During the cruise, we made an effort to speak English most of the time, both with each other and with the people we met. It was surprisingly easy to stick to English, as the cruise was full of international passengers, making it feel completely natural to switch to English. This immersion helped me gain confidence in speaking spontaneously, especially in social situations with new people.
Meeting passengers from around the world provided real opportunities to practice listening and adapting to various accents. We also practiced some French with French speakers we met aboard. I noticed that I became more adaptable in my communication, reformulating questions and speaking more clearly.
This meeting also helped me develop intercultural communication skills. By conversing with people from different backgrounds, we learned about cultures and countries beyond those we had initially planned to explore.
This experience felt different from all our previous meetings because it was 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 such a multicultural context made me realize how much easier it is to use the language when everyone around you is also using it as a common tool for interaction. I felt less self-conscious about my accent or making mistakes. The priority shifted to connection and communication.
I also learned a lot from observing how people from different countries communicate—such as the gestures they use, the expressions they repeat, and 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.
Although speaking in English felt natural, the noise and fast pace of conversations on the ship sometimes made it harder to catch everything perfectly. It was a bit challenging to follow conversations in noisy environments or with people who had strong accents. However, this was a valuable learning experience.
Our original plan was to improve our English communication skills and learn through cultural exchange. This meeting perfectly aligned with those objectives, even though it took place in a much different context than usual. The cruise provided an “immersion-like” environment where English was the default language, allowing us to practice it far more naturally than in a classroom or study session.
The intercultural aspect of the meeting was incredibly valuable. We interacted with people from many different countries, expanding our cultural learning far beyond Spain.
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