Hey Jude

         

            I got to hang out with Barbi and her brother, Jude, yesterday! We walked around campus, sat by the founder’s statue, caught up on the latest activities, and even had a little birthday celebration in honor of Barbi’s 22^nd birthday that was yesterday. I gave Barbi a birthday present that included a purple scarf and a few purple hair bows that she can wear to TCU events. She was not expecting a gift at all and I could tell that it really meant a lot to her. It made me happy to see her so excited, and it was fun getting to hang out with both Barbi and Jude.

            We began by talking about the cultural differences that exist between people from different countries. First, Jude mentioned that the food in the United States is different than the food in Haiti. He said that all the foods we have here are processed, include many ingredients, and are heavy, while the food in Haiti is lighter, fresher, and less extravagant. His favorite food, like Barbi’s, is the rice and beans that his mother makes. Jude also mentioned that the United States doesn’t have many naturally growing foods like Haiti does, and that the best feeling is finding a ripe mango on the ground.

Next, the conversation moved away from the topic of food as we started talking about cultural norms. Jude mentioned that his first day in the Intensive English Program at TCU was a bit awkward because he shook hands with a few girls from Saudi Arabia when he wasn’t supposed to. He said that he took their hands without permission and the girls got upset because they aren’t supposed to shake hands with males. On top of not knowing this cultural rule, Barbi mentioned that it is normal in Haiti to say hello and goodbye by giving someone a kiss on the cheek. However, in the United States she needs to remember that this type of behavior is not “normal”. I asked Barbi and Jude about their first day of school in the United States and they said they just remember sitting in a room, not understanding a word anyone said, and acting out phrases that they wanted to say. They said it was a scary and isolating feeling to not be able to speak the same language as others, which emphasizes how critical language is to human connections. Barbi said that it is extremely difficult to understand another language fully, and when I told her that I think she speaks English well, she disagreed. She proceeded to tell me a story about one of her in-class speaking presentations. Barbi said that she was talking about one of her favorite places from home, and accidentally said b**** when she meant to say beach. We laughed about he mispronunciation, and Jude chimed in that it was quite amusing to the whole class, but got us to talking about how difficult it is to master a language, especially English.

I am able to connect with Barbi and Jude due to my experience with attempting to learn a foreign language. Through high school, I took Spanish as an elective, and no matter how hard I tried, I just could not seem to master the language. I could easily pick up words and phrases, and could write well, however, grammar was difficult for me. I told this to Jude and Barbi and they completely agreed. We bonded over laughing about all the grammar rules, and our similar struggles and experiences regarding foreign languages solidified that we have more in common than we originally would have thought. Barbi asked about what we are doing in our English class this semester, and I explained that we are focusing on water and how water impacts people and civilizations. I spoke about the books we have read, and the movies we have watched, and both Barbi and her brother found this to be interesting. Next, the conversation became more serious, and Jude spoke about how it is difficult to have meaningful or deep conversations with people who speak another language. Barbi said that they know a set amount of vocabulary and phrases but that it can be hard to understand what someone is trying to say when the conversation deviates from standard topics. Jude added that it he becomes quieter and less social when discussions are more in-depth, and that this makes it hard to connect with girls or even know how to flirt in another language. I had never thought about these things before, however, when I think back to my days in Spanish class, I can definitely see how these would be challenging obstacles to overcome. I enjoyed my time with Barbi and her brother yesterday, and loved getting to hear another person’s perspective. I can’t wait to continue to learn more about the two of them, and become even closer to them through gaining understanding and sharing experiences.

             

Aspirations From Different Nations

            Barbi and I hung out again today! We met at the Bookstore after her class, and got to catch up about the weekend’s activities. Barbi had a long weekend since she took her final exams last Thursday, and said that it was nice not to have any homework for a few days. She was supposed to go to the TCU football game on Friday but had to go to her aunt’s funeral on Saturday. Barbi said she wasn’t particularly close to her aunt but that her family has gone through a rough patch the last few years. Loosing a family member, even if you’re not close to them, is difficult, however, Barbi views death as a common part of life. She continues to surprise me with her positivity, and I hope to develop a similar outlook about life and death as she has.

In class, she passed her writing and speaking exams, but is still struggling with grammar and reading. I offered to help her with her homework sometime but she insisted that she does it by herself so she will understand it better. The Intensive English program started the next section this week, and Barbi said it is even more difficult than what she has already learned. Barbi told me a few funny stories about her classmates, and said she is close with a lot of them. She enjoys speaking to people and getting to know them better, however, she said she has trouble understanding some of the students with heavy accents. Barbi told me that they often do in-class presentations, and although she enjoys talking, she gets nervous before public speaking. This was something that we agreed on, and bonded over the fact that we hate listening and watching ourselves back on video after presenting. Barbi said the last presentation she gave was about her favorite celebrity; her favorite is a rapper since she likes listening to rap music. Barbi’s favorite television show is “America’s Funniest Home Video’s” since she loves to laugh, and we talked about a few of our favorite videos we have ever seen.

