Personal Narrative: My Visit To Spanish At The Grace Church Care Center

On Tuesday nights, I visit with my friends at the Grace Church Care Center in Noblesville, Indiana. I turn on my Spanish playlist and hop in the car. I change my thoughts to Spanish and repeat them back to myself to practice my pronunciation. I don’t want to lose a single moment of interaction because of a translation error. My Spanish friends are too important—our dialogue is too important, and I cherish every second of it. Although I volunteer at the food pantry because I enjoy it, the secondary benefit is the Spanish practice. I’ve been in Spanish class for four years, but I’ve learned more from interacting with Spanish speakers than from anything else. I believe that it is important to connect school with the real world because there are so many practical applications for book knowledge worth pursuing. Spanish is one of those opportunities. I am passionate about connecting with people from different cultures and communities, and learning a foreign language opens up many more doors to connect with people. Working at the Care Center has also helped me to develop my leadership skills by providing me with confidence in my abilities and in myself. As I’ve developed my ability to speak Spanish at the Care Center, I have been able to lead by example in the

I am usually surrounded by racial and socioeconomic homogeny, so it is refreshing to connect with different types of people. The choice-food pantry serves people from Mexico, Central America, the Middle East, and Asia. Their stories and wisdom are insightful, and my views have become more informed as my eyes have been opened. There are people there who I have genuine friendships with, and one of the guys accepted my invitation to join my church youth group. I was able to help him with employment, and now we are close