Camille-TP12

HOORAY! This is my final blog entry for my TEFL certification! Although I do have full intentions to continue meeting up with my conversation partner, Abdullah and also continue assisting Hassan in his process of applying to grad schools. On Thursday I helped him fill out and edit the applications for USF and FSU's business master programs. He also gave me a revised version of his Statement of Purpose which is coming along nicely. I am so proud of him and all of his forward effort he has shown the entire time I have worked with him. With his revised version, we read through it out loud and then I would edit minor mistakes. He had very few mistakes and I just gave him alternative phrasing or vocabulary that would help the statement appear more professional. He seemed extremely grateful for all of the help I have been offering with his application. I am very lucky to have been paired with Hassan as a tutoring partner. He was very easy to work with and was always willing to work harder in his studies. I am thankful to be a participant in this wonderful program! Thank you CIES and Ramin!! :]

Camille-TP11

Last Wednesday I joined Hassan and his friends at Cafe Shisha. Coincidentally, a good friend of mine from Acabelles, is Hassan's conversation partner. We all arrived there around 9:30 after I got out of rehearsal. Hassan and I discussed Thanksgiving and Halloween along with his opinions on the matter. It was very amusing to see how foreign students view these very peculiar yet pertinent traditions of the American culture. He discussed some festivities that he would partake in back in Saudi Arabia. We also talked about vacations he wanted to take and if he had a million dollars where would his next destination be. These sort of questions were fun to ask each other because it was a break from the usual routine we do in our tutoring sessions. Hassan also ordered me a specific type of tea for me to drink at Cafe Shisha (although I cannot remember the name now for the life of me) and gave a detailed explanation on the various types of teas offered on the menu and the different ways you can prepare them. I personally am a big fan of exotic teas so I was glad to be the student for once!