McKenzie- CP- 1

I met with my conversation partner, Elly, for the first time yesterday at “tea time.” We exchanged basic information before diving into real conversation. I learned that she is 23, from Taipei, Taiwan, and wants to major in communications but has to pass the TOEFL exam first. She plans on being in the U.S. for two years. Elly was extremely self conscious at first about her speaking ability, but I assured her that she sounded almost perfect! She confused he and she a few times but other than that, she didn’t make any mistakes! She told me that when she first came here she was so self conscious that she didn’t really speak a lot.
We talked about what type of things Elly likes to do. She can’t drive so she depends on friends for rides, and she has met a group of Taiwanese students that she spends her free time with. They went to a big nightclub last week but she said it was loud and overrated. We both love shopping so we planned on going shopping together sometime. I also invited her to Vortex Springs to go swimming with my friends because she said she likes swimming.
This was a cultural difference. When I invited her to the springs, she said she had a lot of homework so she didn’t know if she would be able. American students would jump on the opportunity to have fun and would put homework aside! Also, when we were talking about our families, I mentioned my dog and it was strange to her because in Taiwan, people don’t really treat dogs like humans. There are mostly just stray dogs on the street.
Elly is an only child who told me that she is very dependent on her parents. She cried when she first came here because she missed them but she is now feeling better. I am excited to meet up with her again!