During the cruise, we tried to speak English most of the time, both with each other and with the people we met. It was surprisingly easy to maintain English because the cruise was full of international passengers, so switching to English felt completely natural. This immersion helped me gain confidence in speaking spontaneously, especially in social situations with new people.
Meeting passengers from all over the world gave us real opportunities to practise listening and adapting to different accents; we also practiced a bit of French with french people that we met there. I noticed that I became more flexible in my communication, reformulating questions and speaking more clearly.
This meeting also helped me develop intercultural communication skills. By talking to people with different backgrounds, we learned about other cultures and countries beyond the ones we had originally planned to discuss.
This experience felt different from all our previous meetings because it was completely spontaneous and dynamic. Instead of focusing on grammar, vocabulary or specific cultural elements, we engaged in real-life communication, which is ultimately the goal of language learning.
Speaking English in a multicultural context made me realise how much easier it is to use the language when everyone around you also uses it as a common tool for interaction. I felt less self-conscious about my accent or mistakes. Instead, the priority became connection and communication.
I also learned a lot from observing how people from different countries communicate: the gestures they use, the expressions they repeat, how they adjust their speech depending on the listener… These details are rarely taught in a classroom, but they are crucial for becoming a confident speaker.
Additionally, although using English was natural, the noise and fast rhythm of conversations on the ship sometimes made it harder to understand everything perfectly. It was a bit challenging to follow conversations in loud environments or with people who had strong accents. However, this was also a useful learning experience.
Our original plan aimed at improving English communication skills and learning through cultural exchange. This meeting aligned perfectly with those objectives, even though it happened in a very different context than usual. The cruise offered us an “immersion-like” environment where English was the default language, which helped us practise it far more naturally than in a classroom or study session.
The intercultural aspect of the meeting was extremely valuable. We interacted with people from many different countries, which expanded our cultural learning beyond Spain.
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