Kristin Houdyshell, Boston University Part 3

I had such a great time on TalkAbroad and meeting Chanel. This was my third time using TalkAbroad and my best experience yet. I’m in French 111 (Beginner French) now and was anxious to meet someone new. I looked on Chanel’s “About Me” page, before the conversation and wasn’t sure what to expect. Chanel was so kind, calm and pleasant to talk to. We had to do a short and informal assignment on TalkAbroad, in which we had to ask our partner where they’re from, what their favorite travel destinations are and why and their ideal vacation. I prepared a list of questions prior to talking with Chanel and was worried about reading word for word what I had written.

When we started talking, Chanel took the time to listen to my questions and what I had written down prior to our conversation. Chanel was so calm the whole time we spoke, I felt really comfortable talking to her. I enjoyed asking her what her ideal vacation is and why. This was my favorite TalkAbroad experience yet. When talking to Chanel, I noticed I pronounced some words incorrectly and immediately went back and asked the question again. Chanel understood the whole time, let me walk through each question and give a thought-out answer. I had such a great time with Chanel and speaking French.

Immediately after my conversation, I got an email from TalkAbroad about submitting the recording to my professor, looking over it first and providing any comments on how it went. I’ve yet to submit a follow-up essay (in French) about my partner, but am excited to listen to our conversation and share what we talked about. I can’t recommend TalkAbroad enough! It is a great website and platform for practicing another language and meeting other people from different cultures. Speaking to Chanel was really nice and I’m looking forward to speaking with her and using TalkAbroad again.