Being a Spanish major, this assignment stuck out to me. When learning a new language, watching cartoons or other television programs is known to be helpful. All though out my Spanish classes, my teachers would mention the importance of watching Spanish-speaking television programs with subtitles in English, they specifically recommend telenovelas (soap-operas). So, naturally for this assignment, I chose a telenovela called Sangre de mi Tierra. The show takes place in the United States, but the family is originally from Michoacán, Mexico- so cultural differences can still be seen.

Above is the episode of Sangre de mi Tierra that I watched.

Some of the cultural differences reveled in this episode were:

• Greetings: In Hispanic culture and in Sangre de mi Tierra, when one person greets another, it is more intimate than what is typically seen in the American culture. The greetings include cheek kisses and a genuine concern for how the other person is feeling.
• Prayer: In the beginning of the episode a prayer was spoken. The prayer was very joyful, loud, and celebratory towards the Lord. In the American culture, prayers are usually kept more quiet and have less expression.
• Family/Sense of Togetherness: It is known that within Hispanic culture, the concept of immediate and extended family is different. Within the American culture, immediate family is usually one’s parents and siblings, yet in Hispanic culture what the American culture considers extended, the Hispanic culture will treat as immediate. There is a strong sense of togetherness within the family in Sangre de mi Tierra.
• Language: Language is a large part of culture and a more obvious cultural difference. The episode was in Spanish and the leading language in America is English.

Diane Hoffman