Convo Partner 4th meeting

            Yesterday was the fourth conversation partner meeting of the semester. It started off as all of the other meetings have with the typical how’s it going. However, I was surprised that this initial awkward meeting up period where we are both trying to settle in and get comfortable was significantly shorter than it had been in the past. I guess we are to the point where we are comfortable enough with each other that there isn’t a need to work into a comfortable place, we just start at one.

            With Thanksgiving only a few days away I began to talk about how excited I was to go home to my roommate’s house and finally get some real food. I haven’t been eating very well lately so a nice home cooked meal is going to be amazing. Mohammed said that he hopes I will be able to relax because he will be studying all break for finals because the intensive English programs last week is the one right after break.

            I asked him how he was doing and he seemed a little sick, and it turned out he was. The stress of moving into a new apartment, along with preparing for finals and the cold weather got to him. I told him I’m the same way. The last time this semester when I was super busy and stressed out I ended up getting sick the night before two big tests. This was most likely due to the fact that I ran myself down worrying/preparing for them.

            I asked Mohammed if he was excited for the semester to be over. He said that he was and wasn’t all at the same time. He said he would be happy that he is finally done with the extensive English program but worried about the testing he will have to do in January. He said that in order to study at an English speaking university he has to pass this test that makes sure that he is competent in reading, writing and understanding the language. Mohammed voiced his concern about the American version of the test saying that he likes the format and the style of the British one much better. I reassured him that his English was exceptional and that he surprised me when we first met. I was impressed at the size of his vocabulary and that I only had to explain a few words to him. His conversational English is very good which was initially surprising to me because usually in English classes you learn the traditional language much like how you’d right a formal paper or letter. When I brought this up he made the excellent point that the only way you can truly learn a language is to be forced to read it and speak it. He said reading helps his vocabulary and writing style while speaking it helps with the flow and slang words that are typically only used in conversation.

            Once he passes the English exam Mohammed told me that he will be very excited to start school in the spring semester and especially his supply chain management courses. This came up in our first conversation I believe, but he wants to learn supply chain so he can go back to Saudi Arabia with the knowledge to combine with his skills, that he had obtained growing up, to run his late fathers business with his brothers. I told him that his English was very good for someone who just started learning at the beginning of the semester. It seems like he has his head on straight and is very goal oriented. I told him that if he keeps up his hard word that he is going to go a long way with his fathers business or anywhere else life decides to take him.

            

Laughter 2

            Last Sunday night, which was no different than any other Sunday night, I was working Froggy 5-0. It was a decent night but was a little chilly and I hadn’t gotten very much sleep the last two previous nights because of work and I actually decided to be social and hang out with some people. Shocking right? I thought so too but I digress. Like I was saying, slightly chilly Sunday night. When we aren’t busy, like that night, it is usually pretty painful especially this time of the year. We start driving whenever it gets dark out which mean we have to be at work by five thirty and stay until one am. By my count that is seven and a half hours and after spending six hours in the library previous to this the shift, when slow, can drag on. It felt like it was literally lasting forever and at the rate that it was creeping by, hours felt like days. When it’s cold out its even worse. We have to stay out on our carts incase someone walks by us and asks for a ride or so we can respond faster if dispatched to a building where someone has called in.

            When we aren’t receiving calls from the dispatcher we as drivers can pretty much do whatever we want: drive around aimlessly, listen to music, do homework (ha this one is funny) really anything that involves us on our carts in earshot of our radios. What usually happens on these long, slow, painful nights is that all of the drivers congregate outside of Foster and we sit and talk.

            Our conversations in these “pow-wows”, if you will, consist of anything from complaining about the evening to how many hot girls we have driven. This night was no different and we sat around complaining, jabbing each other playfully with insults and telling each other about funny stories that have happened to us on the job.

            The real “fit of laughter” that this whole supposed post is about didn’t occur until the last few minutes of the shift. Usually as soon as twelve forty-five hits we drive back to the station and stop taking calls. On the rare occasion that someone is watching the time and decides to call in right at twelve forty-five, while we are still required to answer the phone, one unlucky driver gets stuck with the last call of the night while everyone else gets to head back to the station.

            Usually this isn’t a big deal. For instance one night I lucked out and got stuck with a last call that was from 38 to 90. For those of you that don’t speak Froggy, that means from Colby to the Grand Marc. This is perfect because I was right outside of Colby that night and the Grand Marc is on the way back to the station.

