This week during my meeting with my
conversation partner, we went rock climbing. It was my conversation partner’s
first time rock climbing ever, so it was a completely new experience that I was
able to share with her. I’m not an experienced rock climber myself, and I
happen to suffer from a fear of heights, but I was excited to go and meet her
other friends and try rock climbing. We met at the BLUU so that we could walk
over to the Rec Center. Walking over to the Rec Center, we talked about our
weeks and our homework. While this wasn’t a particularly deep conversation, it
was still fun because it felt like catching up with a friend. We didn’t seem to
have any problems holding a conversation.
Once we got to the rock wall, we
had to sign waivers so that we could climb. That was an extremely interesting
experience because I had to explain the waiver. It was a moment that reminded
me that my conversation partner’s first language wasn’t English. After we
signed the waivers we were good to go rock climbing. We put on our harnesses
and shoes, and she approached the wall before I did. Rock climbing didn’t leave
much time for talking, but it was still fun to cheer on each other as we
attempted to climb the walls.
My conversation partner actually
made it to the top of the rock wall on her first try climbing. Unfortunately, I
never quite made it to the top of the rock wall, and actually ended up smacking my head against the rock wall (one of the great reasons never to look down while rock climbing). Rock climbing takes a lot of
strength and focus, and was fun to share with my conversation partner. Between
climbs, while we were waiting for the next turn, I got a chance to hang out
with my conversation partner and cheer on her friends and the other people that
were rock climbing. We talked about our homes and the great distances it takes
to travel Texas. She even showed me a video that one of her friends sent to her
from Albania. While I didn’t understand what was going on in the video, it was interesting
to see how other cultures interact between friends. Even though the language
was foreign to me, the act of singing and sharing a video with your friend is
the same in any language. It was a great reminder of how similar we are.
Throughout rock climbing I met some
of my conversation partner’s friends. It was interesting because I was hanging
out in a group where many of us didn't speak English as a first language. They all practiced
their English and I spoke with them, but it wasn’t their first language. Still
it felt like I was meeting a new group of friends. Even though I sometimes
have to consider what words I want to use, it still feels like I am hanging out
with friends, no matter what their first language is.
Even though I never made it to the
top of the rock wall, I had a blast hanging out with my conversation partner.
It was fun to share a sport that was the same no matter the language. It even made
hitting my head on the rock wall worth it. If the weather warms up, I’ll soon
be showing her one of my favorite sports: tennis. I can’t wait to introduce her
to tennis. I’m sure it will be as much fun as rock climbing was!
That is so awesome that you and your conversation partner went rock climbing!! I love that you are getting to know her better and that you are bonding with her through fun activities, such as rock climbing. I feel like it is much easier to get to know someone in a more relaxed setting, such as something based on an activity. I especially appreciated your sentence: "It was fun to share a sport that was the same no matter the language." I think that is the key to forming the foundation of a strong relationship with your conversation partner, engaging in something that transcends language. I hope both of you continue to get to know each other deeper and that you both use rock climbing to enforce the relationship. Thanks for sharing!
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