Ariel Drotter, Franklin College

Talking to a stranger in public is often very difficult. Talking to a stranger from another country is often even more difficult. TalkAbroad has facilitated the process of talking to strangers optimally. I no longer have to feel uneasy talking to someone I do not know at all. The short profiles of each conversation partner makes it easy to choose someone I would feel comfortable talking to. Also, I can strengthen my foreign language skills and I can learn more about someone else’s culture and beliefs. My experiences with all my TalkAbroad conversation partners has been an enlightening experience. While I did have to have six conversations for my Spanish pronunciation class, I genuinely developed and enjoyed sharing perspectives with people from all over the world. In particular, my experience with Hagia, a native of Honduras, and our conversations about humanitarian issues and moral dilemmas within society helped me grow as both a citizen of my community and as an individual. I would most certainly enjoy repeated my experiences with other conversation partners in Spanish or in French. TalkAbroad is a powerful tool to increase language aptitude and cultural awareness, and I hope to continue to use this site in my quest for foreign language acquisition.