Tuesday tea-time was my second time meeting with my conversation partner from Saudi Arabia, Hassan. However, since this was the first time I was able to talk with him on a one to one setting I am going to regard this as our first proper meeting. (I use the word proper rather loosely here.)
I am very impressed with Hassan’s English level; he speaks quickly, smoothly, uses some colloquial phrases, and has no trouble switching from topic to topic. Is it okay to be proud of your conversation partner?
I am actually really excited to be paired with Hassan, and I feel a bit guilty- that I might be getting more out of this than he does... I am being introduced to a new way of thinking, and he has to sit across from ‘a crazy’ for an hour and parry a relentless amount of questions. Because of Hassan’s level of proficiency, I am able to broach more complex topics, and he can hold conversations on a more in depth level. For example our conversation yesterday covered family, the tricky question of ‘what is there to do in Georgia?’, the Appalachian Mountains, the way Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Education promotes study abroad, the difference in life in the Gulf and life in other Middle Eastern countries, and rollarcoasters. The fact that I only had to explain to Hassan the concept of ‘filial piety’ and what it means to me, as well as the Appalachian Mountains really seems to stress that our conversations will be focused more on dialogue. I am eager to learn more of what Hassan thinks of the world, of his experiences, and of his ideals… I hope that we can one day broach the topic of history and opinion.
The only other thing I can think of focusing on with Hassan is the subtle yet distinct difference between connotation and denotation. When we were speaking of Georgia and the Appalachian Mountains, I mentioned to Hassan that some people will take several months to a year off of their life to pick up a pack and hike the famous mountain range from Georgia to Maine. Hassan looked a bit skeptical when I told him I thought such an undertaking “romantic”, and I had to backtrack and explain myself.
Good show Jaime! I'd love to hear more about Hassan's view on Romanticism (is that mainly a Western movement?) and life in the Middle East.
ReplyDeleteBon chance!
Although you may feel you are getting more out of this than he is (and I feel this way with some of my partners as well :)), this is still an opportunity for him to practice his English. It is actually very beneficial that you two have different ways of thinking because it is an opportunity to continue to push him with different topics as well as having a healthy cultural exchange.
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