Adventure Time

In middle of the semester, Gregory came to me with a problem that he wished I could solve. We had hung out twice, so we were beginning to be more comfortable with each other. Gregory made it clear that I was to correct him at any time he had an incorrect pronunciation of a word. I found this extremely impressive. While having people correct you can be embarrassing or straining, I think it is what will refine Gregory’s English. I have never seen someone so determined to master this language in order to further his education. Through out this semester, I corrected Gregory and explained to him the correct way of pronunciation words. Through this whole process, I realized Gregory’s sense of adventure.

            For Gregory’s entire life, he has lived with his large family. With multiple brothers and sisters, moments alone are scarce. Like I mentioned in earlier blog posts, his family had large meals together and enjoyed each other’s company. For eighteen years, he was surrounded by family. His entire life, however, he knew that he wanted to come to the United States of America for school. One of his Uncles lived in Fort Worth, and he has continually heard of the opportunities in this country. Gregory applied for an English program near his Uncle, packed his bags, said goodbye to his family, hopped on a plane, and left for America.

            I cannot imagine the feelings and emotions that were going through his mind. Leaving everything behind to start a new life must have been daunting, so I asked him about it. He explained that while yes he was scared, what motivated him most was the opportunity. Gregory wanted to make something of this life, and he saw the opportunity here. He knew, however, that learning English at a superior level was the first step. Fort Worth gave him one close family member and a TCU gave him a program that would prepare him to further his education. Through our discussions, I can tell that Gregory is one to seize opportunities whenever they are present. For example, the conversation buddies program is completely voluntary. Gregory wanted to speak with a native English speak in order to improve his studies.

            While Gregory was an optimist who seeks adventure, he opened up to me about missing his family. He told me stories of what his family used to do, how he interacts with his siblings, and who his friends were back home. Gregory explained that he has not seen his family in four months, making this the longest he has been apart from them. I was impressed, however, because never in this time did he seem sad or discouraged. Gregory understood the sacrifices he needed to make in order to fulfill his dreams. At the same time, he enjoyed talking about his family. It helped solidify in his mind that he loves his family. We were both able to share stories about our families. I have not seen my family all year, and I too was beyond excited to go home for break to spend time with my family.

            I then complemented Gregory on his love for adventure. He told more stories about trying new restaurants here at TCU, traveling with his friends to nearby islands back in Venezuela, and getting guys together to play a pick up soccer game. Through out this semester, I have begun to see our similarities—we bonded over these. Gregory is a great fit for TCU, and it makes me so happy to know that I attend a university that has programs like Conversation Partners, giving students an opportunity at success.

Dutches--Great Place for a Good Convo

            Gregory took the SAT last weekend, and he is officially going to Orlando to go to school. I am so pumped for him. I have been able to see how hard he has been working to make this happen, and he can not finally attend a university in the United States. Today, I was able to introduce Gregory to a handful of my friends over a delicious burger at Dutches. I could tell he was a little nervous to be put into a conversation with multiple English speakers, but I could also tell he was excited to have a new experience. During our walk across campus, I wanted to hear all about the election in his home country, Venezuela. Gregory was full of joy and passion, for the opposition won the election. He went on and on about how the country is beyond on thrilled to have a different government than it has had in the past. I heard stories of parties throughout the country, his family celebrating, and other Venezuelans here at TCU thrilled about the news. For fifteen years, he said, the current government has implemented a socialistic system that has destroyed the country. Now, Gregory is happy for his family and friends to have an inspiration for change.

            When we walked into the restaurant, we saw Josh Doctson (TCU wide receiver). I was able to explain to Gregory who he was, and it started a conversation about sports. I learned all about Gregory’s passion for futbol (soccer). Throughout the semester he has tried to get his friends to play but has not played as much as he would have liked to play. He went on and on about how soccer gives him an opportunity to get outside, workout, and interact with his friends. I can connect to this, so our conversation went on for a while. Our food was ready, so we went to join my friends at the table.

            Here is one thing that I absolutely love about TCU students. My five friends had never met Gregory, nor did they know I was bringing him. As soon as we walked up, each one of my friends stood up, shook Gregory’s hand, and immediately began asking him questions. It was great! The first conversation at the table was about Christmas break. Gregory initiated the conversation. It is amazing to see his confidence in his English despite his obvious struggles with the language. I hope when I go abroad next semester I can have the same confidence! Gregory went person by person, asking individually what their plans were. The entire table explained their plans, and then they all asked Gregory for his plans. We learned that Gregory plans to go home for a few weeks before heading to Orlando. His favorite thing to do at home is take a quick plane ride to a nearby island. Gregory explained that a group of friends will buy cheap tickets and spend the weekend on this little island, playing in the ocean and relaxing. It sounded like a dream!

