My first experience in TalkAbroad was a positive and educational experience. My conversation partner was a woman named Sybil from Togo, a country in West Africa. I chose this location because I wanted to know what a French accent sounds like from such a different area of the world. I also was interested to discuss and uncover different types of lifestyles, habits, and cultural differences between the United States and Africa. I specifically chose Sybil specifically because her name listed was Sybil Gisele, and I thought that it would be a cool connecting point in the introduction of our conversation that my name is Giselle. I also searched for someone who was listed as approved for beginners because I was unsure what to expect. I am glad I took this strategy for my first time in TalkAbroad because it made comprehension easier, allowing me to focus more on my responses.

As this was my first time using the TalkAbroad program, I was very nervous to speak with someone whose native language is French. It was also very nerve wracking because I did not know what to expect. Leading up to the conversation, I was not looking forward to it because I thought of it as more of a test and being judged, rather than a conversation. Once the call started, however, this viewpoint immediately changed. My partner made me feel much better about the conversation to come, ensuring that I felt relaxed and at ease. 

 Sybil is 30 years old and she works as a freelance translator. Her style of conversation was very by the book, following very closely to the outline that was given. During the conversation, I had an outlined script at hand to refer back to throughout. Furthermore, I enjoyed that she stayed “on script” because I was worried that I would have to come up with responses on the spot. During our conversation, she remained very expressive and made sure to pronounce her sentences very clearly. In addition to this, she also used gestures and facial expressions to aid my understanding in what she was saying.