For this project we were put in groups of three or four and told to pick a Spanish speaking country. We each had separate roles pertaining to what we were supposed to write for the newspaper or video, and we were set free to do individual research. I was picked to write a news article, and I researched how Costa Rica had their 65th anniversary of being military-free on December first. During the second semester we worked more as a group to meet the requirements. After several group meetings we separated for individual work time again. Most people wrote a small addition to the paper and I chose the job of layout. I put the final drafts of the articles together into one newspaper so I was not required to write another article for the newspaper.
I am part of the Animas Quill, so I had a little experience to work off of before we started. Since we were writing this in Spanish it was more difficult, but the added experience definitely helped me with the layout. I am training for the job of layout director in the quill so this prepared me a little more for the hardships I will definitely encounter in the future with the Quill. I enjoyed learning more about Costa Rican culture because I am visiting there in March. I found a subject that really interested me, and though it was difficult to write because there were not many facts about it within reach, I enjoyed the process I took to research and write it. The best moment for me during this project was when once during the layout process I really noticed how it was going to actually look. It was not a final-draft look, but it really excited me to see where the paper was going. I am now eager to pursue layout when writing newspapers and will redouble my efforts to ingrain myself into the layout team on the Animas Quill.
Along with the various fun or exciting times in this project, there are always difficulties. One of mine was the research part of the article. Though I really like the topic I picked, there was not much information on the Internet about it. I had to really dig through piles of unnecessary and unhelpful information to really get what I was looking for, and at moments I was very frustrated with the small amount of information I had after such a hard search. Most challenging for me though was the layout. I am very interested in it but I have never done it before so I was really finding everything out for the first time creating this paper. A moment when this was most difficult for me was when I saved it once and a window popped up. I had no idea what the window was but it didn’t sound threatening, so I exited out of it and saved the paper anyway. The next time I tried to open the newspaper, every single thing had been deleted from the template. I had to completely restart the process and I was very frustrated when I had to put everything in for the second time.
I learned that I am attracted to unusual things, so I have to work harder to follow through with the process. I am a leader but I benefit greatly from having someone willing to help me out as much as possible. In this case the willing helper was Heidi, who kept offering to do more than her share to help me. I never took advantage of this, but I think knowing she was there if I needed anything really helped me work through all of the hard times. It was knowing I had someone at my back to support me that really kept me going.
This project has made me even more eager to go to Costa Rica. I am going to miss a week of school, but I think my excitement overrides any worries I feel. I feel more confident with my Spanish, even though I still will struggle in a Spanish speaking country. I will be able to help out my family a little bit, but this has mostly just improved my confidence. This was valuable to learn because it also gave me a perspective into someone else’s culture. I was able to look at what news the Costa Ricans found important and I was able to try to put that into my own works in an article I wrote.
I am part of the Animas Quill, so I had a little experience to work off of before we started. Since we were writing this in Spanish it was more difficult, but the added experience definitely helped me with the layout. I am training for the job of layout director in the quill so this prepared me a little more for the hardships I will definitely encounter in the future with the Quill. I enjoyed learning more about Costa Rican culture because I am visiting there in March. I found a subject that really interested me, and though it was difficult to write because there were not many facts about it within reach, I enjoyed the process I took to research and write it. The best moment for me during this project was when once during the layout process I really noticed how it was going to actually look. It was not a final-draft look, but it really excited me to see where the paper was going. I am now eager to pursue layout when writing newspapers and will redouble my efforts to ingrain myself into the layout team on the Animas Quill.
Along with the various fun or exciting times in this project, there are always difficulties. One of mine was the research part of the article. Though I really like the topic I picked, there was not much information on the Internet about it. I had to really dig through piles of unnecessary and unhelpful information to really get what I was looking for, and at moments I was very frustrated with the small amount of information I had after such a hard search. Most challenging for me though was the layout. I am very interested in it but I have never done it before so I was really finding everything out for the first time creating this paper. A moment when this was most difficult for me was when I saved it once and a window popped up. I had no idea what the window was but it didn’t sound threatening, so I exited out of it and saved the paper anyway. The next time I tried to open the newspaper, every single thing had been deleted from the template. I had to completely restart the process and I was very frustrated when I had to put everything in for the second time.
I learned that I am attracted to unusual things, so I have to work harder to follow through with the process. I am a leader but I benefit greatly from having someone willing to help me out as much as possible. In this case the willing helper was Heidi, who kept offering to do more than her share to help me. I never took advantage of this, but I think knowing she was there if I needed anything really helped me work through all of the hard times. It was knowing I had someone at my back to support me that really kept me going.
This project has made me even more eager to go to Costa Rica. I am going to miss a week of school, but I think my excitement overrides any worries I feel. I feel more confident with my Spanish, even though I still will struggle in a Spanish speaking country. I will be able to help out my family a little bit, but this has mostly just improved my confidence. This was valuable to learn because it also gave me a perspective into someone else’s culture. I was able to look at what news the Costa Ricans found important and I was able to try to put that into my own works in an article I wrote.