Conversation 1

On Wednesday, I met with my conversation partner, Alan Ti, for the first time.  It was a bit awkward and difficult to find each other, since we had never seen one another before and the library, our meeting place, was busy.  I must admit that, as a natural introvert, was extremely nervous about this assignment.  I chose to look at it as an opportunity for growth.

Alan told me that he is originally from a city in China near Shanghai.  He was a bit confused about the point of the conversation partner assignment, and didn't seem very enthusiastic about it, as he lives in Waits with a roommate he already speaks English to regularly.  I resolved to try to make the best of it.  I asked him to tell me a bit about what it's like in China, and we went to a computer and showed me some maps.  He pointed out the different regions of China, and explained that most of the people live in the South and East parts of the country, making it very crowded.  I can't imagine such a large number of people packed into such a small area.  As a native Texan, I'm used to things being a bit more spread out.  He told me that the reasons that some parts of China are so crowded while others are practically uninhabited include climate (some of these areas get very little rain) and the boundary that is formed by the Himalaya Mountains.

I asked Alan what his favorite thing about his hometown was, and his answer was immediate: the food.  He said that he can't stand cheese, and people here put it on practically everything.  I realized that he was right - we do use a lot of it.  He also said that the reason he came to TCU was a scholarship offer.

Alan will officially be a TCU freshman in the fall.  He is trying to decide whether he wants to major in finance or electrical engineering.  A mechanical engineering major myself, I was able to tell him what the first year engineering classes are like here. He said he had heard that they are hard and boring, but I told him that I think it's just a matter of what your interests are, and that so far, I have enjoyed most of them.

Alan and I parted with plans to meet again in a week or two.  I think he plans to tell me more about what kinds of foods he eats in China, and I look forward to hearing about it.