Living in the Spanish Living Learning Community – As A Non-Spanish Speaker
A few months after acceptance into NYU, disoriented soon-to-be freshmen are granted access to the NYU Housing Portal, where they are instructed to rank the available dorms and, hopefully, get their top choice. However, a section I suspect is skipped over by many, simply because they are not aware of its true advantages, is the living learning community. “Themed Engagement Communities,” as NYU calls them, are defined by the school as “an environment where living and learning is dynamic and constant.” In other words, NYU gives little context as to what these communities actually entail and makes them even less appealing because an essay is required to apply.
When I was sent into the housing portal, my roommate and I set on a deep explorative quest. We had heard through the grapevine that a great way to secure your top choice of dorms was to apply to a themed engagement community. Like many other freshmen, Lipton Hall, right on Washington Square Park in the center of our so-called ‘campus,’ was our first choice. We decided to apply to the Vivir en Español living learning community, but not only to guarantee our chances of being in our preferred dorm. Lucky for my roommate, she is a Cuban-American, so living on the Spanish themed floor sounded like a community she could bond with. And lucky for me, I am a very-much-no-part-Hispanic-American, but one who has a knack and passion for learning the Spanish language. Little did I know at the time housing applications were due, the choice I made so strategically would also prove to be one of the most rewarding choices of my life.
Throughout my first three months living in the “Vivir en Español” themed community, I have lived in harmony with my Hispanic suitemates and faced cultural shock that has made me much more self-aware. I am from New Jersey, so I am fortunate enough that my family can stop by for lunch or a quick bite whenever they want. A couple weeks into first semester, my parents came into the city for dinner and wanted to take me and my roommates out to eat. We went to a nearby restaurant, and when it was time to order, I asked my roommates, both from Colombia, if they wanted a Shirley Temple to drink as well. To my utter surprise, they had no idea what a Shirley Temple was! They agreed to try the sugary drink and enjoyed it, but I faced a much more fascinating revelation that day.
A Shirley Temple, an extremely American-rooted drink, was a staple of my childhood. So, why would I assume that my Colombian roommates would automatically know what it was? The embarrassing answer to that question is a bad-case of Americentrism. That is, the belief that American culture is superior, or more well-known, than all the other cultures in the world. Though my roommates do enjoy learning about my very much all-American culture, realizing that Sunday football and Thanksgiving dinner are not the coolest customs has been a valuable part of me living in a Themed Engagement Community.
The dissemination of culture has not been a one-way exchange in our Lipton Hall home. Did you know that in Colombia, Santa Claus doesn’t deliver the presents, but Baby Jesus does? Did you know that in Colombia, it is tradition to take your suitcases and run laps around your block on New Year’s at midnight to wish yourself a year full of travels? Have you ever snacked on a buñuelo? Or set fire to a doll filled with fireworks to ‘burn away’ all the troubles of the past year? These are a few of the Colombian traditions I have learned about in only three months living in my newfound community. Each time I learn a new one, I am just as astonished as the last time. I have recognized that there are many valuable and interesting customs and traditions to know in addition to my own. My roommates, Toa and Andrea, have opened my eyes to a whole new world of music, food, and culture that I might have ignored had I not met these insightful, captivating girls who I can now call two of my closest friends.
Aside from the cultural aspect of living in the “Vivir en Español” community, there are incredible benefits from the perspective of someone trying to learn Spanish. The language has been included in my education since third grade. I already had a pretty good grip on speaking, reading, and writing, but moving in with fluent speakers has improved my abilities exponentially. Between listening to my roommates speak to each other, practicing on a day-to-day basis by having conversations with them, and asking for help with my assignments, I can say proudly and confidently that my language skills have progressed. My Spanish professor, Felipe, even said that since the beginning of the year, he has noticed significant improvements, and Andrea, my roommate, loves to rave to her friends and force me to speak Spanish with them (which also helps me, might I add!). I often poke my head into Andrea’s room when she’s on FaceTime with her mom and chat with her in Spanish, and Patry, her mom, told Andrea that since the beginning of the year, I have adopted Andrea’s Medellin accent. It is extremely rewarding and prideful to see my improvement, and I have Toa and Andrea to thank for that.
On all levels, I can say I have zero complaints about the “Vivir en Español'' community, and highly recommend joining one of the many themed engagement communities NYU has to offer. Though much of my learning has been focused on Colombian culture, I want to continue to broaden my horizons, understand other ways of life, and abandon my Americentrism entirely.
