Emily Drew_CP_1

            Yesterday afternoon I met with my conversation partner from Denmark for the first time.  Once again, the weather was beautiful, so Soren decided that we should sit outside and just “chill.”  We chilled on a bench by the Westcott fountain, talked, and people-watched.  His English is pretty good.  When I was on the phone with him before we met up, I had to repeat a lot of what I was saying, but talking to him in person went much better.  Every now and then he wouldn’t understand a certain word that I used, so I had to explain it or work my way around it, which helps him learn new ways to say things.  He did not know what sororities or fraternities were.  He also asked me for help when trying to ask something that he wasn’t sure how to ask.  We went through the basic questions, and I learned that he’s been in the U.S. for four months and at CIES for two months.  He spent the first two months traveling in Florida.  He wants to become more fluent in English because, in Denmark, that’s how you would get a good job.  He wants to be either a pilot for the military or a policeman.  He asked me a lot of questions.  We ended up talking about things to do for fun in Tallahassee, traveling, religion, American culture, hipsters, politics in the U.S. and Denmark, and much more.  I wasn’t expecting it to get that deep.  He also asked me about racism in the South because I was born in Alabama and lived most of my life in Georgia, and that’s what he had associated with that area of the Unites States.  It’s interesting to see his perspective of the U.S. and other issues.

            Another thing that Soren mentioned is that he has encountered a few people that have been rude or impatient with him.  He said he was walking down the sidewalk and asked someone a question (to practice his English speaking), and at first the person completely ignored him, and when he asked again was given a vague answer and a weird look.  I told him not to be discouraged by that interaction and that most people are friendly and patient.  Like everywhere, there will be some people that are not as friendly.

            I’m excited about hanging out with Soren again!  He’s really nice and seemed excited to spend some time with me and practice his English.  He really put forth a good effort in asking me questions.