My experience at the Language Exchange meetings

Every Wednesday I attend a foreign language practice meeting at a hippie bar. Other people interested in alternative culture and organic food also go to the same bar, but for different reasons. They sit at the tables nearby and enjoy the vegan pizzas, craft beer and relaxed atmosphere. We –the people of the Polyglot Meeting– go there to enjoy the gathering and participate in a random conversation with strangers.

This chaotic conversation can be about anything. Usually we talk about travelling, movies and how our week is going so far. But the conversation has to be in English or some other foreign language –anything but Spanish, our mother tongue. This way we enforce a sort of rule about using the meeting for practicing foreign languages and not just taking in Spanish about any topic. Most of the time we follow that rule (making the effort of speaking English as non-native speakers), but sometimes, especially at the end of the meetings, we default back to Spanish and start making jokes in that language.

The gathering is a good place to make new friends, too. A few of us are regulars, meaning we go there very often. So you tend to see the same people week after week, having this random conversation in English. After a while, they are no longer strangers anymore. You start to remember their names, what they do, and their preferred conversation topics. You start to become friends.

There are also foreigners who come and go to the meetings. They usually find out about these meetings through Couchsurfing –a social network for people who want to travel on a very tight budget, staying at other people’s houses for free. These foreigners add some extra excitement to the meetings, as they talk about their country and different ways of living. They usually speak English with a different accent compared to that that of Spanish speakers. This is cool for those of us who want to practice English as spoken in different parts of the world, and not just in Latin America.

All in all I can say that I truly enjoy going to these language exchange meetings. They make me forget about my problems and daily routine for a while. In order to speak a language that is is not yours, you have to be present in the moment and focus. And that’s what we do. Having random conversation with strangers –some of whom become friends, after a while.

© January 10, 2023 by Alejandro Moliné.

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