CP#1 David Huntley

Monday I got to meet my conversation for the first time.  Charles and I decided to meet at Atomic Coffee, admittedly I was not sure what to expect.  We began with the basics of where he is from, which based on his profile I was under the impression he was french, wrong.  Charles is from Burkina Faso, Africa a nation that speaks french.  I sensed some nervousness from Charles immediately, and realized that it was probably because he couldn't keep up with my speech. I began speaking slower and I saw his confidence rise. Charles told me he has been in the US for 3 months, improving his english through CIES before pursuing a degree in architecture. We then discussed what areas of english he wanted to improve on. He showed the most concern with his vocabulary, and actually we had to use the translator on his cell phone to get through some dialogue. Sitting on the front porch of Atomic Coffee, there were many distractions including traffic and homeless people soliciting spare change.  Charles and I discussed interests, hobbies, lives and girls. He enjoys soccer and his favorite club is Real Madrid.  My favorite team happens to be the arch rival of Real Madrid, and the best team on earth FC Barcelona.  The common interest in soccer also helped ease any awkwardness, and really allowed us to converse voluntarily, rather than out of obligation. He mentioned playing soccer with other CIES students weekly as one of his pastimes. I asked if he had made any friends outside CIES, to which he responded with a disappointing "No, not really".  I saw this as probably the biggest hinderance for Charles' english enhancement and invited him to join my friends and I for a beer this weekend. We're both of age, so it's ok.