English help

On Wednesday Feb.23ed, 2011, my conversation partner and I had the first meeting. I was so excited to meet her because I had a previous experience with a conversation partner when I was at ALCI which was so helpful and kind of fun too. I called my partner after my teacher gave me her contact number to set up an appointment with her. My partner said she will be free next week on Wednesday, so we decide to go with it. A day before the meeting day I gave her a call to make sure that she is coming to meet me at the same time that we already planned. We decided to meet from 11:30 – 1:30pm at the BMU Café as a good place for our first meeting. I arrived 15 minutes earlier so that I had some times to make up some questions to get our meeting started. As usual, when anyone meets a new person for the first time, they definitely are going to start by introduce themselves. However, I started asking her some questions I prepared before the meetings in order to get more information about her and her life. Her name was Danielle Butcher. She is from Yuba City CA and she visits her parents every weekend and sometimes during the week days. Danielle is 23 years and she is a senior student at Chico State in liberal studies. I know nothing about this major, however; she said that she wants to be a teacher for elementary school, but she has to take a credential program for that. She has one older brother, one younger brother study at Butte College. Danielle lives with her friend Katy who also student at Chico State. After that she started asking questions, so I talked about myself, my major, my family, and how I become a student at Chico. Before I left, I asked her about our next meeting, and she said “call me or I’ll call you “. And that was my first meeting.

3/2/2011

On Wednesday March 2ed, 2011, my conversation partner Danielle and I had the second meeting. This meeting was very interesting because we talked about one of the greatest memories in most of the people’s life which is the wedding day and how people get married. We met at the second floor of the BMU and it was 12:00 none and we planned to stay for almost two hours because my math class starts at 2:00 pm. Danielle was talking about the importance of marriage and how it is very necessary and helpful factor to have a stable life. She said too “marriage is one of the oldest institutions of the world and it’s a relationship between two persons who vow for each other”. After that I asked her a lot of questions and I really was surprised from her answers because it seems to me that the way people get married in United States is totally different than what it is in my country, Saudi Arabia. One of the shocking answers was that people here in the US get known each other very well even before they get engaged. On contrast, people in Saudi Arabia, mostly, get engaged to have the chance to know each other. Other shocking answer was that couples usually can live with each other and have a sexual relationship even if they are not married. Afterward we started to talk about the wedding day and who should be responsible of the wedding expenses. She told me that generally the couples who are going to marry are responsible but bride’s father in some religion like the Catholic is responsible of part of the weeding expenses. We also talked in general about where people in the US place their weddings, she said that they place their wedding at the church and they only invite their family and close friends. At the end of the meeting I asked Danielle about one word she used in our conversation which is “vow” and what does it mean? She explained it to me very well by using it in several sentences. Also, I had some problems in how to pronounce the word “sexual” and she helped me by divide the word into two parts.

3/9/2011

On March 9th, 2011, it was my third meeting with my conversation partner Danielle on Starbucks. I looked at my watch and it was 12:13, I was 13 minutes late for the meeting; consequently, I felt like I did a perpetrator. As we know ‘’ Time is money’’ that’s in the American’s culture and also in Saudi’s culture ‘’Time is gold’’. When I saw her I apologized to her. She told me about the time is important and don’t be late. Also she gave me example which is if you are late for most of the classes at university, the teacher marks you absent. Then I apologized to her again with explaining my situation which I didn’t find a parking for my car near to the coffee shop, so I park it at the university parking and then I came on foot. Also I didn’t have some coins to park my car by the paid parking, so I just had a free parking to stop my car that would be far away from the university and that what I got it to park my car. Of course she was anger from me, and she didn’t smile to me since I came. Even though I told her my situation, she didn’t smile. we did talk about many things like the local businesses like the small coffee shops and we compare them with big chines like Starbucks. Finally, when I was leaving, she said “One second I didn’t smile since you came. You know why?’’ I said ‘’ I told you. I’m so sorry’’. Then she was starting smile, and she said ‘’I was kidding with you to show you how the time is important’’. Well after almost two hours of apologizing and talking I promised her that I will not be late again next times. During the conversation, I learned a new slangs which were “hooked me up with’’ means got something for someone, ‘’a big deal’’ means important, and “a little out there” means a person with unconventional ideas.

