Simon’s Report :
Today was our first meeting. We started by introducing ourselves in a few words. Everyone introduced themselves in the language they are interested in learning: Carlos and Ernest spoke French and I spoke Spanish. It was a good way to start using the language and get comfortable speaking it, because speaking a foreign language to a native speaker can be quite intimidating sometimes. Also, it was a good way to know where everyone stands and what level we all have.
Then, we went over the preliminary plan to make sure our expectations were concordant and to clarify a few points.
After that, we took some time in English to get to know each other a little more. Although it was not a learning time, it makes the experience nicer and we discovered some similarities that we can explore further in next meetings (Carlos plays tennis and Ernest plays water-polo, two sports I also practiced).
Next, we decided to pick every-day life sentences in English and to translate them in French and Spanish. Some of them were basic ones like “Can I have the bill please”, but some were non-academic: “What tobacco brand do you smoke?”. This experience is a great way to discover vocabulary and all sorts of things that are not taught in schools. It enables to learn not only the formal way, but also the daily way of talking, and to get comfortable expressing ourselves.
Indeed, I have almost spoken more Spanish during this hour with Carlos and Ernest than during my five years of Spanish study in France. Although I realized my level was okay and good enough to complete this exercise, it was much more interesting than the way it is taught in France because I felt involved and I played a role in the learning process.
Teaching French makes me realize how difficult this language can be, and I think my partners are really brave to want to know more about it. Even I can learn about my own language during our sessions because I must explain rules I never thought about before!
This was a pleasant experience and a promising meeting.
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