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Nataly Abreu

English Composition 102.04

Reflective Statement

10 May 2019
Reflective Statement

Learning a new language is not as easy as people think. Mostly because it becomes more

difficult when you try to write it rather than pronouncing the words, or that's what I believe. My

process of writing, in general, has been not only complicated but time-consuming. The fact that

the English writing style is so different in comparison to the Spanish one still triggers me. For

example, at the beginning when I was first trying to learn how to write in English correctly, I had

to be aware of the fact that in Spanish adjectives are placed after nouns, while in English is the

opposite, adjectives are placed before nouns. At first, translating a simple part of a sentence such

as “la camisa blanca” was hard for me since I would translate it as “the shirt white,” instead of

“the white shirt.” Funny and complicated at the same time.

Throughout my years of schooling in schools that only spoke in English, I saw progress

on learning how to write. Since I always liked to read and write, learning a new language became

my biggest goal when I was first introduced to the English language. I was always so excited to

learn about it so that I could start writing stories in English. Yes, I used to write, but mostly in

Spanish. I tried once to write a book in Spanish that would be considered a “telenovela,” but I

had to stop because it was time-consuming, just like learning a new language is. Do not get me

wrong, learning English has been time-consuming, but rewarding at the same time. There is no

better feeling than being able to read, write, and understand more than one language.
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The key when learning a new language is that you must me able to comprehend more the

structure of it. In other words, if you already know how it works in your native language,

meaning you can put together a sentence by using a noun, adjective, and verb, you will be easily

able to do the same in another language, only if you understand the structure of it. In middle

school, I mostly learned how to put words together when writing and I tried my best to make

sense of it. But when I went to high school, my writing style grew a lot and that's when I had to

put all the pieces together.

I remember being in my sophomore English class and how I was recognized by my AP

English teacher because he was fascinated with a rhetorical essay that I wrote. I felt excited,

enthusiastic, delighted, and more importantly, I was thankful. Thankful because he opened my

eyes and made me realize that I could do it. I was able to write in English without feeling as if

every sentence did not make sense because I was so insecure with every sentence that I wrote.

College came, and I took an entire year of English composition. Throughout this time, I

learned and grew as a writer too. More specifically, I was able to learn more on citation,

researching, interviewing, and more. A time which helped be developed new skills such as

communication, writing, organization, and time management skills.