Communication

Sometimes it works well, and sometimes it doesn't.

I got a conversation request from a man of my age who lives in France.  I wasn't really looking for a new conversation partner -- I talk enough now that I really don't have time (because of the time difference, it's most convenient for me to talk in the morning, and there are only so many in a week) - but the idea of talking to someone who's my age was intriguing.  So I said that, and he replied that if I wasn't looking for partners, he wasn't interested in talking.  What?

And I talked to a new person two weeks ago, which went pretty well - her written English is good, spoken, not so much - but I think it's confidence, not knowledge.  Our second talk was horrible -- Skype, may its name ever be cursed, would not let me hear her, though she could hear me fine -- we ended up where I would talk, and she would write a response.  Not particularly fun, though it was good to hear from her.  So I dropped her a line, asking if she was free to talk next week, and so far I've heard nothing.  So now I'm convinced I'll never hear again from her, and that's got me feeling glum.

I like talking to these people. Whether it's by Skype or email or chat, they're always interesting and fun.  There are times when I think that the French people on Conversation Exchange self-select for intelligence and for being easy to talk with.  I know that's not really true - I've had a couple of unpleasant experiences - but still, that's how it feels. They're nice people, and for someone like me, who doesn't really make friends all that easily, it's been terrific. Which is also why it makes me feel really bad when something goes wrong.