            Last Sunday night, however, didn’t go as smooth. It was twelve forty and no body had been dispatched in the past hour or so. I had only given around 25 rides that night, which for a Sunday night is painfully slow, especially spread over a seven and a half our shift. I was talking to Matt, one of my fellow drivers, how I was probably just going to head back to the station now and just wait until twelve forty-five to head into the station and finish up the required paperwork. He convinced me to stay and chat for a minute or two. As soon as we decided to head back to the station the dispatcher comes over the radio with my call number. I froze and glanced over to Matt and said, “This better not be out to the Greek or I am gonna lose it.”

            Sure enough when I responded I got stuck with one from 01 to 38 and one from 01 to 99. Again, let me translate. That is two from the library one going to Colby and one going all the way down to the Greek.

            As soon as this came over the radio he busted out in uncontrollable laughter. Once I got over the initial shock and frustration, I too busted out into one of the biggest fits of laughter I have all semester. I laughed for the fact that of course me of all people after getting hardly any calls all night would have to go practically across campus to the library to take people all the way to the Greek then turn around and come back. This of course while all of my fellow drivers meandered their way back to the station.

            It was uncontrolled due to my lack of sleep and the sheer hilarity that it was of course to the one place I didn’t want to drive. It was a weird funny but at the same time disappointing laugh but uncontrollable nonetheless!

Conversation Partner Meeting 3

            My third meeting (second with Mohammed) went exceptionally well! I am staring to get to know him better and we both felt more comfortable around each other this time because we now know what to expect. I was running late, and last time he showed up early, so I was worried I was making him wait. Thankfully we were both running late and it all worked out. We first started off with the obligatory “how are yous” and finally got settled in to our conversation.

            I started off by saying how worried I was about being late because I lost track of time with all of the work I need to get done this week. He too said that this was a busy week especially because the intensive English program has their finals the week after thanksgiving break. We both laughed and agreed how every professor decides to assign projects, papers and tests right before finals. We then began discussing what we will be doing over the break. I said that I would be returning home to Colorado and he will be visiting Austin or Florida with his wife depending on what his budget allows. I asked if he had experienced thanksgiving and Christmas before and he said that he had while he was in the Netherlands for a year. He said it was cold this time of year, which I responded with how cold it is back home right now.

            The conversation then transitioned into talking about how it is currently raining in his hometown. It doesn’t rain to terribly often and when it does it causes some major problems. The government in Saudi Arabia, if you didn’t know, is a monarchy. As with any monarchy the government is filled with corruption. What does this have to do with rain you might ask? Well the rain needs somewhere to go, i.e. storm drains, infrastructure. Do to the corruptness in the nation money that gets allotted to the construction companies to improve the infrastructure and create the storm drains finds its way into the owner of the companies bank account instead of actually making the improvements. Mohammed said this is a big issue and because the infrastructure is so poor, it only takes about three ours of medium rainfall to create massive flooding that usually ends up in the deaths of a few citizens. I asked how often this happens and I was shocked to hear that is occurs every single year, sometimes even twice a year. It doesn’t just stop there. Another example he gave me was how the airport has a leaky roof and every time it rains it comes dripping into the building. Again, money that was allotted by the government to maintain the airport finds its way into someone’s Swiss bank account as opposed to making the necessary improvements.

            Mohammed worries that if the oil runs out that his country will be in ruin. The only thing he says that everyone relies on is oil. The government has destroyed the little bit of farmland that they have, and the once fairly good fishing grounds off the coast have now been covered with sand so the prince can have more plots of land for luxury houses. He said they are killing their natural resources and putting all of their eggs in one basket so to speak. Mohammed is also concerned with the property prices in Saudi. A decent home costs around $1 million US dollars. This is because there is limited space in the cities in which people actually want to live. Either that or the plots of land are on these man made spits of land that are owned by the royal family and they charge even more. I asked why not simply finance the house. He laughed and said that the banks are not in the best of shape and so getting a loan for a house is nearly impossible. If you do somehow get one you’re looking at 20% interest.

            Our conversation ended here with the worries he has for his countries. Right before we left I too said I was worried about my country and how my parent’s generation has left us with this huge mountain of debt and expects us to pay it off. Both situations are worrisome for guys our age but we are both confident that things will work out.

Learning #3

            I cannot believe that the end of the semester is approaching so quickly. It seems like just a few weeks ago classes started and I began the junior year journey that is now almost half over. I have learned a lot in all of my classes this year but I have also learned a lot outside of the classroom. It seems as though every single year of college accelerates exponentially. While most may think that all of the pressure and work of school is horrible I have learned that it is, in fact, quite amazing. Some people may call me crazy but I have learned that I truly enjoy all of the work and stress of school. With the years flying by it will over in the blink of an eye. I have to enjoy every second of it because I know that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and once its over I will never be able to experience it again.

