Practicing Spanish

The Wednesday before Christmas, I made a presentation to a group of IRTA folks – professors, staff, and students – about my research and other research taking place in the Horticulture Department at Cornell. This was something that Joan asked that I do in order to familiarize the people at the station with research going on abroad. I accepted the tasks weeks in advance and even promised to give the talk in Spanish. As the presentation drew near, however, I was a bit nervous about the situation, so I scripted what I wanted to say. Though I am usually more free-form with presentations, I was glad to have my “security blanket” script, and overall, the presentation went well. I think everyone enjoyed seeing my pictures of New York and learning about the research. They even laughed at my jokes and gasped at some of my snowy pictures, so the effect I was looking for was there. In the end, we had a nice discussion, and they even complemented my Spanish speaking ability!