Friday, December 2, 2011
English Conversation Partner
This quarter I had the opportunity to participate in the English Conversation Program. When I first heard about the program I thought it would be an amazing opportunity to connect with someone from a different country and to learn about a new culture. I am from a small farm town and have not had a lot of experience with people from foreign countries, soneedless to say I was slightly nervous when I first met my partner. Her name was Yijia (eeshya), and she was from Beijing. She had only been in the United States for a little over a month and when we began talking she had a list of questions for me. She asked me about football, and the difference between a university and a college, she asked about food, and when we went out to eat she even had to ask me how to use the menu. After that my partner and I met once a week and still meet. I have noticed a huge improvement in her English and I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her and learning about her culture. I even learned a few Chinese words. The English Conversation Program is a great opportunity to make a new friend, help someone new to the country, and even learn a little something yourself.
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I also participated in the English Language Conversation Partner program this fall and my experience was likewise enjoyable. My partner's name was Zhe, and he is an 18 year-old finance major. We had many long conversations, ranging from our philosophical views to our interpretations of the menu at Jimmy John's (it is difficult for a foreigner to catch all the idioms). I have a great amount of respect for Zhe because he came here by himself without having ever seen Ohio State or even the United States. It was humbling to hear of his worldly travels at such a young age. The highlight of my experience was the home cooked meal Zhe made for me in his apartment at the end of the quarter, which was extraordinarily spicy and painful to digest.
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