SAMPLE 1 (Actual name of student writer, participant, and work places have been changed/omitted for privacy)
Final Research Paper
Name:
Course:
Date:
Frannie-Pack
Carlos began working at X in September of 2008, and this is where we met. He was hired into my department of computers and cameras to assist with bilingual or Spanish dominate speaking customers. Senior employees, such as myself, take it upon themselves to train the new hires, such as Carlos, and during the course of this training, we all learned about Carlos’ past and his whole life through casual conversation.
Carlos is a native of Ecuador but moved to the United States six years ago to attend Brescia University. This was a feasible venture for him because he had been awarded a sports scholarship to Brescia for playing soccer. He graduated with a double major in Business Finance and Business Banking and now works for Y as his main career, but also works at X for a side job.
Carlos is from the largest city in Ecuador, Guayaquil. He told us that the biggest adjustment from moving to Owensboro Kentucky is the population difference. Guayaquil has an estimated metropolitan population of almost 4,500,000 people, which is quite the contrast from Owensboro’s modest estimated population of 60,000 people. Aside from the obvious difference in the amount of people, Carlos remembers how much busier Guayaquil seemed than Owensboro, what with Guayaquil being the main port of Ecuador and one of the largest in South America. He says there was always something to do there, but not much to do in Owensboro which is why he frequently takes trips to Louisville for entertainment; such as on Friday, the 5th of December, when he went to Louisville to see the play The Nutcracker.
To me, Carlos seems to be the most culturally well rounded person that I have ever met. He is a fan of plays, ballet, classical musical concerts, and of English literature. He is quite capable of playing the piano and is diligently working to better his skills through his inspiration of his favorite pianist, Glenn Herbert Gould, of Canada. He is also training for marathons and will occasionally come into work right after having ran for ten kilometers .Through his tenure at X, he has been given the name Frannie-Pack because of the fanny pack that he wears when he runs. He does speak of how much he enjoys seeing the culture of the U.S. but is disappointed in the overall lack of interest in soccer, especially compared to the celebrity status that soccer players receive in Ecuador. This is why he has taken up running, because there isn’t anything similar to the soccer he played at his home.
He told us that where he is from, a large percent of the population is bilingual in both Spanish and English. Thus, he was quite capable of communicated when he arrived at Brescia but he has been speaking in mostly English for so long that he complains of how exhausting it is to speak to the Spanish dominate speakers at work due to the difficulties he now has in translating Spanish to English.
Guayaquil is also quite the change of scenery compared to Owensboro. Being that it is a major port city; a large portion of the city is water front property to the Pacific Ocean. This is also quite the change in weather conditions. During El Niño years, Guayaquil experiences heavy rainfall between January and April and flooding is very common. However, when it isn’t flooding, the dry season of May to December casts a fog upon the city so thick that Guayaquil actually sees more sun during their wet season.
Ecuador’s most popular sport is soccer, and this is evident by the presence of 2 different soccer clubs and 2 different stadiums in Guayaquil. The 2 teams are the “Emeleccistas” and the “Barcelonistas” and when they meet in their heated rivalry match, it is called “El Clásico del Astillero”. This match is a major sporting event in Guayaquil and is fairly comparable to the Super Bowl of American football. Tennis is also a major part of Guayaquil, as is marathon running because Guayaquil sponsors both the “Abierto de Tenis Ciudad de Guayaquil,” a major tennis tournament, and the Guayaquil Marathon.
Carlos doesn’t really like Spanish much anymore. He takes a far greater interest in computers and math. In fact, it is hard to get him to talk about anything other than math yet he doesn’t enjoy speaking of his past in Guayaquil. Perhaps it makes him feel like an outsider, but as a native of Owensboro, I find any life outside of this place to be far more interesting. After the initial wonderment of meeting a native of Ecuador, we have all asked less about him as a Spanish speaker, and are more interested in the person he has become in America. Thinking back, I see how uncomfortable it must have been to have 5 different people each asking him the same questions over and over again all centering on him being someone different, someone from a different and strange country. I remembered this when our other new hire from Mexico came to work at this store. I made a point to treat him as any other person, rather than some guy from Mexico and bother him with a lot of personal questions.
References
Herz, Monica. Ecuador vs. Peru : peacemaking amid rivalry. Boulder, Colorado: L. Rienner, c2002.
Wilson, Jacques M. P. The development of education in Ecuador. Coral Gables, Florida: University of Miami Press, 1970.
