Language exchange: How this Jacksonville meetup group provides a unique opportunity to learn English and Spanish

A local meetup group is encouraging people to immerse themselves in new cultures while learning a new language.

The Jacksonville Spanish-English Conversation Group is helping English speakers learn Spanish and Spanish speakers learn English. The group meets every two weeks at a different venue around Jacksonville.

The group spends an hour speaking in Spanish and an hour speaking in English — two hours of trying to understand each other.

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Camila Ruiz, the group’s founder, who is originally from Colombia, said this is all about giving people a space to practice their second language in a casual and judgment-free setting.

“You can meet people from other cultures