Video Conferencing Sessions
Students will video conference as a group, individually, and with their families. Video conference will serve as a means of communication to get to know each other, introduce families, become familiar with living space and conditions prior to the exchange.In addition, students will share a video on “My City” where they discuss education, culture, sports, recreation, and general information about their respective cities. This will help both students and families know what to expect at the time of the foreign exchange experience so that there may not be too many surprises.
Students are encouraged to post comments of their experience on this blog.
Posts
AMRITA DOSHI
ReplyDeleteHi Srta,
I don't know why, but it's not letting me post comments on the blog, so this is my comment....
Last Wednesday, I video conferenced with my partner from Argentina, Julieta. When we initially saw each other, we were just laughing because of the excitement of this Skype session. We had plenty to say to each other because we had been messaging for the past two months and had unfinished topics to talk about. I am vegan, so we talked about what I could and couldn't eat. Additionally we talked about vacation, the weather, prom, class mascots/colors, and what we do with our friends. Then, I took my laptop and showed her around my house, and gave her a tour of my sister's room, the room which she would be living in. I briefly said hi to the rest of her family, but my family wasn't present at the time. Every once in a while, there would be minute-long pauses while we tried to construct our sentences, mine in Spanish, and hers in English. I even told her to wait a few times while I looked up a word on Google Translate. Overall though, we had a lot of fun finally getting to see each other and communicate. There were only a few pauses, and we both did our best to help the other person speak.
I just read your comment, how wonderful! I'm glad you had the opportunity to communicate with her and her family. I hope she gets to meet your family soon too. I am so excited for you guys!! Have a nice weekend.
ReplyDeleteHi! I recently video conferenced with Fiorella, my partner from Argentina. In the beginning it was a little awkward, but we were both excited to actually see each other. She was really friendly and introduced her family. I introduced her to my family as well. I met her brother, who loves the Lakers, and her mom, who loves to bake, and her dad. She also told me about "mate," which is this kind of tea in a special kind of cup that people in Argentina drink every day. We talked about what we wanted to do when I got there, and what we liked to do in our free time. I think it was kind of surreal for both of us to be talking to someone who lives in a totally different country and culture. I learned that there are no Starbucks in Argentina! Well, not where she lives, anyway. She recognized it eventually only because she had one when she visited the United States. She looked kind of in awe when I said I could speak Chinese. Here, we don't really consider it a big deal, because a lot of us are bilingual, but it was funny to see her reaction. There were a few times when we couldn't really understand each other, and we both had to use an online translator, but it was fun for both of us. Later on, when we video conferenced again, she introduced me to her friends, who were really nice. We talked about school, and many other things. It was really exciting to talk to someone with such a different kind of life. We've already set a date to talk again!
ReplyDeleteI got a chance to skype with Florencia today, and it was such a fun experience! At first, we were kind of nervous to talk over each other or to cut each other off but we got used to it. I began by introducing one of my brothers to her but no one else was home. we continued to talk about how we would work out having two of them and one of me, and then i met her brother and sister and her parents. her parents asked me questions about what i like to eat and how old i am. and they asked me if i know what i will be studying in college! LOL as if I dont get enough of that here. But it became a laughing matter as both Flo and I have no idea what we want to do! She told me that she's going to the disco tonight, and she was going to introduce me to her boyfriend but she said she was embarrassed to speak English in front of him! she also told me that both her and Jose love American cheerleaders! For the most part, we understood each other well, and for the couple of things we didn't know, we figured it out quickly. She's going to invite Jose to her house and we are going to skype together hopefully next weekend! It was very exciting! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great experience for you both. It's interesting how nervous we tend to get when we can just see someone's face versus just messaging, isn't it? See you at the meeting!
ReplyDeleteTalking to Agu and Delfi was really fun! I had talked to Agustina a few times before, but it was my first time talking to Delfi. Both girls are very good friends so it was very easy and comfortable for all of us to talk to each other. We talked about places we wanted to see and things we wanted to do in our respective countries, and I was also able to meet Agustina's family. Her mother was so nice and her little sisters are really cute! Talking to both of them made me very excited to be able to meet them soon. I felt really shy and embarrassed about speaking in Spanish to them at first, but they helped me out a lot and I helped with their English, so I loved the sort of mutual teaching and conversing we shared. It was definitely a great idea to talk to them face to face and I have a feeling we will be getting along very well!
ReplyDeleteI talked to Micaela last week with her parents (and dog!) It wasn't awkward at all as we both kept laughing at our attempts to communicate. I didn't even bother conjugating or using preterito or anything sometimes but she still understood everything I said. Her family has a great sense of humor and I found out that two members of the family are actually celebrating their birthdays (on two separate days) when I'm living with them. Entonces, muchas fiestas! Micka talked about Argentina and all of the sights I could see such as waterfalls and underwater tunnels. Her dog, Benjamin, was also very friendly and "waved" at me while wagging his tail. It was a fun experience :)
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