Sabrina CP #1

March 8^th at CEIS building in the afternoon.

I met Hind on a mildly hot afternoon. She had just finished her CEIS class and found me waiting for her at the lobby. The first thing she expressed to be after meeting was how she had a hard time understanding my text messages. I could tell from the start of our conversation that Hind was a complete beginner in English. She arrived to America only two months ago. Originally she is from Ta'if, Saudia Arabia but lived in Riyad before she moved to the US. I asked her how she liked Tallahasse and she said it wasn't that great or that bad. When I asked her about Riyad, her eyes lit up as she described the big capital city. She said that Ramadan (a special month of fasting followed by Muslims) in the city was absolutely stunning and delightful. Her description makes me want to visit the city during the month of Ramadan some day too. We then talked about our families. It took her some time to understand that my family and I resided in America my whole life. I told her I had a big family with 2 younger sisters and 1 younger brother. She laughed at my definition of big family and told me she came from a family of four brothers and five sisters. She told me how this was usually the norm in Saudi households. I grew up my whole life hearing people say we were a big family so to hear her definition of “big family” definitely changed my perception. We then talked about our plans for spring break. Hind has plans to visit Orlando with her husband during the break. She seemed very excited and was especially happy about visiting Disney World. I shared my experience in Orlando a few years back and told her I expected she would have a great time. We talked more about our hometown (mine in Texas). I asked about the weather differences between Saudi Arabia and Tallahassee. Hind loves spring and winter like me. We talked about her studies at CEIS and the difficulties she faces. Hind's biggest complaint was how we, natives, talk too fast. I tried to speak with her very slowly and told her to tell me anytime she wanted me to go slower or repeat. We agreed to meet again after spring break. Hind is not eager to go out and do any other activity. For the time being, she only wants to meet in the CEIS building. For this reason, I am going to try to use the conversation partner activities in our next meeting. It was fun spending time with Hind though a challenge. Because she is a beginner in English I could sense her confusion or frustration when trying to convey her thoughts. I tried to speak very slowly to make it easier for her. Despite some difficulties, we really did talk a lot! I hope things get better as our meetings continue. :)