Once talking for a while about our lives in general, and getting to know each other better about surface-level topics, we then switched to talk about the future and some goals that we have for our lives. Barbi asked me a lot about the business classes I am taking since she wants to have a career in business management. Ultimately, Barbi wants to start her own orphanage in Haiti in order to give the many orphans in Haiti a good home. She cares deeply about the wellbeing of others, and wants to use her education to help those less fortunate. Her business degree will allow her to have the knowledge required to start up this home, as she will understand how to finance the start-up and raise funds in order to continue to pay the bills. Barbi asked about what I want to do with my business degree, and I told her I want to do green marketing. I explained that I want to market for environmental sustainability, and she recognizes the need for this since in Haiti everyone just throws trash on the ground. It was fun getting to know Barbi on a deeper-level, and I got to learn about what motivates her.

Our relationship continues to develop with each meeting. We now text each other during the day, interact on social media, hug each other hello and goodbye, compliment each other on slight changes in wardrobe, hair style, etc., and look forward to hanging out again. Barbi was happy when I told her I will attend her class party on Friday, and she introduced me to her brother today. We are becoming consistent parts of each other’s life, and I enjoy hearing about her life. Barbi’s 22^nd birthday is next Tuesday, and I can’t wait to give her the birthday present I got for her! She is way more than just my conversation partner. Barbi is my friend, and I love having a friend like her.

Trinity and Treats

           

     

            There is no greater time to relax than when you are in nature. The outdoors is a place to escape everyday activities, to forget about the perpetual ticking of time, and to lose oneself in fresh air. I feel the most at peace when I am outside, which I attribute to not only the beauty of nature but also to nature’s sounds. I enjoy observing the many elements of nature, and like to feel the renewed sense of being “one with the earth.” I try to find breaks in my schedule to sit outside and just enjoy my time regularly because I feel refreshed and energized after doing so. There are many reasons or occasions for being outside, and although I did get to sit outside today, the main purpose for my little adventure was to find food.

            Today, I decided to go to the Fort Worth Food Truck Park with some of my friends. The weather was nice this afternoon, and we figured that since it is a Friday, there would be a lot of activity along the Trinity. We ate our food at a picnic table facing the river so as to observe everything going on. There were many people at the Food Truck Park and even more along the river. The majority of the people there seemed to have either just come from work or just come to hang out since it was such a nice day. We saw bicyclists, walkers, joggers, dogs, children, families, and even a few fish as they jumped out of the water and then back in. A man on his bike stopped to ask me how much longer the path went down the river, and when I responded that I didn’t know how long it was, he replied by saying that it didn’t matter anyway because he was just happy to enjoy the experience. I thought his comment was interesting and quite profound. The fact that he originally wanted to know how much longer, and then realized it didn’t matter made me realize how precious every moment is. He was content to ride his bike down the river for as long as it would go, and there was something comforting in this. It was as if all his other activities stopped, and he had the opportunity to just enjoy life for what it was.

            Apart from this quick conversation, I noticed that the river is an entity that brings people together. I had always heard that water brought civilizations together via watering holes hundreds of years ago, however, I had never seen this play out in person. The Trinity River brought a wide variety of people together for a common purpose: to enjoy the water and the outdoors. There was a diverse group there this afternoon, which included young and old families, working professionals, dog-sitters, people training for marathons, students, bicyclists, and even people, like ourselves, who were there to take in the scenery and eat good food. It is not very often that this group of people would all be in the same place at the same time, however, the river united us for a few short hours. The Trinity River served as our unifying factor, and I can now see why civilizations have been built around rivers or waterways for centuries. The water not only provides humans with physical needs but it also satisfies emotional needs by giving individuals a calming, constant, and steady aspect of life.

My Friend Named Barbi

            I had the opportunity to meet with my conversation partner, Barbi, again today! We met at the TCU Bookstore for an hour, and got to talk about everything from how her classes were going to how she made the cool key chains on her backpack. I get along well with Barbi as she is outgoing, open, friendly, funny, and positive. She has an optimistic outlook, and I enjoy getting her perspective on situations regarding her life. Even though we had only met once before today’s meeting, I felt comfortable around Barbi and it was like I was seeing an old friend.

            Barbi and I started off talking about how her finals went in her classes. She told me that she did well on her grammar exam, but that the reading section was quite difficult. She had to read and answer questions over six pages (front and back) of text and had 45 minutes to do so (a task that I would find difficult even though I’ve been speaking English for my whole life). Barbi cares about doing well, and she told me that she is constantly doing homework or studying for her classes. She said that English is a difficult language to learn, something I have always heard, and I have a lot of respect for her and her work ethic. Her English, even though it was extremely good at our last meeting, was even better at today’s meeting, and she was excited when I complimented her on that. I asked her if any classmates had talked about their conversation partners, and she said yes, they were all quite excited to get to make a new friend. She said it was funny because all the girls wanted to have a boy partner and that all the boys wanted to have a girl partner, however, most students were content with the way the pairings worked out, especially her brother. Barbi’s brother is the only male to be paired with a female, which makes the other students in the class jealous. Barbi and I laughed about this for awhile, and she ended this part of the conversation by saying “well, even though you’re not a boy, you’re a great partner too.” It was fun to connect with Barbi through a comedic situation, and this was not the only time we laughed at a story. Barbi also told me that one of her fellow classmates got married over Fall Break! This news was not only exciting for her but it was also a bit funny since her friend never told anyone (not even his parents), and since he is eleven years younger than his wife. It came as a huge shock to the class but Barbi said she was happy for him.

