Conversation Club

During our first week in Mexico, Fulbright introduced us to a great resource here in the city: The Biblioteca Benjamín Franklin. The library was originally established in 1942 to promote friendship and understanding between Mexico and the United States by providing access to information on the relationship between the two countries. It is supported by the U.S. Embassy in Mexico, and it serves all people living in the Mexico City area.

A few months back, my friend Cammie and I approached the library about doing some sort of volunteer work in addition to our teaching at the Politécnico. Benjamín Medina and Claudia Mendiola, two wonderful and talented individuals who work for the library, came up with the idea of an English conversation club. In order to publicize the opportunity, they contacted people using e-mail, Facebook, and word-of-mouth. The response was overwhelming and more than 100 people showed up to be interviewed for the class. Although we would have liked to accept all of the students, we had to limit the class size to about 20 individuals per class.

The course took place over a period of 7 weeks, and in that time I got to meet some incredibly kind and gifted individuals. My students were truly dedicated to not only improving their language skills, but also learning more about my culture. It was so rewarding to watch them grow as English speakers, and I cannot thank them enough for opening their minds and sharing their knowledge and opinions with me and the rest of the group. In addition, I am very appreciative that they taught me about their culture, too.

Last night, the library had a ceremony to congratulate all of the individuals who took part in the two conversation clubs. David Connell, the Assistant Cultural Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico, gave a short talk on the benefits of the club and future aspirations for it. He then presented Cammie and me with certificates of recognition for our work. Afterwards, I got to chat with all of the students while snacking on some cookies and juice. I am so grateful to have been a part of this wonderful experience, and I look forward to continuing to help the library with this great activity.

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Abrazos, Nicole