04 Oct 2015
After doing TalkAbroad twice for my Spanish class last semester I didn’t think I’d ever have to do it again. However, I was pleasantly surprised when my professor told us that we would be using the tool again. I enjoy talking to people from other countries, and this opportunity gave me another chance to talk to someone from a different country that speaks a completely different language than me.
For my Intermediate Spanish class we have to do 2 conversations with TalkAbroad this semester. I completed my first one with my partner on Friday, October 2, 2015. My partner Natalie and I talked to Yarimar Jara Artavia from Costa Rica. I felt like our conversation went very well. Despite the topic assigned to us by our professor (the environment and financial situations), we found a lot to talk about and I learned a lot about how Costa Rica works to save the environment. Yarimar told us that Costa Rica utilizes wind as a way for them to power their cities. She also said that Costa Rica takes recycling very seriously, and it shows in the pictures that tourists take when the come visit. Additionally, Yarimar said that a big source of revenue in CR is tourism, and that everyone loves to visit the beaches and volcanoes that Costa Rica has to offer.
Before the conversation, I was not nervous at all, probably because I had already done this before and I knew what to expect. My partner used TalkAbroad last semester as well, so I felt that we were very well prepared for our conversation. Our professor also prepared us for our conversations by requiring us to come up with 15 questions to ask our interviewee for homework. After the conversation was over, I felt confident because I felt that it had went well. I enjoyed talking to Yarimar, and would definitely talk to her again in the future!