Emily McNally, Butler University

For many people, myself included, the idea of having a 30 minute conversation with someone you have never met before is nerve-wracking, to say the least. On top of that, having the conversation in a different language makes the situation even more frightening. At the start of the semester, when I learned my Spanish 305 class required four TalkAbroad sessions, I was not looking forward to completing them.

However, my experience with my first TalkAbroad session was nothing to be scared about. My partner, Victoria, lives in Quito, Ecuador. I have never been to Ecuador, or anywhere in South America, and I didn’t know much about the culture, which made me unsure of what to talk about during the 30 minute session. After learning that Vicky was a music student who wanted to be a performer after she graduated this year, we quickly began to talk about music. Before I knew it, the 30 minutes were up. We spent the whole time talking about music and the modern day culture of music, especially in the United States. Topics ranged from Vicky’s band in Ecuador to how crazy Miley Cyrus has become. The conversation was exactly like a conversation I would have had with my friends.

I also found it surprisingly easy to hold a conversation in Spanish for that length of time. While I did have a few stumbles here and there, my was partner was able to understand what I was saying and continue the conversation. It was cool to see how much people from the other countries know about the music industry in the United States. I feel more confident in my Spanish skills knowing that a native Spanish speaker can understand what I am saying. I am now looking forward to the rest of my TalkAbroad sessions and getting to know people from all around the world.