After many problems with trying to connect to my conversation partner, (and more problems still continuing) I finally sat down and had a chat with Lina. I still have no idea what the first question she asked me was, but after a while we got into a pretty good rhythm. The hardest thing was coming up with things to say. Normally when you meet somebody new, you have a place or event in common that can serve as a topic when conversation lags. Randomly meeting a person who you know nothing about challenged my conversational skills. On the upside, it was great practice for those awkward first dates when you realize you have nothing to talk about. After a while we found out that we both like extreme sports. She started teaching me Spanish (I'm about the only Texan who doesn't speak it!) and I helped her with her English.
It was a very interesting experience learning about somebody who grew up in a different country, but finding out that it really isn't all that different. In general, people all over the world are the same, no matter what.
It was a very interesting experience learning about somebody who grew up in a different country, but finding out that it really isn't all that different. In general, people all over the world are the same, no matter what.
Hi Megan, Thanks for posting. I am glad you had your first meeting. The first not is not always easy, but you will get more comfortable talking with one another, and you'll learn lots from each other. Good start. dw
ReplyDeleteHopefully your following encounters went better, if you had any more! I fortunately was able to find some common ground with my speaking partner, which definitely made things easier. If you can have a conversation with someone of another culture and language, then you can converse with anyone. I am not a native Texan, but I took four years of Spanish and I can’t speak a word, so don’t feel too bad!
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