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.