In the middle of applying for graduate school on top of my normal workload, I got a message from an Iraqi man who was willing to help me with my Arabic.
I didn’t have time.
I’ve also waited for a few years to find someone to help me with Arabic.
So, I said yes.
We’re doing something I’d never thought of-sending voice messages back and forth on Facebook Messenger. So, he sends me a minute or so in English, I send it back, saying what he said in a more natural way.
I don’t have enough Arabic to understand that yet (I tried!), so I sent him a photo of a page in a picture book, and then recorded myself trying to talk about it. He responded saying what I’d said in much better Arabic, and adding some more. I could understand, because I was looking at the picture he was talking about.
This has been great for my Arabic, and fits into my schedule. If I have a few minutes, I do a little Arabic.
And, I’m slowly making a new friend!
Is it the perfect situation? Nope! But, progress, not perfection, right?
What creative ways have you used technology to build relationships in your new language?