When I first heard about our assignment to meet with
students within the extensive English program I was ecstatic. The fact that
individuals travel from all over the world to receive an education and broaden
their horizons, often times hoping to find a job in the states, fascinates me.
I have always loved talking to international students and was confident this
would be no different.
I first met Nasrallah inside the BLUU by union grounds.
Immediately, I was amazed at his overall speaking capability. We experienced little
difficulty in understanding each other with the only obstacle being his accent.
We had planned on eating lunch in the email previously exchanged, so I offered
to buy him Chick-Fil-A or swipe him into Market Square. To my absolute
surprise, Nasrallah asked me if I wanted to go to “Maharaja”. Because I don’t
leave campus much I had no idea where this was and was immediately taken back.
I had just met Nasrallah and he already wanted to drive me to a restaurant!? I
decided it wouldn’t hurt and agreed to eat there. I soon thought about how
absolutely amazing it was that Nasrallah was willing to drive me to a
restaurant without any previous encountering. This stuck out to me. I quickly
noticed Nasrallah’s outstanding personality and his genuine appreciation for
the opportunity to meet someone new. I was excited.
At lunch, Nasrallah and I carried out conversation like we
were two childhood friends catching up after not seeing each other for a couple
years. We asked each other the basics – hobbies, majors, hometowns, jobs, etc.
In fact, Nasrallah stimulated much of the conversation. I especially liked this
because it didn't make the conversation feel awkward. The last thing I wanted
to come out of having a conversation partner was the feeling of being ‘forced’
to meet with each other. Instead, I wanted a natural feeling in which we are
BOTH excited to meet and get to know each other on a more personal basis.
Luckily, this is exactly how it feels. After lunch, Nasrallah drove me back to
campus and made a plan to meet the following week.
Nasrallah and I were both excited to meet again and continue
to develop a friendship.
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