Walking through campus means, more and more frequently, listening to conversations in English, German, French, Chinese... Not only because of the international students - 11% of the total - but also because of the interest of nationals, who, aware of the importance of speaking languages, take advantage of the University's international outreach to learn and practice.

First-year students are surprised by the number of students from other countries studying at the University. Such was the surprise of Mayi Pérez, a first-year ISSA student from Madrid, that she decided to start 'moving' from day one. "When I lived in Madrid I used to go to cafes where they did exchange languages, where you could meet someone with whom you could practice a language", she explains. "Since there are so many internationals at the University, I thought that instead of practicing with strangers, it would be better to practice with people from here, because you have a guarantee of trust and, in addition, it's easier to meet up with them.

Through a advertisement in Vida Universitaria, where the Madrid native told about her initiative, about ten people have already got together at contact to speakEnglish,French and Italian, languages that Mayi speaks, and of courseSpanish. "My goal is to put on contact people who have a similar level in the language in question," the student points out. "This way they can practice conversation, which is usually what is most difficult for us students and what is least often seen in theory classes," she explains. In addition to the languages she speaks herself, the Madrid-born student also puts at contact anyone who wants to practice other languages: "Chinese, German, Russian... it's just a matter of looking for nice people who want to help," she says. Mayi says that "it is a very satisfying experience: you practice a language, you help someone else to learn and, in addition, you meet people from other countries".

All those who wish to be part of this initiative can contact Mayi Perez through her account at contact Mayi Perez through her e-mail account email account.