Conversation Partner: Meeting #2

Today, I met with WeiRan and his friend again. We decided to meet at the TCU bookstore for some coffee at 2:00 p.m. True to form, WeiRan and his friend appeared precisely, if not before, 2:00 p.m. His punctuality is convenient and kind. When I walked up, they were already in line getting coffee. We talked some and they kindly offered to pay for my coffee.

Once everyone received their coffee, we found a table to sit at. I situated my burdensome backpack in its own chair. Sometimes it feels like I am carrying around a 2-year-old child on my back.

"How was your spring break" became the first question asked. I found that WeiRan went back home to China; however, his parents remained oblivious to the fact for awhile. This is the second time I have sensed a lot of tension between WeiRan and his parents. His friend, Jacob, went to New Mexico. The only thing Jacob said about New Mexico is, "the girls are skinny." They soon asked where I spent my spring break. I briefly mentioned my trip to Destin and how beautiful Florida is. The conversation soon became stagnant. I turned to my old standby--the weather.

You can truly never go wrong talking about the weather. The only time you can go wrong referencing the weather is if you mentioned it in the conversation previously. I quickly blurted "it is so humid outside! I think it might rain." Operation save-the-conversation-with-weather-talk: successful. Jacob, WeiRan's friend, made an astute observation, "in China, we have four seasons. I do not think you have four seasons in Texas." I laughed. After living here for 6 months, Jacob already knows we have minor weather changes. The Texas weather talk progressed into talk about the weather in China. In Shanghai, where they are both from, the weather is hot, but it gets cold at night.

With talk of weather in China, a new conversation sparked: where to visit in China. They described Beijing as a great tourist place as well as the "Alley," a small town historical district (I think that is what they were describing). Jacob made a sly joke in chinese. WeiRan blushed slightly and then Jacob spilled the beans (payback?), "Couples go to the Alley, like WeiRan and his girlfriend." While WeiRan found this somewhat personal and embarrassing, I found it wonderful. Jacob did not know it, but he just gave me a conversation jackpot. As a female, keeping a conversation going about people's relationships is an art I have perfected. When am I not listening to relationship stories or problems? I could keep this conversation going for as long as necessary. No more awkward silences!

I started with the basic queries, "Where does she live?" Beijing. "How long have you been dating?" 2 years. WeiRan did not gush, but he seemed to enjoy conversing about it. He mentioned Skype as the easiest way to communicate and how he wants to go to San Francisco to be near her next year. She will be attending UC San Diego next year. Finally, my state geography knowledge came in handy. I explained to him how far San Francisco is from San Diego and drew him a little map. I jested that he should frame it, but I do not think he understood my joke.

From here, we discussed colleges. They both want to go to San Francisco for college to be near the their girlfriends/interests. Now WeiRan threw Jacob under the bus, "Jacob interested in a girl, but she will not receive him." Jacob is still determined to go to San Francisco next year to win her affections. I found this very sweet. Their commitment to relationships shocked me. Most guys I know are extremely opposite.

More small talk and quips about relationships ensued. Before I knew it, our time came to a close and I prepared to leave in order to come to this class. We agreed to meet again next Tuesday in the same place. I think the bookstore cafe workers will be recognizing all of us soon.

To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill A Mockingbird is a fascinating and endearing book. I read it in high school and loved it. I read it this year and loved it more. After this last read, it became one of my favorite books. There are a variety of elements that make it relatable to a diverse group of people.

The first element that really grabbed me is the vulnerability of the characters. How could you not relate to the outdoor shenanigans Jem and Scout continually get themselves into? Playing outside stayed an integral part of my childhood for a solid decade, if not longer. Lee portrayed the essence of their childhood with ease, humor, and vividness. Combining all these elements endeared each character to me while prodding me to keep reading. I really enjoyed reading about all the quirky creative ideas that Jem, Scout, and Dill thought up. 

The plot grabbed me next. Lee tactfully wove the story from mere neighborhood rumors and childhood play, to the weighty subject of racism and judicial injustice. By the second half of the book, I became enthralled and invested in each characters life. Atticus made me proud. I found myself fighting for him during the trial. The jury and Ewell family infuriated me (I must admit, I may get a little too into the plot of books). Scout and Jem made me proud; however, it broke my heart that Jem began to lose hope in people. Naturally, this happens in the course of life, but 12-years-old is too young to lose hope. Ultimately, the children had to grow up at a young age. I think that is rare now. On average, most children have the opportunity to live sheltered comfortable lives. To Kill A Mockingbird reminded me of the rawness of reality of life and how blessed I have been. 

