Off To An Embarrassing Start

     As you all know, we are scheduled to meet with conversation partners.Given a name, e-mail, and phone number, I was prepared to make the first step in contacting Hashim. I sent him a quick e-mail telling him who I was and trying to schedule days. I waited a few days and sent him a quick text, once again letting him know who I was and trying to figure out days. But how long do you wait for someone to text you?! I ended up waiting 12 hours (receiving a response at 12:30 AM!) before receiving the simple text 'You have the wrong number, sorry. I am not hashim.' Certainly an embarrassing moment for me. I had already e-mailed the coordinator saying I was having trouble contacting Hashim and here I am texting the wrong number! And to top it all off, Hashim e-mailed the following morning with a quick note and apologizing for the late reply. After all this mess on my part, Hashim and I e-mailed about where we were to meet up (I wasn't going to deal with texting yet).

The Meet Up

    We had decided to meet up at Union Grounds after class. I wanted our first meeting to be a general get-to-know you meeting. While waiting for him, I started to worry that we wouldn't be able to recognize each other. My worries disappeared when Hashim walked up and we made direct eye contact. We started talking and sharing the basics-name, age, hometown, siblings, and of course, why TCU. Hashim is from Saudi Arabia with two younger siblings at home. He first learned about TCU from his uncle and cousin, they both came from Saudi Arabia to go to school here.  I was genuinely surprised at how well the conversation flowed and how much we have in common. We share the same age, movie interests, and major (after he completes the English program). Hashim spoke about the program he is in and his future plans. I was surprised at how rigorous the program seemed--they have so many presentations! Hashim is nearing the end of the program and will be complete once he scores a little higher on speaking. We talked for about an hour before I needed to leave. I'm curious to talk again with Hashim and see what more I can learn about him, his culture, and his lifestyle