3/23/2011

On Wednesday March 23ed, 2011, my conversation partner Danielle and I had the fourth meeting. We decided to meet 12:00pm to 2:00pm at Celestino’s New York Pizza. I arrived there ten minutes early, not only because I was hungry it also because I did promised Danielle not to be late again. When she arrived I notice that both of us were very hungry, so we ordered two slides of pizza and a cup of soda for each to fill our stomachs before start talking about how to make friends in United States which is one of my hassles that I have faced in Chico until now. After the lunch, Danielle was very excited to start talking and giving me some advices in how to make friends because she has faced same thing even she is a native speaker. One of the advices that I had received from her was smiling and greeting the people all the time are a helpful factor in order to don’t lose them. Also, she said “always make time to hang out with friends; otherwise, they will stop calling you”. Trying new things with people might be a good way to make friends such as joining a group that contains males and females because she knew from our previous meetings that I live in a different culture, and I still have a hard time to change my behaviors. At the end of the meeting, I was very worry and confused because I didn’t know whether I’m going to make friends or not, but she told me just go with the flow. I really didn’t understand what she said, so she explained it to me by telling me the exact meaning which is “don’t ask questions and just do it”. I learn from the conversation “ran off’’- went away without telling anyone. “Called me out” means to insult intentionally.

3/30/2011

On Thursday, March 31st, my conversation partner Danielle and I had our Fifth meeting. This meeting was totally different from the previous meetings for some reasons. First of all, I had never meet Danielle at night and this meeting was started at 8:00pm and end at 10:00pm. The second reason is that I had never been with an American group and this meeting was with Daniele and her American friends. The third reason is that I rarely love to go bowling and we went bowling in this meeting. It was really amazing night by enjoying my time with that American group. We went to AMF Orchard Lanes by my car. When I was there I enjoyed every minutes because everything in the bowling center made me excited to play with nonstop especially the low lights and the nice music. The only thing that I was confused about that when I ordered some French fries, nobody comes to serve me and gives me the food until my table. I really surprised because in back home especially in the bowling center the Workers try to make you busy just in the bowling so, they try to provide everything to the customers which make us very happy. Danielle started talking with me about the American tradition. It seems that all people should help their selves because we are in U.S. and that is how they do it. Overall, I enjoyed my time there. Unfortunately, I have lost three times because Danelle and her friends had more experience than me. In this meeting, I learned a new thing which is how to use the word “bowling” exactly. I was thinking that I have to write “I play bowling” instead of “I went bowling”, but now I learned the new thing from her. And also “playing it fast and loose” means not careful.

4/6/2011

On Wednesday April 6th, 2011 Danielle and I had the Sixth and the last meeting in my assignment. It was a normal one because nothing special happened. As usual, I called her a day before that to make sure that she is coming to meet me at the same time that we already planned. It was 12 none, so I invited her to come to try the Arabic food which is a part of my culture in Chico which makes me very proud. There is only one Arabian restaurant here in Chico, so we went to it. Danielle really enjoyed and liked the food. We ate “Felafel” and “Shawarma” which were very delicious. After eating our lunch, we preferred to go outside and walk around downtown Chico. While we were walking, I was very interested to ask her about the American guys and their tradition especially when they eighteen years old and also some questions about the age twenty one and how it’s very special for them. She said about the second part” it’s almost a drinking age”. When anyone gets twenty one, he/she can go to the bars and probably get drunk in the birthday. Most of American guys prefer to stop house parties and choose the bars parties instead of it. And about when they are eighteen, she told me that the most of the American people left their families and go to live alone with a little help from their parents. Most of them prefer to live in apartment or in dorms. At the same time, many of them start working to provide their lives their own money to pay the tuition for the school and the rent for their apartments. Before this meeting I was using the word “Fess” a lot instead of “Tuition” when I’m talking about the money that the people should pay for their schools. Now, I start using “Tuition” because it’s better than “Fees” and it’s more formally.

At the end of our meeting I asked her about one word she was using a lot which is “smart as cookie”. She told me it has the same meaning of “smart”, so it’s almost the same. So here we done with our assignment, however; Danielle now we are not partner as much as we are friends. I will be in touch with her because I got a lot from her as friend an as a teacher.