Conversation Partner #1: Meeting Maram for the First Time

Last week on Monday, I was able to meet my conversation partner, Maram from Saudi Arabia. We met at chick-fil-a (she said it was one of her favorite places to eat) and sat there for nearly an hour and a half talking. Although it's hard to capture our whole meeting experience with just one word, I would describe it as "awesome". We were able to connect right from the beginning, as she said that she wanted to teach English to young kids after she finishes her schooling from TCU. I have just recently been looking into Teach for America, and my preference in teaching would be early childhood education.

We then talked about differences in each other's cultures. She told me that in her family, her mother did not take her father's last name, and how it was very common in their country to do that. I personally do not expect that I will take my husband's last name, only for the fact that I think my last name is pretty cool, and I cannot see my husband's last name ever being as cool as mine. We were able to bond over our mutual views on the subject. From that, we talked about loads of different subjects. From films, to foods, to what our class schedule was like, we were able to find common ground despite our difference in our home countries.

When we were about to leave, she thanked me for my time. It was the first time anyone has ever been so grateful that I had spent some time with them. I found it very humbling, especially because I was so thankful for her being able to meet with me as well. She even brought me presents! One was dates that were from her home country and another was a package of Lindt chocolates. I wish I remembered to get a picture of both of them, especially since I had devoured them throughout the week. The last question I asked her before I had to head to class was "What is your favorite English word?" to which she replied "Awesome."