Conversation Partner - Meeting 2

I text Vanessa Monday morning and asked her if she was available to meet again Wednesday for lunch. She replied that she was and asked where we should go. I suggested the Potbelly on University. To my surprise, Vanessa didn't know what Potbelly was. She had eaten at Dutch's, Pizza Snob, and McAlister's, but never Potbelly. In an odd way, I was a little excited to be able to show a non-native something new in America. At this point, you might be asking yourself, "Potbelly?..." To which I will respond, "Yes, Potbelly... I know it's not the Statue of Liberty. But hey, at least it's something." Alright, back to the story.

We met in front of the library so that we could walk over together. And almost immediately, I was able to pick up on another piece of Haitian culture. We were standing on the sidewalk waiting to cross University, and as soon as the light turned red, I began to walk. I turned around to find that Vanessa hadn't moved. She said that she was waiting for the car to actually stop before crossing. Vanessa explained that unlike in America, drivers in Haiti usually don't stop at red lights unless they see a cop. Dangerous, but you usually get to places quicker. She then informed me that she had never learned to drive. She always has someone else take her where she needs to go. I found this interesting. I could not imagine having to rely on someone else every time I wanted to go somewhere, but maybe it's just another cultural difference between our two countries.

Our lunch began with a little small talk. We talked about how each other's Spring Break went. Vanessa mentioned that she was really enjoying this warm weather, especially compared to the winter mix that had just hit prior to our first meeting. We discussed how she was performing in her studies. The IEP students fit two semesters into our normal one semester, so she had just begun taking a whole set of new courses. She said that she was doing well, even though she hates grammar. Vanessa doesn't like how some English words can sound the same but mean different things. She was also adamant that English had been the most difficult language she had learned thus far. Being a native speaker, I guess I never realized how hard it is to master.

Having just attended the TCU baseball game the night before, I asked Vanessa if she liked baseball. She replied with a firm no, citing that it was slow and boring. Her favorite sport is futbol, or soccer as us Americans are familiar with. The difference between our two nations sparked a conversation about American football. Vanessa said she enjoyed watching how loud the students are at TCU games but doesn't quite understand why we call it football since the players rarely use their feet. A valid point. Haiti: 1. USA: 0.  Vanessa also likes volleyball and basketball.

Compared to our first meeting, today was so much more laid back. It was apparent that the newfound familiarity we had with each other really eased the tension. We truly were just talking. Before we departed, Vanessa invited me to take part in the IEP's sand volleyball tournament Friday afternoon, so I look forward to that. I will let you all know how it goes!