            I have also learned that professors assign things for a reason. The last couple years I would get frustrated with all of the assignments I saw as “busy work”. I know realize that it is all for a reason and if you just sit down and dive deep into the assignment you’ll surprise yourself how much you learn and get from it. So instead of looking at how much I have to do and letting it stress me out I now can now just relax and be excited and thankful that I have this great opportunity to study at one of the best private institutions in the country. Instead of being a burden I have learned that all of this is really a blessing and I should have no other reaction then to be truly excited that I even have the opportunity to be buried under all of these papers, tests and projects.

            This semester I have also learned that I cant do everything by myself and that’s completely ok. I used to have the hardest time asking for help because I just expected myself to figure it out alone. Taking the more strenuous upper level electives for my major I have learned that it is ok to ask my professors and fellow classmates for help. It’s not giving up or being a failure but actually being smarter. I have found that simply asking for help has allowed me to learn much more than what I would have going at it alone. It is ignorant or arrogant to think that I can do everything by myself and I need to take advantage of the fact that I am surrounded by professors willing to teach outside of class other students eager to learn.

            It isn’t just the things I learn in the classroom that I will use once I am out in the real world pursuing my career. This knowledge that I have gained this semester outside of the classroom is equally if not more important than the material I have learned in class. I will no longer take things for granted and cherish them while they are around because nothing lasts forever. No matter how tough or frustrating something is I have to just realize that I may one day miss it. While it’s sad that the end of my undergraduate career is approaching with remarkable speed it is equally as exciting that the start of the next phase of life is approaching. I am so excited to start my law school career and do something a little different than what I have been for the past few years. Don’t get me wrong I am in no way wishing away the time I have left here at TCU. In fact, I am going to try to contain my excitement for what lies ahead by concentrating and getting everything out of what’s happening in the now. These final three semesters at TCU are going to be the best yet because I will be able to take everything I have learned in and out of class and apply that knowledge to enjoy the rest of school to the greatest of my ability.

Conversation Partner Meeting #2

            Yesterday was the second conversation partner meeting I have had this semester. I know it is a little late in the game to only be on number two but my partner quit the program and I wasn’t informed of this. Anyway I now have a new partner and his name is Mohammed. When we met up, we first went through all of the obligatory introduction questions as I had done with my previous partner Osama. I found out that Mohammed is from eastern Saudi Arabia. So far east that there is actually a bridge in his city that goes straight into Bahrain, which is one of the Middle East’s gulf countries. I also learned that his father once owned and operated a meat processing plant back in Saudi Arabia. He has since passed but Mohammed and his brothers now run the company. He is here getting his supply chain management degree to better help his dad’s company. He said that he has a lot of experience running the company but not enough knowledge about running a company. Without both, he said, you cannot succeed. Mohammed is also here with his wife who is currently trying to get her masters in journalism. I thought it was interesting that the first thing we discussed once we had introduced ourselves came up after the question of differences between here and Saudi. He started off by talking about how he had ordered Direct TV to watch soccer. He wanted the channels in both English and Spanish but only got English because he would have to order another package. He now is moving and called to cancel the service and was upset they charged him a cancellation fee. He didn’t understand that it was in the small print of the form he signed and thought that was strange that the installer that had him sign the contract didn’t explicitly tell him everything that was in the contract. He also informed me that trying to rent an apartment is more expensive if you don’t have a social security number. He said that just because he didn’t have one the apartment he is renting got eight hundred dollars per month more expensive.

            Our talk then got quite a bit more serious when we began to discuss the current situation in the Middle East. It started with a talk about the three major religions that exist and how we all really come from the same background and how the fighting is useless. We both came to the conclusion that all of the fighting is due to the fact that politics and religion are intertwined. Un-like in the US where church and state are separate, political parties are fueled by there religion or specificity of a certain religion. Mohammed kept making the point that there won’t be peace in the Middle East until religion is removed from politics. I was happily surprised at the conclusion he made because I would agree with that. He also brought up the point that he doesn’t understand why Americans and European countries keep arming people that end up becoming their enemies. He said that they should pick a group of people and back them the entire way if we are going to keep getting in everyone’s business. Off of that point I asked how the Saudi’s viewed Americans. I was surprised to learn that Americans had lots of influence in Saudi Arabia especially in his town because it is one of the biggest oil towns in the country. First of all he brought up the Gulf War and how he said his mother was running through the streets with him in his arms running from Saddam’s troops and how Americans saved his town. He also pointed out that the Americans that worked for the oil companies even changed and influenced the local dialect of Arabic introducing words such as pick up (as in the truck) and how some people even today don’t know that is an English word.

            I was a little worried going in especially because Mohammed was a new partner and I had become comfortable with my first partner. It turns out that he is a cool, easy going, smart guy that I look forward to meeting up with again next week.