A short visit to California for my first Tandem experience
by Valentina Macrì
What does Tandem mean? Well, that’s what I asked myself when I heard this word for the first time. If you haven’t heard of it before, see here for an explanation, but in this blog post I will concentrate on my own experience.
About a month ago, some fellow students told me that Sapienza University organizes Tandem language learning activities for Modern Language students, so I got in touch with Professor Lynch for more information since he is the person in charge of the project.
When I went to his office he explained that Tandem activities had been set up for Sapienza Modern Language students by Julia Hairston, a former lettrice who now teaches at the University of California in Rome. She proposed two different activities: the conversation group, in which American and Italian students speak only in English, and the Tandem group, in which half of the conversation session is in English and the other half in Italian. Each Italian student is paired with an American student.
Professor Lynch believes the Tandem project is useful because it gives students a chance to speak and listen to native speakers, “especially when their University language classes are too big and it becomes hard for the students to talk, the Tandem project may be a solution,” he said.
His description made me curious so I decided to join in! On the 3rd of April I went to the University of California in Rome and had my first Tandem experience with an American student, Sally. She comes from Orange County in California, studies History and is staying in Rome until the end of May to learn Italian. After the opening presentation, we spoke a lot about her country because I’d like to go there. It’s a magical place. Sun, sea and relaxation!
Sally described Orange County as a very relaxing, peaceful and safe place but said that sometimes it can be really boring! “If you want to enjoy yourself, you have to go to Los Angeles,” she claimed. We also talked about Rome and she told me she thought it was a beautiful city, with a huge historical and artistic heritage. She also appreciated Rome’s many public parks where you can get away from the rest of the world and enjoy nature. Although she enjoys living in Rome, she also said that she feels a bit homesick.
When the moment to speak in Italian arrived, she made me laugh because she was afraid of making mistakes! I encouraged her by saying that everyone learning a foreign language has this problem, but… nothing! We spoke in English for most of the time but, honestly, that was not a problem for me at all, and even better from my point of view!
In my opinion, Tandem activities are really useful, because not only can you improve your language skills but you also come into direct contact with people from elsewhere, people with different languages and cultures. So if you have the chance, I would strongly advise you to try it. As I found my first Tandem experience really stimulating, I hope I will able to take part in future Tandem activities organized by my University!
Have you ever had a Tandem experience? What was it like?
© Student Republic of Sapienza 