"Intercambio"

An "intercambio" might sound like a "blind date." Two people meet through a mutual acquaintance (in my case, the website loquo.com) and without knowing much about each other or what the person looks like, arrange to meet up for coffee or a meal. I have been going on several "blind dates" with men and women alike... While I have yet to go on an American "blind date," I can imagine that there is oodles of anxiety and stress leading up to the meeting (what if he doesn't show up, what if he's ugly, what if he thinks I'm ugly, what if I need to leave immediately...etc). However, in an intercambio there is none of this stress because the purpose of the meeting is an exchange of languages. The full name is "intercambio de idiomas," but most people just say "intercambio." It is a fun, informal way of learning conversational skills in a foreign tongue. In some of my intercambios we pick a different theme for each meeting such as music or go try a specific food. I posted an ad on loquo.com saying that I was a native American speaker looking to exchange my English for someone's Spanish. While this was never something I thought to do in New York, it is an extremely common and popular practice in Europe. I currently have 4 "intercambios."

M: "M" was my first intercambio. She used to work as a flight attendant for Spanair, but is now getting ready to move to London where she can improve her English. Her nails are always perfectly manicured and she's muy guapa. She is slightly timid when speaking English ("¡alex, tengo verguenza!), so the majority of our meetings are usually in Spanish. Her boyfriend is training to be a pilot.

I: "I" is 26 years old and getting his MBA. He loves American TV, maybe too much so since he watches Hannah Montana just like my 1st graders. His love for the media also has him under the impression that every American college student is similar to a character out of the movie "American Pie." He speaks English decently well, but has a lot of trouble with pronunciation and longer words. He eventually wants to go into Marketing and hopes to work in the US or UK.

T: "T" is studying to get her Masters in Spanish and is also teaching Spanish to high schoolers. She studied for a year in Edinborough and speaks English very well. She is hoping to move to London or the US for a year after she completes her Masters in August. Her boyfriend works in Málaga and just opened his own tattoo parlor.

C: "C" just came back from Punta Cana and has her hair braided. She studied Tourism in college and is now working as an operator/secretary for a tourism office. She speaks a little French and Portuguese. She lived in London for a year as an au pair and learned English there. She is from Huelva, but moved to Málaga to be with her boyfriend. Her boyfriend works in Málaga and as a hobby plays the drums on Thursday nights at a bar. I might go see him play tomorrow.