Conversation Partner 6

Conversation Partner 6

            Kevin and I met for the last time on Tuesday, December 3, 2013. We decided to meet back at the bookstore, the very first place we ever met. We started off by going inside and grabbing coffee and then found our way back outside. The weather was really nice on this day, unseasonably warm for this time of year. Kevin, like me, thought the weather was great. But, I had to explain to him, it doesn’t always stay this nice out in the winter time!

            Kevin and I asked each other how Thanksgiving went. I went first and explained to him the ins and outs of my entire trip. I told him how long it takes to get home, who went with me, how much of my family was back there, what we did while at home, and how we enjoyed it. He thought my story from Nebraska was really exciting and said he’d love to visit the place someday. I laughed and told him it isn’t as great as I talk it up to be, I’m just proud of my home and like to brag about it.

            I asked him how his Thanksgiving was and he said it went well. He couldn’t g home, but he said he took the time off to reach his parents and see how they were doing back in China. He said he misses them, but especially at a time of year where everyone around him is going home to see family. He said he felt a little lonely last weekend with everyone gone and no family around, but he enjoyed his time off and spent the long weekend relaxing. I felt a little bit bad for him not being able to see his family and all, but I know he’s doing just fine. If he can move away from his family to another country for 5 years, I know he’s got thick skin. I sure as heck couldn’t move to a foreign country for 5 years!

            We talked about finals. He asked me if I thought I was prepared and I had to tell him that studying has been a bit of a struggle lately. At this point in the semester, its easy to just put school behind you and blow it off. I know I can’t do that but sometimes I wish I could. I asked him again how his English classes were progressing. Again, he said they’re going well. And I can tell. His English is getting easier to understand. Yes, he still struggles to find his words from time to time, but who wouldn’t? I’m pretty impressed with how quickly Kevin has been able to pick it all up and adapt to his new home (or at least extended vacation).

            Kevin and I finished up our conversation after about 25 minutes. Our talks have been getting increasingly shorter and I was surprised that this meeting went fairly short. As our meetings continued, we frankly ran out of things to discuss. After a while, it jut becomes difficult to connect with someone from such a different culture, language, and lifestyle. At the end of the day, we ran out of things to say.

            While I wish our talks could’ve been a little less superficial, I am really glad I got to meet Kevin through this program. It was obviously great for him to have someone to speak English with, but it was also a great experience for me. I have never met a Chinese native and getting to talk to Kevin once every few weeks gave me a great new perspective on the world. 

Laughter Reflection 2

Laughter Experience 2

            Over Thanksgiving Break, I brought three friends home with me to Nebraska. Travis, Matt, and Jake had never been to the state, so I was excited to get them up there and show them around.

            We left on Wednesday morning around 6:30 AM. It was an extremely long morning. Most of us hadn't gotten much sleep from the night before so the morning drug on a little longer than usual. We  arrived at our destination in Omaha around 4:30 in the afternoon after making the long 10 hour drive. But, on the bright side, the ride up was full of laughter. Road trips with friends are always entertaining and our trip was definitely humorous. As friends and fraternity brothers, the four of us are pretty close. Some of the most comedic memories a person will ever have are with their friends from college. Our ride up and trip overall to Nebraska for Thanksgiving were no exception.

            We had a nice dinner with my family on our first night home and hung out with some of my old friends from back home. After all of my friends go to know each other, everybody clicked. The night was full of entertainment and laughter. My friends from home told stories from high school and my friends from TCU filled in everybody on how I’ve been doing down here. The night was filled with laughter.

            The big day was Thursday, Thanksgiving at my house. My entire family made it. My cousins from Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver, and elsewhere all made it. The place was a zoo, which is what made it such a great time. There were so many family members and friends with us. My three friends from TCU were quite the hit at our family party. Matt, in particular, was extremely well-received by my family. The guy is a natural extravert and was able to click well with my family and friends. The night was a great time, filled with more stories and excitement.

            On Friday, my friends and I went with my dad and brothers to the Nebraska-Iowa football game in Lincoln. It was great to bring some of my friends out to the game because its what I grew up doing and it’s a big art of my life. They had never seen a stadium that big or a crowd that enthusiastic. Unfortunately for us, Nebraska got smoked. But, that didn't take away from the fun. My Dad's tailgate was rocking, there was food and beer for everyone (of age), and people from everywhere were able to make it.  Everyone had a great time and we enjoyed the game.

            On Saturday we all just hung out and recovered from our eventful weekend. On Sunday morning, we took off and headed back to TCU. The weekend was a lot of fun and one of the better times I’ve had in quite a while. I think I laughed more over break than I have in the last month. I enjoyed my trip and I know my friends did too.

Conversation Partner 5

Conversation Partner 5

On Monday, November 25, I met with Kevin for the fifth time. We decided to meet at the library and sit inside the bistro area because of the colder weather. When I saw him we both talked about the snowstorm that was supposed to come through but really never did. I told him I was excited about it because in Texas it rarely snows. And because it rarely snows, school can be cancelled for even only a little bit of snow. He laughed and realized where I was coming from.

I asked him about any plans he may have had for Thanksgiving. He said he wasn’t sure about anything on the books yet but said with the extra time off he might try and find something to do or somewhere to go. He asked me what my plans were for the break and I told him that I was going home to see my family. I also told him that I was bringing some friends with me and he said that sounded like a lot of fun. I told him how excited I was to finally get home and said he wished he could be saying the same thing right now. He still misses his family and is excited to see them again in the future. For now, he’s still here in Fort Worth.