After researching the book for my presentation, the background of the writing of the novel intrigued me next. In reference to only writing one book, Harper Lee said "I have said what I wanted to say and I will not say it again." Harper Lee made her point. She stood up for what she believed in and never backed down. To Kill A Mockingbird was first published in 1960 right in the middle of the Civil Rights movement. A white southern woman took a stand against racism. Despite being set in 1933-36, the novel voiced the struggles of the African American community in the late 1950's and early 1960's. This background and the fictional elements of the story made me respect and enjoy the novel even more. It is a novel with a purpose and a moral. Not many novels produced today have the depth that To Kill A Mockingbird has. Twilight, The Hunger Games, etc have no substance. Yes, they can be fun reads, but what do they even stand for? Nothing. Reading about vampires or kids having to kill each other are not stimulating my mind or making me think about changes that should be made in the world.

Overall, this is my favorite novel that we have read so far. It is a great coming of age story with substance. I did not want to put it down. I fully understand why it has been translated into 40 different languages now--the amazing message. 

Conversation Partner: meeting #1

Yesterday, I met with a foreign exchange student named WeiRan Feng. We met in the TCU bookstore. He brought two of his friends along as well because they had a big English speaking exam the next day. Conversing went well with the three of them and interesting topics were discussed.

To start the conversation, I kept to the basics. I asked each of them where they were from, what they wanted to study, and how they decided upon it. They said they were all from the middle of China close to Shanghai. One of them (I forgot his name, but I think he went by the American name of Jason) wanted to study economics or film at TCU. He is eighteen and has lived here for four months. Right now he is in the English program, which upon completion allows him to study at TCU. Simon, the other friend of WeiRan, wants to study business, but he is still undecided. He is twenty-one or two. He said both were his age. I think he mixed up his numbers a bit, but he is one of those ages. He has lived here for a full year and has a German Shepard dog. Once he completes the English program, he will be able to begin studying at TCU. WeiRan had a different story. His father is making him come to TCU and study engineering. He never had a choice. He sounded very disappointed about it. At the age of nineteen he has no freedom and is living under his father's authoritarian rule. The other two boys raved about how TCU became their top pick in secondary school for college, but WeiRan said he heard about TCU because his father said he had to go here. My heart went out to him. Having to grow up with no choices is sad and stifling.

Soon after covering the basics, we began to discuss food. Sadly, I must admit, I started this conversation as well. I learned that in China they rarely eat cheese, unlike Americans. My mouth dropped. They looked at me like I had two heads. They giggled some at my astonishment and obsession with cheese. Yes, I love cheese: blue cheese, cheddar, provolone, brie, parmesan, etc. They said that in China you sometimes have cheese on meals at restaurants, but rarely at "home dinner." I asked them what were the typical dishes they ate at home. Since they all live by a sea, they ate a lot of seafood, such as different kinds of fish. After looking at a map of China, I think we had a miscommunication about where they live. There are no seas in the middle of China and If they are from Shanghai, they are from the western part of China.

Annie, the cutest dog alive! Still beautiful at 14-years old!

Next, I asked them if they ate dogs. I know, probably a bad idea, but I HAD to know. They laughed at me once more and said that some people do, but they haven't. I can't decide if they made up this answer because they saw the sad look on my expressive face or if they really don't eat dogs. I then proceeded to whip out my phone and show them a picture of my dog back home. I said "could you ever think of eating that cute face?" They caught on to my jest and laughed again. I think my enthusiasm made them nervous at first, but they soon warmed up to me. I'm sure in their heads they were thinking "crazy American."

We continued with the wonderful topic of food. They began to tell me of the Asian Buffet, a restaurant off of W Berry that they love to eat at. They offered even to take me to eat there sometime with them. I asked them if they ever ate sushi, but they said that is predominantly Japanese and they do not eat it often.

Once the topic of food became exhausted, we moved on to the topic of family. I asked if each of them had a sibling. WeiRan is an only child, Simon has one brother, and Jason (the unknown) is an only child. I asked if they were homesick, but they acted like they were well adjusted and only missed their families sometimes. I told them I got homesick often even though my family lived in Texas. They all got a good chuckle out of that. WeiRan said "you can go home any weekend you want! Your family is not far." Compared to the thousands of miles they must travel home, my 200 odd miles seems measly.

