Conversation Partner: Classes and Anti-Morning People

This week I had my second meeting with Rebecca. We met on Wednesday, October 29th, and it couldn't have come at a better time. The day before I had taken an exam that I had been studying for all weekend and once it was over all I wanted to do was relax with a friend and some coffee. Rebecca and I met Wednesday afternoon at Union Grounds and we talked about our weekend and what we had in store for the next week. While we are two very different people, we seem to have very similar schedules during the week; BUSY schedules! Rebecca explained to me that class for IEP last from 9 am til 1 pm and when she is finished with class she returns home and studies for the rest of the evening. My weekday schedule follows a similar pattern, attend class and study (although I manage to fit in quite a few naps during the week because I love my sleep almost more than I love people). We compared our courses and I found it interesting to learn about the class she takes for IEP. I was under the impression that IEP students, like other TCU students, had multiple classes during the day but this was not true. Rebecca explained to me that she attended one class that lasted four hours each day and this one class was broken up into different objectives, such as writing and speaking. I found this very interesting because I had a completely different idea of how the Intensive English Program was structured and I guess that was because I had not taken the time to understand it and learn about it.

Because Rebecca was used to this single course structure, she did not know how TCU students formulated their course schedule so I had the chance to teach her about this process. She loved the idea of getting to choose what time you went to class and which professor you studied under. I told her how, as the anti-morning person I am, I took advantage of this freedom and scheduled my classes for the afternoon this semester, giving me the opportunity to sleep in. Like many others who hear about my unusual class schedule, Rebecca though it was funny for me to leave all my classes til the end of the day when I could get them over with in the morning. I explained to her that I am more productive in the evening and night time and, more importantly, that I have a very difficult time waking up in early (before 11 am) in the morning. She wished she had the same opportunity to make her own schedule however she doesn't mind how she works now, because it allows for plenty of time to study in the afternoon and an early bedtime for her.

This talk of course scheduling and morning-versus-night people, while not seeming like a lot of content, took up most of our sixty minute meeting. As only our second official, in-person meeting, both of us were still getting accustomed to each other's language skills and way of speaking. We discovered that the language barrier was a two-way barrier, making it difficult for both us to understand each other completely. This made for some stumbled words and a lot patience on both ends. 

I am excited to meet with Rebecca again as I can tell we both have a lot to learn from each other.

Conversation Partner Social: Food and Friends

Last week was my first meeting with Rebecca, my conversation partner for the semester. We met at the Conversation Partner Social, a small gathering for the students in the Intensive English Program and us, their conversation partners. The social was the perfect setting for my first meeting with Rebecca; there was food, cake, drinks, and friends to socialize with. I can sometimes have anxiety over meeting someone new so having my best friend, Sara, there with me calmed my nerves.

I absolutely loved meeting Rebecca! She is so sweet and kind and so excited to meet with me over the next few weeks. At the social, we talked about our own hometowns and families. She is from a city south of Beijing, China, and she has two older brothers. Similarly, I have two siblings, although both younger than myself, and I found it extremely interesting to talk to her about the child laws in China. She told me how her parents had to pay the government in order to have herself and her second oldest brother because she was a girl and because her parents already had one child. I can't imagine living in a society that dictates how many children someone can have and demand payment for additional children. 

While talking about Rebecca's family, I asked her if anyone else in her family had ever been to the United States or if she was the first and only one. She said that she was indeed the first one in her family to venture overseas to the States and not only that but no one else in her family was even interested in following in her footsteps. This amazed me and I could not understand how her family members could not want to come to a country as amazing and as filled with opportunities as America, When I took the time to think about it, however, I realized how naive I had been. Rebecca had mentioned what a financial burden it had been for her family to send her to the States and I realized it might not be financially feasible for any more of her family to come to America. I also considered how as an American born and raised in this country, I am proud of my country and don't understand why someone wouldn't want to move here and take advantage of the opportunities it has to offer. Not everyone has this view of America, however, especially those not born here. Rebecca's family might be perfectly happy in China and have no desire to move because they simply do not need to. With this new outlook, I think I will be able to connect with Rebecca on a deeper level and I look forward to talking about her move here on a deeper level.

