The Language Exchange Partner

Elsie signed up for a language exchange group to practice her Spanish. On her first night, she stood outside the community center. She did not go in.

Elsie mendaftar ke kelompok pertukaran bahasa untuk melatih bahasa Spanyolnya. Pada malam pertamanya, ia berdiri di luar pusat komunitas. Ia tidak masuk.

She felt nervous about her accent. She worried about making mistakes.

Ia merasa gugup soal aksennya. Ia takut membuat kesalahan.

Finally, she opened the door and walked inside. A man waved at her from a table near the window.

Akhirnya, ia membuka pintu dan berjalan masuk. Seorang pria melambai kepadanya dari meja di dekat jendela.

"Hi! Are you here for Spanish practice?" he asked. "My name is Dev."

"Hai! Kamu datang untuk latihan bahasa Spanyol?" tanyanya. "Namaku Dev."

"Yes," Elsie said. "This is my first time. My Spanish isn't very good."

"Ya," kata Elsie. "Ini pertama kalinya. Bahasa Spanyolku belum begitu bagus."

Dev smiled. "Mine wasn't either, one year ago," he said. "Sit down. We can go slowly."

Dev tersenyum. "Bahasa Spanyolku juga dulu begitu, setahun lalu," katanya. "Duduklah. Kita bisa pelan-pelan."

They sat together for an hour. Dev asked simple questions in Spanish. Elsie answered them one by one.

Mereka duduk bersama selama satu jam. Dev mengajukan pertanyaan-pertanyaan sederhana dalam bahasa Spanyol. Elsie menjawabnya satu per satu.

When she made a mistake, he did not laugh. He just repeated the word correctly and waited.

Ketika ia salah, Dev tidak menertawakannya. Ia hanya mengulang kata itu dengan benar dan menunggu.

By the end of the night, Elsie felt relaxed and happy. She even laughed at her own mistakes.

Menjelang akhir malam, Elsie merasa santai dan bahagia. Ia bahkan menertawakan kesalahannya sendiri.

"Same time next week?" Dev asked.

"Minggu depan lagi, jam yang sama?" tanya Dev.

"Yes," Elsie said. "I'll bring a notebook next time."

"Ya," kata Elsie. "Lain kali aku akan membawa buku catatan."