            The next topic of discussion was filled with complaining about our teachers. I started off the discussion by giving an impersonation of one of my professors, and Gregory found that extremely funny. He explained that making fun of people (obviously in a playful manor) is something that he finds hysterical. Gregory explained that his friend group is always messing with each other. This is somewhere we connected well, for my friend group does the exact same thing.

            Toward the end of the meal, I wanted to hear all about his upcoming week. He has a final tomorrow, and I was curious what his tests looked like. He is in an English program here at TCU. Gregory said that the tests have three sections. The first section is a lecture on a certain topic. Students are suggested to take notes and try and comprehend as much of the information as possible. The next step in the process involves the teacher asking students about the lecture, looking for how much of the lecture the students retained. Lastly, there is a written exam testing English skill. I cannot imagine taking a test like this in another language! It sounds extremely tense. Gregory’s English is spectacular, however, so I am confident that he will do well!

Politics...Always An Interesting Topic

Disclaimer: this is kind of controversial, so please do not be offended by political claims made by my partner. 

An update on Gregory: He passed a test that allows him to apply to university’s in the United States! Great news on his part. It is basically the test he has been studying for all semester, so passing this test means that he can now attend University of Orlando—it is his dream school. Gregory was beyond excited, and I was so happy for him!  While most of our conversations consist of learning about each other’s lives, I went into today with a different mindset. I wanted to dive into topics that are below the surface level. Today’s main topic of discussion was politics.

            This upcoming Sunday is election day in Venezuela. Gregory explained that there are basically two parties in this election. If I got this correctly, the government has been controlling the people for a while, and this election allows for a new president to implement change into the Venezuelan country (sounds kind of like Obama’s slogan). Anyways, he explained that there the government is currently socialist, and he repeatedly mentioned that it does not work. In one of my earlier blogs I explained that average citizens struggle to even obtain groceries. One thing that surprised me, was he said the people of his country have had enough of the government having too much power, and another term will lead to riots. While recent polls in the country show that the president should lose, Gregory harped on the fact that the majority of congress and the election committee are on the socialist side. Hopefully, he said, this does not lead to a corrupted election.

            After learning about the upcoming Venezuelan election, he asked me to explain how our election worked, curious about the republican and democratic parties. He wanted to learn about the core issues that each differ on and if both parties interact and discuss the issues with each other. I explained the core issues and where each party stood on them. He asked many questions in between answers, wanting to learn as much as possible. His last question is what stood out the most to me: do we discuss politics and core issues? I explained that people in my friend group absolutely discuss the issues going on the country, but that a majority of the people our age have no idea was is happening in the world. I told him that a large percentage of students do not even vote in elections. This took him by surprise. Gregory explained that because his people have not had the opportunity to vote for a leader, each person that can makes it happen. They see the power in a vote and exercise it to bring about change. Sadly, in the United States, many millennials have no idea what is happening not only in our country but also in the world. They read a headline here and there, more than likely biased to one part or the other, and that is their daily news. It takes a huge terrorist attack in Paris for people to open their eyes to the horrific actions of ISIS, not realizing that deaths happen daily. I loved having these discussions with Gregory because it put it into perspective how used to having rights to vote, speak freely, and have an opportunity at success American are.

            US elections are beginning to pick up speed, and Gregory noticed a similarity between our election and his election (his words). He mentioned that their government only help the poor because that is where the votes are. His example was interesting: Gregory is trying to get need scholarship to attend the university in Orlando, so he is flying home to interview with the government over winter break. Sadly, he said, his chances at receiving scholarships are little to none because he is not at the lowest poverty level. He stated that they only give money to the majority who are poor in order to get votes (again, these are all of his points, not mine—just to clarify).

            Our conversation was intellectually stimulating. It is amazing the conversations one can have with students from other countries. I cannot imagine having the conversation we did in another language. I was thoroughly impressed with Gregory’s skill and ability to communicate. I loved his want to learn, genuinely eager to understand what is happening in the world. At the end of our conversation, I recommend that he sign up for this newsletter than I am subscribed to. It is call TheSkimm. Basically, it highlights all of the major events that happen in the world, sending you an email that is easy to read and full of important information. If you are reading this, I highly recommend that subscribe. It is easy, fun, and informative.