was amazed how many languages they all knew. It was commonplace for the people I met to know at least two languages, but not uncommon for them to know up to five of them! 
Growing up in the United States, it it not nearly as common unless your family immigrated to the states within three generations. Or if you grew up with parents that had the resources to put you into an immersion program. 
I aspire to be a counselor focused on trauma recorvery. I refuse to let my ignorance stop me from serving families who speak Spanish as a first language. While I may not be confident in my language aquisition enough to hold full sessions in Spanish for quite awhile, I would like to be able to converse with parents of children I will work with enough for them to know that I care about their culture and language. 
I want to be competant in many ways, not just through the basic language ability, but culturally competent as well. 
As many people who have learned or attempted to learn another language know, immersion is the best way of accomplishing this. By going to Queretero Mexico this Summer, I will have a chance to gain fluency in a way that I couldn't imagine doing by taking classes in Portland, Oregon. This isn't all, however. Classes taken in a mostly white and western and individualistic culture also prevents you from learning a different culture, from meeting people who can teach you what simple grammar cannot. I wish to continue expanding my world view.
I volunteer as a Interpersonal Violence Peer Advocate at Portland State and I have also volunteered as a Domestic Violence Survivor Advocate with Raphael House of Portland. I am a survivor of abuse myself and I have studied quite a bit of the policies for survivors, the barriers to survivors, and the societal effects of Interpersonal Violence across the world. I want to eventually spread my work and my efforts to other cultures and countries, but I can't do this with ignorance and I can't do this with only knowing one language. I refuse to go to another culture with some sort of white savior mentality, I must go there with cultural awareness and a listening ear.  I want to be a responsible ally (or accomplice, rather) of communities aborad. 

Funding is huge for this initial study aborad trip to actually occur. I can sublet my room and apply for scholarships, but crowd sourcing is necessary for me to make this happen. 
I thank you so much for your desire to help me achieve this. 
  • Querétaro, Mexico