During this semester in Japanese 312, I had the opportunity to schedule my first TalkAbroad appointment. This assignment gave me the real world experience of talking casually about a subject I was interested in to a native speaker. It challenged me to think outside of the box, ask questions, and really use my ears to comprehend the questions and information directed towards me. I made a conscious effort to use Aizuchi and talk as relaxed and composed as I could maintain. I had fun sharing my experiences with my partner, Kyoko, and we were both smiling and laughing until our session ended. My main takeaway from this experience was that it felt natural, and not forced. I came to the realization that people will not be as judgmental as I presumed they would be if I mess up on a word or sentence every now and then. I proved to myself that I can effectively communicate with native speakers, and the project ultimately boosted my confidence in speaking. I was well reviewed by my peer as well, who spoke very highly of my conversation, see here.