As we returned to campus following winter break, I held the expectation that my final semester at UR would be the most predictably joyous in the most unpredictably, spontaneous of ways. I was enrolled in 4.25 credits, and 1.5 of those credits were in conjunction with UR's Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures in order to study Portuguese. I had worked with Dixon before both as his student and his assistant teacher for Spanish, so he generously agreed to work with me in my journey to learning Portuguese.
At the beginning my journey of learning Portuguese, I had a rough timeline order of the subjects and topics I would cover with Gabi, Dixon, and myself. I met with Gabi and Dixon separately, once a week. Gabi and I worked on speaking and cultural aspects such as travel, food, and music. Dixon answered questions I had, as well as prepared readings and worksheets to further my learning. I love the interaction between the two of my language partners.
When entering the SDLC 105 half credit course with Dr. Soloway, I honestly had no clue what to expect. I knew it was a chance to group together with other students learning different target languages, however, I did not know specifics. Our class is small, and I appreciate the amount of time we were able to interact together in person. I feel as though we each gained invaluable knowledge from each other, because we each shared our unique experiences and perspectives during our journeys of learning a new language. The course allowed us to gain appreciation for every language by delving deeper into the history and makeup of languages. I enjoyed listening to my peers as they shared information of their target languages’ cultures. Dr. Soloway helped guide us through our journey and was always a go-to support figure. He found unique and engaging ways to learn about linguistics.
As the semester progressed, what I had thought would be the most predictably enjoyable time of my college career became unpredictably unprecedented. Moving from in-person, on-campus learning to completely online learning became the new norm. I, along with many others I presume, fell into a rut. While this transition proved to be a challenge for thousands of us across the country and world, I found my time in learning Portuguese to be a constant. Gabi and I did not end up continuing our weekly sessions due to schedule, however we kept in touch. Dixon and I continued to meet Friday at 1:30. What started as a more structured learning-based meeting morphed into us simply talking about our weeks in Portuguese. I am typically a very schedule-oriented person, and I like order. By having this weekly meeting with Dixon and continuing our SDLC 105 class meetings, I felt still connected to the UR community. Other classes simply became pre-recorded lectures and online tasks, so continuing a live interaction with the SDLC community and Dixon truly helped me through this unprecedented transition.
I could look back on this semester and see topics I did not cover, hear my accent I did not perfect, and read articles I do not understand, however, I am proud. I feel as though our class has overcome a large barrier to our journeys in learning our target languages. We adapted to change in our own ways. Instead of looking at the things I wish I could have accomplished, I am proud of what I did accomplish. Learning is lifelong, and this course is just the beginning of learning Portuguese.
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