IES sets up each of their students with an intercambio. An intercambio is a Spanish student who is studying English and we practice our language skills with each other. I speak with her in Spanish and then she practices speaking English to me. The intercambio program is designed to help improve fluency while gaining a cultural perspective from a peer, and I think is an awesome opportunity that IES provides its students with.
I met with my intercambio for the 1st time on Thursday 02/23. She was very nice and is actually from Malaga but is student at the University of Granada. Her goal is to became an English teacher, so she is very enthusiastic about practicing her language skills. We got a long very well and discussed books like Harry Potter and music both Spanish and American. However, I was hoping that my intercambio would be a bit more outgoing, but she is a pretty introverted individual who enjoys her alone time or spending time with her boyfriend. As a result, she is not familiar with many tapas bars, discotecas, and music venues in Granada. I had been hoping that my intercambio would not only help me with my Spanish but show me places in Granada that I would not necessarily find on my own or introduce me to some of her friends as sometimes it is difficult to make Spanish friends due to the language barrier. I do not believe that I will be meeting my intercambio's friends, I am lucky that she wants to meet frequently to practice speaking! After all, the goal is for my spanish to improve and the only way for it to improve is to practice.
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