About John S.
I was born and raised in the Des Moines area of Iowa, where during my life there has been a great increase of people emigrating from other countries. More than any other country, Mexico is the home... more
I was born and raised in the Des Moines area of Iowa, where during my life there has been a great increase of people emigrating from other countries. More than any other country, Mexico is the homeland of many Iowan immigrants, and though new restaurants, grocery stores, and celebratory events have been established by Mexican individuals and families near my hometown, it is the churches that have impacted me the most.
In high school, I was encouraged to take two or three years in foreign language classes to avoid taking them in college. When I joined Spanish class, however, I found that I enjoyed learning a new language, and did not just want to check it off of a list of college-preparations. In looking for opportunities to practice and learn outside of class, I began attending church services for Spanish-speakers at two different locations. At these churches, I made new friendships and acquaintances, and I realized that Spanish wasn’t just an academic pursuit anymore, but an avenue through which I could meet new people and learn more about life and ideas from different parts of the world, and even the United States.
In college, I continued learning Spanish, but began looking into other languages as well. More often than in high school, I was interacting with people who were asking me about how to say things in English just as I was requesting help with Spanish. Whether it was talking with a language assistant on campus or members of the families who were my hosts while I was abroad, or assisting students as an intern for a Chinese educational organization, I saw that learning another language had a similar significance for other people too.
After college, I spent a year working as a teacher’s assistant in a Spanish-immersion program in Iowa, and began attending the “Spanish Conversation Hour” at the local library. Recently I moved to New Mexico, and while I am hoping to greatly increase my use of Spanish here, I would like to help others learn a language that I am much better equipped to teach, that which I have learned from my parents-English. I still keep in touch with friends from abroad, and I exchange language tips with them, but I am hoping that I can do more to help people connect with others through language learning. I would like to do this with Join Tutors.
