She brought up that she was studying to increase her TOEFL score in the speaking section of the test, so we talked about that and what she was having difficulties with. I took her to Borders after we ate so that we could see what resources they had there. She had never been there before so I showed her where she could find test reference books and other books to enjoy for herself as well. We walked through the store and I showed her what some of my favorite movies and books were, and asked her what she liked too. I tried to keep it light and it was a little hard to get a lot of feedback from her, but she opened up more and we had a good time.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Ali CP #3
I took my conversation partner, Mandy to Panera for dinner, she had never been there before and wanted to interview me for an assignment, so I thought it would be a good place to eat and talk! She seemed to really enjoy her meal and ate all of it, even asking me what some of the ingredients in her soup and sandwich were and how she could make them herself. She interviewed me for her class, and I tried to make it a little less formal and more comfortable by asking her some things about herself too. She does seem very reserved, but really sweet and we found out that we have some similar interests in music and books.
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Good idea walking around Borders. Ramin recommended taking a walk in one of his comments on my blog post, so I am taking my conversation partner to the Flea Market on Saturday to do something similar to what you did at Borders!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a good activity to do with Mandy. Perhaps that will work well when I spend time with her. I thnk having an activity, like walking, makes it more comfortable than sitting face to face.
ReplyDeleteI think Mandy is a anxious about the tests she needs to pass, as well as probably experiencing culture shock as well. It is great you are providing an opportunity for her to open up to and feel comfortable with someone. You may want to observe one of De. Maria Beatriz Mendoza's classes. She prepares students for the SPEAK test, and her classes are in the afternoon here at CIES.
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