Not only did we talk about school, but we also talked about all the other aspects of her life. We were able to get away from the “school” side of our meeting, and got to talk like friends. We spoke about TCU Football, what she normally does on the weekends, and the movies she likes to watch. Barbi and I became friends on social media, and we bonded over looking at similar pictures we had taken while traveling (such as at the beach or in Boston). I realized we were similar in quite a few ways. We had both traveled on an airplane at a young age, we both are somewhat afraid of storms, and we both enjoyed making key chains out of string as kids. I enjoyed getting to know Barbi on a more personal yet fun-loving level, and hope that we continue to find commonalities as we keep hanging out.

Although we did have similarities, Barbi and I also had differences due to our experiences growing up. I asked Barbi what the greatest differences were between Haiti and the United States and she responded with three key distinctions. Barbi noted that there is a lot more trash on the streets in Haiti. She pointed to my water bottle and said that in Haiti it would be thrown along side the road while in the United States it would be thrown out as she pointed to a trashcan nearby. She also noticed that driving was more difficult in Haiti because the streets are narrow, and cars have to drive up many hills or cliffs. She said that driving in Texas is much easier than it is in Haiti, and further, stated that driving in Maine is even easier than driving in Texas. The last difference she pointed out was that many U.S. citizens have the skill of being able to swim, while no one in Haiti knows how to. She said that swimming is one of her fears, and that she wishes she had been taught to swim as a young child like many people are in the United States. The distinctions she pointed out are interesting, and I could tell that she put a lot of thought into her answer because she paused for a long time and looked around before responding to my question. Barbi’s answer gave me better insight about her life, and I was able to learn a lot about the things she cherishes and finds important about the United States. Not only were our differences emphasized by my question, but they were also highlighted when Barbi brought up needing to go to the health center. I asked her if she had been before, and she said she went often. Concerned, I asked her if she was okay, and she responded by saying that she has had trouble sleeping at night ever since her dad was killed. She said that she talks to a woman about how she is feeling, and that even though she doesn’t enjoy thinking or speaking about her dad, she knows it is good for her to go. She told me that her mom cries often about her dad’s death but that she always tries to make her mom laugh or think about something else. Barbi is open and positive when talking about her experiences, and I have so much respect for her and how brave she is personally and when cheering her mom up. I am learning more from her than I could ever learn in a classroom setting, and I can’t wait to continue getting to know her better.  After hanging out with her today, she texted me and told me that I am “very cool and so nice” and that she enjoys spending time with me. This was one of the greatest compliments I could have ever gotten, and I am so lucky to have had such an amazing experience with my conversation partner.

The Real World

             Since coming back to school for sophomore year, I have learned a ton about “the real world” stuff. I am taking three business classes, and while I thought I would be completely miserable in them, this is not the case at all (except for Accounting…this is exactly how I thought it would be). I am enjoying my Foundations in Business course and my Business Information Systems class, and I really feel like I am learning relevant information for my future. I used to complain about having to use computers so much because I didn’t “understand” technology but now I feel that this was a very immature and naïve stance for me to take. Technology is no longer just another part of life. It is taking over all aspects of our world, and without the proper understanding of how to use it, people are going to be left behind. There is increasingly becoming a need for tech-savvy professionals, and while there is a specific market for high-tech products, ideas, and experts, everyone needs to understand the basics of innovative technologies.

            Technology is everywhere, and this is the mindset that is emphasized in my Business Information Systems course. We are learning how to use new software, which has included the use of Sharepoint, Excel, and Access, and we discuss a new innovative technology everyday in class. I have learned so much in just a short period of time, and I attribute this to the set-up of the class. We spend a lot of time “learning” on our own, which includes sitting at the computer and pressing a lot of buttons until you get something to work right, and we collaborate with others often in order to further enhance our learning experience. The whole basis of the class is done online, and I have already been able to see an improvement in how quickly I am able to accomplish just basic tasks in my everyday life (like signing into e-College, or Facebook- it is more often Facebook). Not only are the skills I have learned relevant to my life, but I have also been able to assist others with their computer issues (typically dealing with StuWireless). The innovative technologies we have discovered in class are so interesting, and they really cause me to think about what direction our world is moving towards. We have discussed a new product everyday in class, such as 3-D printers, Bitcoins, self-driving cars, and Google Glasses just to name a few, and I am astounded by the sheer number of inventions that have been made in just the past year. This class has not only taught me all about “the real world” stuff but it has also showed me that this “real world stuff” isn’t as scary as I originally thought. This is the future of our planet, and it is up to me to embrace it and think about it as the “world” stuff not just the stuff that is required of me in order to have a successful career.