13 Oct 2015
I completed my TalkAbroad conversation for Spanish 2010 at Clemson University. I talked with Carolina Rojas from Bogota and a partner from my class. I felt that the conversation went really well and Carolina was very understanding when I messed up or had to stop to think about what I was going to say.
Before the conversation happened I was really nervous about it, and I was worried I wasn’t going to be able to talk to her and understand what she was saying at the same time. I was really surprised at how well I did and how much I was able to understand. My listening skills surprised me as well. I had retained much more vocabulary over the years than I had assumed. It was really great to see how much Spanish I knew and put it to use outside the classroom or at my favorite Mexican restaurant.
During my conversation, we veered a little bit from our intended topic of discussion, which I think only made it more interesting. I hadn’t thought about what to say about those things. We talked a good bit about our families and what kind of chores we do around our houses. I learned that Carolina’s university doesn’t have a campus like Clemson does. The students all live close enough to walk or take the bus. She also doesn’t drive due to living in a big city, which is something we had in common due to the fact that I live on campus and can’t drive everywhere anymore.
I have to do one more conversation with TalkAbroad and I really can’t wait. TalkAbroad’s system was easy to use and the conversation was very simple to set up. I’m very excited to pick my next partner and meet someone new.