First Conversation!

Here I am, writing you fresh off of my meeting with Bayan, my assigned IEP conversation partner! Just like everyone else, I had absolutely no idea what this person would be like going into the meeting. We had only exchanged a few emails prior to our meeting, and I honestly wasn’t even sure whether Bayan was a male or female name. But the person in the emails seemed friendly and eager to meet, telling me that the opportunity to converse with a native English speaker was much needed.

I arrived at Union Grounds after getting out of class and waiting anxiously. I emailed her where I was sitting and what I was wearing, and she answered telling me she would be in a grey hijab. We spotted each other immediately and got right to talking. It turns out she is SO nice, and talking to her was really easy. She has been here for almost a year and her English is quite good. She told me several times she was not really confident in her English speaking skills, but after speaking with her, I ensured her that the lack of confidence was unnecessary. Bayan was proficient in describing things and holding a conversation about any topic (and I think we did touch on just about every topic possible). There were only a few times when she stumbled over pronunciation or couldn’t think of a word, but together we were able to figure it out each time. The conversation moved smoothly, even as we jumped around from topic to topic.

We discussed our families first. She is from Saudi Arabia and has five sisters and three brothers!! This is a stark difference to my only child-dom. She has a sibling in Utah, and one of her brothers is also here at TCU studying English. Plus, her husband came to Fort Worth to join her in August (she is 25), so she is not completely separated from her family. However, she hasn’t been home once since she got here, and I can’t imagine being separated from my parents and family for that long! We bonded over our distaste for cold weather and our relief that it’s been warming up.

In fact, we found that we had quite a few similar tastes and opinions, even coming from such different backgrounds and places. We both share a love of writing and languages. After completing the Intensive English Program, she hopes to be accepted into TCU as a journalism major and eventually she wants to learn Spanish, too. We also discussed music and I told her that I can play a little bit of piano and ukulele. She didn’t know what a ukulele was, so I looked up a photo and showed her. Then she told me about a popular instrument called an oud, and I listened to a couple of songs played by one. It is somewhat similar to a guitar and has a beautiful and unique sound. We agreed that music is like a whole other language that both of us wish we knew.

It was fascinating to discuss different cultures and religions as well. She explained that she likes the freedom Americans have to practice any religion we want, and on one street you can find a church, a temple, a mosque, and a bar. I thought that was absolutely hilarious and so true. She explained that in Saudi Arabia, this is not at all the case. The only religion people are allowed to practice there is Islam. She loves and respects her religion, but doesn’t like the forced aspect of it at home. However, she doesn’t see herself wanting to stay in America. She is still looking for just the right place where she belongs, and wants to continue traveling both in the United States and other countries as well.

After a while of talking, she asked if I wanted anything to drink. I said no thanks, but she insisted that in her home country, it would be customary to let her buy me something, so I finally conceded. It was such a sweet gesture of her, and I certainly enjoyed my green tea. We continued our discussion for a while after that.

When I finally looked at the time, I was shocked! We had been talking for an hour and a half! It had certainly not felt like that long. We decided to call it a day and already made a plan to meet at the same time next week. I am really happy that I was paired with Bayan. She is an incredibly sweet woman, and I hope our conversations can help bring her the confidence she deserves to have in her English speaking abilities.