I Talk to Strangers

After returning from camp in August, I evaluated the past year and decided that I needed to be more proactive in my Spanish speaking. Yeah, my Spanish is decent, and I can get around, but I'm not where I want to be. Since the number one way to learn Spanish, according to Kaley, is getting a Spanish boyfriend-out of the question- I had to go another route. I didn't want to pay for Spanish lessons, so I decided to do an intercambio, or language exchange. Usually, you split the time equally, 1 hour in English, and 1 hour in Spanish.

I already had one intercambio from last year, but I felt that the time had come to branch out even more. I  tried to go to a weekly intercambio at an Irish bar, but a lot of the people didn't want to exchange language as much as they wanted to just practice their English. Um...I charge for that.

Since I'm a member of Couch Surfing, I decided to try that route. I posted something in the language discussion group saying I was looking for someone, and got a lot of replies. So far, I've met some really cool people.

Here are the reason I really enjoy intercambios:

• They get me out of my comfort zone. It's kind of intimidating meeting someone you've only ever emailed before. It's like a first date. You ask the same questions- "Where are you from?" "What do you do?" "What do you like to do for fun?" and you want to make a good impression so you can meet up with them again. 

•  I get to meet nice people. I've met engineers, journalists, and security guards. Because I work in a high school, I'm not exactly surrounded by my peers, so I get to meet people my own age. More often than not, intercambios turn into actual friends.

•  The people I intercambio with are locals (Yes, I made that a verb. I'm an English teacher. I can do that). While I've lived here for a year, there's still a lot I don't know about this place. I've learned where the best beaches are, more history of the area, and when the cool festivals are.

• I learn a lot of Spanish. This seems obvious, but when you're just talking to someone, you have more of an opportunity to hear the words, slang, and idioms that they use on a daily basis. My intercambio Marisa gave me a whole sheet of idioms that I had never heard of. Ainara taught me names of birds. Since the teachers at my school speak to me (mostly) in English, and a lot of friends from here also speak English, it's a good way to expand on what I have already learned in school, and to challenge myself.

To anyone looking to brush up on their Spanish, I recommend intercambios. It's a great way to share culture and to learn a language. So get one-or two! The more the better!

Originally published 9.10.11