When I first heard about the conversation partner opportunity offered by American Councils, I was both grateful and a bit nervous to meet with my partner. In the past, I have often felt apprehensive about speaking Russian with native speakers my age, worried that I might make mistakes and feel embarrassed. However, my experiences with my conversation partner have been nothing but positive. She has been so helpful with correcting my grammar and word choice in a way that encourages me to continue talking and improving my Russian. I truly feel like my conversation abilities have improved after each of our meetings.
The first time that we met was organized by American Councils. Everyone met their conversation partner on a long lunch break during orientation. Lunch was provided at a cafe, where we had the opportunity to get to know each other while speaking only in Russian. I discovered that we had a lot of similar interests - we both love dancing, watching films, and shopping at the same places. I got her contact information and have had easy communication with her about when and where we should meet for our weekly hangouts.
We have met each week for around two to three hours. For our second meeting, we went to a shopping mall. We walked through our favorite clothing stores and we reviewed the Russian vocabulary for different clothing items, many of which I had not learned before. Fashion is important to me, so I was especially glad to review and practice vocabulary that often isn’t emphasized in the classroom. After this, we ate food in the mall and talked for about two hours!
For our third meeting, we ate at McDonald’s and then walked around Old Town. She showed me great viewing spots of the city in Old Town that I had not discovered before. I enjoy walking around Old Town, so I was very thankful for the new locations and have even visited them again since our meeting. While we were eating, we started talking about our mutual love for dance. I have been dancing for sixteen years, and I was missing my regular classes while abroad. I asked if I could attend her dance classes with her, and she happily agreed.
The dance classes are taught entirely in Russian and located in a nice studio in the city. After completing my first class, I knew I would attend each week for the rest of my stay. The classes meet twice a week, and my conversation partner and I eat together after one of them. It’s amazing to hear something that I love so much be taught in Russian. It’s been a perfect way to deepen my immersion and expand my vocabulary in a personally meaningful context. The classes are structured very similarly to the ones I take in Kentucky, and even though the choreography and exercises are challenging, I’ve been able to follow along with ease.
We have also talked about doing other activities, like going to the Tallinn Zoo, and I am excited to continue our meetings throughout the rest of this program.
Opportunity Scholarship Recipient
Advanced Russian Language and Area Studies Program (RLASP)
Tallinn University (TLU)
Tallinn, Estonia, Summer 2025