I walked into the
University Bookstore ten minutes early. We had agreed to meet at 5:30, Mohammed
and I. I chose the Bookstore because it is an accessible commonplace with a
comfortable setting that would be adequate for meeting a total stranger. I ordered a regular coffee, no sugar or
cream. It keeps me alert and it gives me something to do with my hands while
conversing. I waited around, not knowing who to look for other than what I
thought a regular Arabic man would look like (given his full name is Mohammed
al-Nufaei). A young, Middle-Eastern man walked in and looked around, scanning
the room. I took a guess and asked if it was him. It was. He put his things
down, and ordered a coffee too.
There was a bit
of a barrier at first, however he quickly warmed up to the idea of talking. “Forgive
me of my English, and correct me if I make mistake,” he said timidly, with
obvious (and expected) nervousness. Aside from his accent, his speech was fluid
enough for me to understand him. He was very soft spoken for the duration of
our conversation. Mohammed is 22, from Saudi Arabia. Currently he is enrolled
in only the English as a Second Language Program (Arabic being his first
language). However he hopes to study Accounting here at TCU in the future.
According to Mohammed, it’s been difficult coming here and leaving all of his family
back home. He does have one cousin here, but he doesn’t see him that often. He
misses his parents deeply and it is difficult for him to contact them back in
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He lives in a house with several roommates off of
Berry Street near CVS, so campus isn’t too far of a walk for him. Next year he
wants to live in the Grand Marc too. In his free time, he enjoys playing soccer
with his friends down at the intermural fields. Mohammed also enjoys American
television shows, like House and Friends. As far as American music goes,
he’s not a fan.
Overall, Mohammed
is a nice guy who’s trying his best to learn English and adapt to living on his
own in the US. Hopefully, the more I meet with him I’ll get to know him better
and his tension and nervousness will subside.
I like your introduction to this. It reminds me of a spy novel, or the beginning of an episode of CSI. Like you, I found it weird waiting for them to come. We all have our predetermined image of what they might look like, and I know my partner looked totally different than I thought she would.
ReplyDeleteHi Billy, Thanks for your description of your conversation with Mohammed. Getting a non-native speaker to start talking, and stop worrying about mistakes, is the hardest part. Good work.
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