Conversation Partner Meeting #3

           After my second meeting with Paula, I became much more confident in our ability to successfully converse with one another.  To start our third meeting, we picked up right where we left off.  Although there were still a few minor disconnects in the conversation between us, it went quite well.  Our conversation was flowing more naturally than it had in any of our previous meetings. I have also begun to notice that Paula and I have become more and more comfortable talking to each other as our meetings have progressed.

            Like usual, we began our meeting with small talk.  Paula filled me in on how her week was going and what she was currently learning about over at IEP.  Paula made it clear that the classes and workload she is taking are quite difficult. At points, she seemed to almost be overwhelmed with all the work and studying that she had to get done that week.  I could relate, and told her of all the tests and assignments that I had on my own schedule.

            About halfway through our meeting, Paula informed me that she still did not have a visa for The United States.  She described her struggles to obtain one in great detail.  Ever since she arrived in America, Paula has been attempting to secure a visa.  She seemed quite frustrated with the process for a number of reasons.  She is currently attempting to obtain a visa for the third time.  The first two times, Paula was not granted one.  I could tell that the subject meant quite a bit to her and that she was extremely concerned with finally achieving what she wanted.  Paula was visibly stressed over the matter. She told me that she should know whether or not she would be granted a visa sometime this week.  I assured her that everything would work out in her favor eventually no matter what.  It seemed like a personal matter, and the fact that Paula brought it up showed me that our relationship had progressed quite a bit since our first encounter.

            In the fifteen or so remaining minutes left in our meeting, Paula offered to help me practice my Spanish.  As I began practicing, Paula proclaimed, “the tables have turned!” and chuckled at the role reversal that was taking place.  During this particular meeting, Paula’s sense of humor became much more evident.  She was laughing at my pathetic attempts to speak Spanish.  I could tell she was enjoying watching me squirm in the situation I was in.  It made me realize how difficult it is for her to talk to me in English for an entire hour on a regular basis.  The last time I had spoke Spanish was during the Spanish class I took my senior year of high school.  Needless to say, I was a bit rusty.  Paula refreshed my memory on a few tenses, word meanings, etc.  The more I began to converse with Paula in her native language, the better I got.  By the end of the meeting, I was able to get across what I was trying to say to Paula in broken Spanish.  Overall, she seemed impressed with my efforts and informed me that I was better than she was expecting.  I chuckled and told her that we would have to continue practicing in our future meetings.