Aiyana Archer

March 28th, 2025

TalkAbroad #1

My TalkAbroad conversation experience was amazing. My partner was Sophie Ledemé. She is a woman from France who was open about her life and in helping me learn during our conversation. Sophie and I went over the first three sections of the given practice and we even delved into other conversations. I learned that Sophie was 4 adult children while Sopie learned and was amused by the number of siblings that I have. My experience with Sophie was extremely pleasant. She was not only helpful but also engaging in conversation. She slowed things down to a digestible pace and allowed the conversation to flow which allowed me to feel much more comfortable speaking with her as time went on. Sophie was considerate and helpful throughout the entire conversation. I feel that the conversation was easier to understand than to respond. I also realized how unconfident I am in speaking French currently. I would like to ultimately work on that confidence aspect and be much more fluent. In hearing my recording back I hear how many fillers I utilize when speaking because of a lack of confidence. This is a large thing I would like to tackle from here moving forward. Overall, my first TalkAbroad experience was helpful in learning areas where I can grow and placing myself outside of my comfort zone. I am grateful for my partner Sophie.