He asked me about the holiday of Thanksgiving with some curiosity. I told him it’s a day every November where everybody takes school and work off to be with family and give thanks for everything they have. I explained a little of the history, how the pilgrims who settled America started it, and how its continued on all the way to today. He liked the idea of Thanksgiving and compared it to some other holidays they have in China.

He asked me how my semester was finishing up and I told him I’m doing well but can always be doing better. I asked him about his English classes and how he’s progressing and he also said he’s doing well. He feels like it’s getting easier for him to speak and have conversations in English.

Kevin asked me about the Frog’s football team. He isn’t totally familiar with the sport yet so I had to explain to him that we aren’t very good this year. It was disappointing, I told him, to have to watch a team as bad as they are. But, there’s always next year.

Conversation Partner 4

Conversation Partner 4

            On Friday November 8^th I met with Kevin for the fourth time. We decided to meet this time over a cup of coffee at Einstein’s but then changed our minds and went to Café Brazil to sit outside instead. The nice November weather was too much to pass up.

            I asked Kevin what he had been up to lately. Sure enough, he said, not too much. Being an IEP student, he says, there really isn’t that much going on all the time. He takes his class and other than that he doesn’t have too much structure. He said all of the free time he has can be great but that sometimes it gets to be too boring. To fill some of his time up, Kevin works out, hangs with friends, and looks for ways to see more of America.

            I asked Kevin more about his upcoming trip but he still didn’t have much to give me. He wasn’t sure exactly where he was going, or when, or with who, but just knew he was taking a one-day hiking trip in a few weeks. I thought this was a bit humorous because to me, it showed that Kevin is just really excited about seeing new places in America. He signed up for a hiking trip in another state without even knowing when or where it exactly is just because. He wants to see our nation and I thought it was cool at how anxious he was to sign up for the first opportunity he got.

            Kevin asked me if I had any plans for the weekend and we got to talking about Dallas again. I told him about my invitation to the Stars-Blackhawks hockey game on Saturday night and how I would be heading to Dallas around the same area he was in only a few weeks ago. He didn’t really know too much about hockey (and frankly, neither do I), but he was interested and said he would like to see a game sometime while here in the States. His true dream though, as he has already mentioned to me, is to see an NBA game, preferably the Houston Rockets.

            I asked Kevin what he was planning on doing this weekend and he told me that him and his friends are all going to go to dinner on Saturday night at their favorite Chinese restaurant. There is a little place, supposedly by TCU but I can’t seem to fin it, that him and his friends really like. Kevin says the food is somewhat Amicanized but overall isn’t that different from the food he is used to back home. I told him I really want to find out where this place is at because I’ve been looking for a nice little Chinese take-out place for a long time!

            Kevin and I then started talking about our families a little bit. He asked me what my Mom or Dad does for a living and I explained to him that my dad is a CPA and does a lot of work in business. He thought that was very cool as he will be going into business next year when he starts taking classes. He told me that his father was in business as well (although I think he may have mentioned this to me in our first meeting) and I thought that was great. He said his dad is in real estate, something I may want to try out at some point in my life.

            Kevin and I finished up our coffees and parted ways. Our fourth meeting went pretty good. I plan on meeting up with him next week and the week after. Then, the semester will be coming to a close. 

Conversation Partner 3

Conversation Partner 3

Today, October 28, 2013, I met with Kevin for the third time. I haven’t seen him in quite awhile. I have had a busy last two weeks or so with tests and visitors and all sorts of other things. But, I finally found a time that worked for both Kevin and I and we were able to sit down and converse again.

Kevin and I spoke about an upcoming trip to Dallas that he wanted to take last time we spoke. Well, he took his trip over Fall Break. He used the Dallas-Fort Worth train with some friends and decided to go shopping at the North Park Mall. He said he used his trip to buy some clothes, shoes, and other accessories. He said he and his friends also went to lunch in downtown Dallas and took pictures in front of the arena downtown. Kevin thought it was a really cool place and he was happy to have seen another large and iconic American city.

Kevin and I talked about his English classes. He explained to me how they worked, when he went to them, how his teacher was, and what the other students were like. He said English was getting a lot easier for him and that these conversation meetings actually really help him. He said that English is very tough to learn, especially for someone who is Chinese because of how greatly the two languages differ. We talked about the differences among all of the languages of the world and how learning a language can be a pretty tough thing to do.

Kevin and I then spent a lot of time talking about the similarities and differences between the education systems in both China and America. His perspective on the Chinese system was a strong education system for younger students with university education lacking, while my perspective on the American system was quite opposite. It seems to me that American elementary and high schools are lacking a little bit these days when compared with schools around the world but that our reputation for strong universities remains fairly universal. He told me that in China, a college graduate has a hard time finding a job if they graduated from a university in China. But, he said, if you hold a degree from an American university, the job prospects are much brighter. I found that pretty interesting. I think it shows the reputation that American universities have around the world.

Kevin and I finished our days discussion by talking about his future trip to a national park. He couldn’t remember where the trip was going to or how he was getting there, but he knew he was going for only one day and would spend the day hiking. He has started training at the rec doing the rock wall to get in shape, but said it’s tough and tiresome on his body. He was excited about the trip because he wants to see some of the natural beauty that our country has to offer. He really seems to love the outdoors.

We parted ways and decided to meet again at the same time next week.