With a lull in the conversation, Jason started to say something to the other two in Chinese. I sat there a little confused. Jason said something else to WeiRan. WeiRan replied, "would you like me to tell her?" Then WeiRan looked at me and said, "he thinks you are pretty." Jason became quite flustered at this and felt awkward. Obviously, Jason did not intend for WeiRan to let the cat out of the bag. I just said thank you and tried to move on with the conversation to stop the awkwardness.

Next, we began to discuss adjusting to Fort Worth and how they liked the city. They all found Fort Worth boring and liked Dallas better! I mentioned Billy Bob's as a joke, but they did not catch on. They really enjoyed Dallas because of the big city and Chinatown. This made complete sense. If an "Americantown" existed in China when I lived there, you could bet big money that every weekend I would be haunting the place. We then discussed different Chinatowns around the country, such as in New York City and San Francisco. They all found California, especially San Francisco, cool and interesting, but came to Texas for diversity.

Somehow, we soon got on the topic of ethnicity, probably from talking about how diverse America is. Each one of them is pure Chinese. I started to list off all of my heritage: "I am British, French, German, Irish--" Jason interjected "Spanish" This gave me a chuckle. I replied, "no, but I am part Native American." Poor Jason stood 2 for 0 on the embarrassed scale. They seemed intrigued at how many ethnicities I had combined in my genealogy. Jason thought that I spoke some of the languages since they were all a part of my history. I sadly replied, "no." I then jested about how the American school system failed me. They nodded emphatically in assent.

The American school system brought us to our next topic: the Chinese school system. I found out that school in China is very competitive. They have five weeks off for summer and no weekends during the school year. If you do poorly on the college entrance exam, you can only go into drawing, music, or medicine. The latter shocked me. In America, the medical field is held in high-esteem and full of prestige. Again, they began to giggle at our blatant cultural differences. Simon mentioned that if he had his way, he would draw all the time. He loves drawing, but his family does not view it as a viable career. For this reason, he will study business.

After exhausting most of these topics, our conversation came to a close. I had an appointment to go to soon. We agreed to meet again next Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. in the same place. I greatly enjoyed my first visit with all of them and look forward to meeting them again.

Hills Like White Elephants

Intrigue, pure intrigue. As I read this short story, I continually racked my brain about what the "operation" could be. And what operation could solve all problems? The rawness and reality of the story hit me through the dialogue. I found myself rereading paragraphs trying to make sense of the story. Ernest Hemingway's writing could be criticized as short, uninteresting, and dry; however, by giving little information and fluff, his writing fascinated me more than most. 

The story starts out with an innocent drink at a bar by a couple waiting for a train. The simple setting and simple descriptions made the story appear tame. The woman asks the man typical questions. They sit in a typical bar and gaze out on a typical landscape. In an instant, the tempo changes. The man begins to speak of an operation that could solve all their problems. At this point, I believed the operation to be an abortion. 

The mood begins to shift to a more sad tone. The woman is willing to sacrifice her own happiness for that of her partner. The despair and apathy with which she treats the importance of her own life is heart wrenching. The man continued to speak of the "operation." Brief mentions of lost land and money began to be sprinkled in the dialogue. Now I began to think the man wanted the woman to have a lobotomy. Could he have spent their fortune on failed medical attention for her mood swings? Lobotomy's were in vogue at this time, which made it a logical assumption. The reference to many hotels and travel made me think foreign medical attention could be a plausible idea. 

The disconnect between the couple soon heightened as the man continued to discuss the operation. The woman's desire to weigh her options in silence surfaced. She beseeched the man to be silent, but he continued to jabber on. I found the man insensitive and selfish. Maybe I viewed him that way because I am a woman, but he still seemed selfish. 

The story comes to a sudden end when the train is close to coming into the station. By then the couple had separated at the bar to reflect on their upcoming choice. I became quite frustrated with the ending. WHAT WAS THE OPERATION? Would they stay together? How could they think an operation would solve ALL their problems? Why did she have to have the operation? Why were they always on the road? All these questions remained unanswered. Hemingway intrigued me, but then left me at a cliff hanger. The ambiguousness left me to my own devices. In my mind, the woman did not get the operation and they worked out their problems a different way. Despite filling in the holes of the story on my own, I am still dying to know what Hemingway meant for the operation to be.