Conversation Partner week 1

Last Friday, September 16^th, I met with my conversation partner for the first time. His name was Khadir and he was from Saudi Arabia. When I first started talking to him, I had a little trouble understanding him through his accent, but like anything I got used to it and I was surprised at how good his English actually was. One of the first things I learned about Khadir was that he was 35 years old although he did not look it. He commented saying he has been told he looks younger all the time and that Americans grow up faster. I asked what he meant and he said that American men especially were physically bigger than the men from Saudi Arabia and tended to have more muscle. I thought this was funny because we were meeting in Rickel and countless people on their way to or from a workout had walked by.

After this, the conversation turned to school. I told Khadir about why I chose to come to TCU which is not really that exciting of a story. When I asked him, he said he earned his bachelor’s degree in Business from a University in Saudi Arabia and he came here to improve his English so he could apply to an MBA program. He said he has been here for almost two years now which was impressive because of how good his English was. I asked him if he missed home and if he planned on going back and he said, “Yes, all my family is there and that is my country. I miss it a lot.” I was surprised when he said this not because I doubted he would miss home but rather I think I just had an assumption that everyone that comes to America is trying to make a new life for themselves or get away from some living situation that was not great. I think this is a little indicative of some of the arrogance we can have as Americans. It never occurred to me that while the United States may offer Khadir some great opportunities, his heart was still loyal to his country.

Khadir also wanted to know a little bit about where I was from and what brought me to Texas. I told him all about Colorado and the kinds of things I liked to do there. Also surprising was that he knew people going to school in Ft. Collins because apparently they have a large exchange program with Saudi students from the area he was from. I thought this was great because it showed that Universities seeking to diversify their student body as well as make a reaching impact in the world is a national trend, not just an isolated incident. We then talked about skiing which he had never done and wildlife in Colorado.  The talk turned to Texas and I told him I liked everything about it but the heat, which Khadir said he didn’t have a problem with. I noticed he had a soccer jersey on and we started talking about sports. With my knowledge of soccer limited to what I learn when I play FIFA, I asked if he liked American Football. He said he did, but he still liked playing and watching soccer more.

Talking with Khadir was a great experience. I learned a lot about where he is from and about his life. Beyond that however, I had my eyes opened about some of the attitudes I had about international students that in my opinion reflect our assumptions and arrogance as a nation. I look forward to meeting with him again this week. I plan on going in to our conversation this week with more of a plan. I would really love to get a glimpse of my country through his eyes if possible by seeing what he thinks of certain things and how the United States, Texas, and even TCU are perceived to him and to his country.