Any experiences? At home or abroad.
My recent experience:
Tried to talk to someone and it was going well until they said 2 sentences really fast and I had no clue what they said.
I must’ve looked confused, trying to mutter something, ANYTHING! What were the words I’m supposed to say?! I forgot the polite “sorry, could you repeat that” in every language I know.
They caught me off guard, damn it. Then came the killing blow: “English?”.
In my moment of weakness I submitted and gave them a nod. From there on we were talking as equals, but my pride had taken a hit. I was defeated. I must go back to my books and duolingo and hide until I have courage again.
(Sorry for the dramatic text, wanted to make a boring interaction sound bit more interesting)
Though I learned Spanish over a decade ago, I barely used it since. So as I found someone who I talk to also speaks Spanish, I asked if we could interact in that language so I could train, and we have been talking mainly in Spanish since.
I also try to exchange some messages with a Norwegian I talk to in his native language, though I’m not quite there yet so non-English exhanges tend to be short. He also comments in a direct and (to my understanding) polite way when I make mistakes. =)
Both text only.
I admire the effort you have put into it. When I try to ask friends (who speak my target language) to speak in their native language I get frustrated looks. They get tired of the limited conversation we can have.
Sounds like you’ve got cool pen pals :)!