SAMPLE 2
A few weeks ago, my girlfriend and I decided to go to X’s in Owensboro for dinner. There were two reasons I wanted to go there on this particular evening. First of all, we dine here frequently and enjoy the food, drinks and atmosphere. Secondly, I knew it would be a good place for me to speak to a Spanish dominant speaker and interview them for my research paper. On the Thursday evening we visited the restaurant, there were only a few customers and the staff did not appear to be extremely busy. I was hopeful that someone here would have time to talk to me about their native country, the things that are important to them, and what they think about life in the United States.
Our waiter was a Spanish dominant speaker. I noticed he communicated with the other employees in Spanish only, and used very little English even when he talked to the customers. Regardless, he understood what we wanted to order and did a very good job waiting on our table. Toward the end of our meal, I asked him if he would mind if I interviewed him for a paper that I was writing for my Spanish class. He was only able to answer a few of my questions and it was clear that he did not fully understand everything I was saying. He motioned for one of his co-workers to come to our table and the two began a brief conversation in Spanish. Then our waiter’s co-worker asked if he could help us. He too was a Spanish dominant speaker, but he understood and spoke English rather well. I told him about my research paper and that I was taking an Elementary Spanish class at Brescia University, taught by Martin Velez. His immediate reaction was, “Hey, I know Martin!” He was happy to talk to us.
My new amigo’s name is Gustavo and he is from Chiapas, Mexico. The state of Chiapas is located in the southernmost region of Mexico. It is slightly smaller than the United State’s state of South Carolina. Many of the nearly 4 million people who live in Chiapas are poor and wages here are the lowest in Mexico. One quarter of the state’s population is of Mayan descent. The climate is warm and humid and rainfall totals in northern Chiapas can amount to over 120 inches annually. Crops such as bananas, sugarcane, cotton, and cocoa (used to make chocolate) are grown throughout the state. However, coffee is one of the country’s most significant agricultural products.
I asked Gustavo to tell me some things about Chiapas that are significant or memorable to him. He told me that the Lacandon Jungle was a significant landmark in his homeland. I looked up the Lacandon Jungle on the internet and learned that it covers several million acres of land and is home to the Lacandon Mayan people. Like many areas of Chiapas, the Lacandon Jungle region is filled with Mayan history and various ancient architectural structures. Guided tours are available for those who want to experience the beauty and wildlife that inhabit this part of the country. Ariel also described what he referred to as pyramids in Chiapas. At first I did not completely understand what he was tying to say, so he drew a picture to help explain. He said he had visited one of these pyramids with his family when he was a young child. It is possible that the pyramid he visited was actually an ancient Mayan ruin. Many of these structures served as temples and are scattered throughout the state of Chiapas. He also said the rivers in Chiapas are nothing like the Ohio River at Owensboro. In Chiapas the waters are clear enough to see the fish swimming around. One major river is the Grijalva River. It flows northwest through the center of the state and it has three dams. Hydroelectric energy, which provides parts of the region with electricity, is produced from the waters of the Grijalva.
Gustavo has come to the United States to work, but will be returning to Chiapas for a brief visit in March. He plans to return to his job at X after about a month in Mexico. He said he looks forward to visiting his native country and will be glad to spend some time with his family. Family is very important to him and has fond memories of his childhood.
Owensboro is not the first United States city Gustavo has lived in. He spent some time in Chicago, Illinois, but he said he did not really like living there. Crime was bad in the area where he lived. Even though there is less to do here, Owensboro has been a nice change of pace and he seems to enjoy living in our smaller city.
Gustavo is very busy at the restaurant and works long hours, six days a week. In his spare time, he enjoys watching movies and relaxing at his apartment. One of the things he would really like to do, if he had the time, is to take classes to improve his English skills. He even mentioned that Martin had offered to help teach him more about English, but finding the time is difficult for him.
While my conversation with Ariel was brief, it provided me with some good information about a culture and country that I know very little about. The things Gustavo told me to look up (the Lancandon Jungle, Mayan pyramids, etc.) were interesting and I was able to find several photos of these areas online. This experience has also given me the opportunity to meet a new amigo and I will be sure to look for Ariel the next time we go to the restaurant.
Resources
Chiapas." Wikipedia. 01 Dec. 2008
Blance, Jose A., and Philip R. Donley. Vistas Introduction a La Lengua Espanola. Third ed. Boston, MA: Vista Higher Learning, 2008.
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