My former conversation partner was Ricardo, a 23 year old Brazilian businessman. Ricardo recently made an impromptu trip to Vegas and then headed back to Brazil. Since we only got to meet three times, I needed a new partner. Thanks to Zhenya, I now have Thania as a new conversation partner. Thania and I met at Market Square last Thursday. Thania is a middle aged woman from Guatemala. She actually moved to the United States over 16 years ago. Her time in the US has taken her many places across the country. She originally moved to Reno, Nevada, with her husband 16 years ago because her father lived there. She then moved around California, and now Fort Worth, TX.
Here in Fort Worth, Thania, her husband, and her two children reside. She has a busy schedule, waking up every week day at 630 to drive her son to school over a half hour away. Classes from 9-1 keep her busy, and then she usually has to pick her son up from school around 215. With her busy schedule, Thania still managed to find time to meet with me from 1-2. What I really enjoyed about meeting with Thania was her enthusiasm about the ESL program. Previously, she was not assigned a conversation partner because she has lived in America for 16 years. The teachers believed her English was proficient enough that other students needed the conversation partners more. This surprised me, considering Thania's English was often mispronounced and very hard to comprehend. She knows that she needs help with her English, and she really wants me to help her whenever she makes a mistake. Several times I helped her pronounce a word or let her know that she should slow down when speaking.
Having an enthusiastic conversation partner really has its advantages. Thania would always want to discuss what was going on in school and especially this specific class. I explained that the class' main theme was humor. She instantly took that explanation as me assigning her homework. For next time we meet, she plans on bringing a collection of Latin American jokes.
After talking about her history, Guatemala, and my classes, it was time for us to part. For our next lunch, we plan on talking about Guatemalan culture, and specifically the humor.
Wow, interesting that you're meeting with a much older student. Honestly, good for her and that's such a fantastic experience for you to getting to know her. I feel most of our partners are awkward encounters with students our age or just a bit older, but you have had a totally different experience with enthusiastic individuals who truly enjoy talking and sharing their life with you.
ReplyDeleteI'd really appreciate the experience that you've gained from this assignment. It seems like this is a situation most people will rarely be able to encounter.