Conversation Partner

Meeting with my conversation partner for the first time was a journey of its own. I was originally paired with a young woman from Brazil but I unfortunately never had the opportunity to meet with her. After a couple weeks of trying to contact her, I discovered I had been given the incorrect contact information with which to reach her. Finally after about two and a half weeks of futile attempts of meeting her, I was finally able to email Christianne at the correct address. About a week passed with no word from her and I began to worry. I soon received an email from the head of the IEP program expressing her apologies but Christianne would not be returning to TCU to complete her time in the program. I was crushed, I had so been looking forward to getting to know this young woman and becoming her acquaintance. I was sad that I would not be able to learn about her home in Brazil and her culture. However, I knew that if it was not meant for me to meet with this young woman then there must be another plan in place for me. Having the opportunity to interact with a student in the Intensive English Program is a very unique opportunity and I want my experience with my partner to be worthwhile and special so I am not disheartened by my (so far) bad luck. I recently received notice that I would be paired with another student in the program and my first opportunity to meet with her would be tomorrow, at the Conversation Partner Social. Her name is Rebecca and she is from China and I cannot wait to meet with her. I have traveled to China in the past with my family so I can't wait to share my own experiences with her. I am so thankful to finally have a partner to meet with for the semester.

Learning: Water Gardens, Picture Perfect

Visiting the Fort Worth Water Gardens was a refreshing break from the classroom, giving us the opportunity appreciate a different function and use of water. The Water Gardens were erected in 1974 and are placed in the south end of Downtown Fort Worth, offering a cool oasis and escape from the bustling city life. The gardens offer three main pools; the meditation pool, the aerating pool, and the active pool, and each water feature offers an environment true to its name.

The meditation pool is a large, rectangular pool surrounded by towering walls and trees, providing a quiet and serene atmosphere. Water cascades down the surrounding walls, giving the ambiance of a light rain fall and adding to the serenity of the pool. 

The aerated pool features dozens of illuminated spray fountains that make the pool look like a huge fizzing and bubbling pool. From every angle, the reflection of the sun creates rainbows in the flying water droplets, adding a magical feeling to the setting. 

The main attraction of the Water Gardens is the active pool, the largest pool of the three and set deep in the group with steps leading down to the base. The steps allow access to the bottom of the pool and many people take advantage of this interactive aspect of the pool.

Our trip had little structure with regards to the learning experience and this gave us the freedom to explore the gardens and learn on our own. I took advantage of this liberty and learned through my camera lens.

Photography is my passion and I am always looking for opportunities to improve my skills. I knew that the Water Gardens would be a great environment to capture on camera so I explored the grounds with my Canon hanging from my neck. At each pool, I gave myself a couple minutes to observe its beauty and reflect on how the environment made me feel. I would then capture the scenery through different angles and different settings on my camera, Through this reflection, I found that my favorite pool was the aerated pool. The spraying fountains kept the area around the pool cool and, if you were close enough, it provided a light, refreshing mist. The sound of the water droplets hitting the pool was reminiscent of a rainy day and very relaxing. I could see myself retreating to this place to escape the stress of school and to simply enjoy its simple beauty.

Not only was the aerated pool my favorite pool to experience but it was also my favorite to photograph. I was able to capture water droplets suspended in the air before they fell into the pool. It gave me a beautiful new perspective on and appreciation for water. Even though the Water Gardens are manmade and not a natural part of nature, they offered an insight to the visual attraction functionality of water.

Is Our Cup Half Full or Half Empty?

The semester is halfway over … or is it only halfway begun? 

It has been six weeks and I have thoroughly enjoyed this course thus far.  I didn’t know what to expect when it was announced that it would be focused on water and to be honest I was a little skeptical.  How could a literature and civilization course incorporate the theme of water and would it still be interesting?  Personally, I have found the approaches to water through literature have been very intriguing and enjoyable.  Except for Huck Finn…I thought I had left that novel behind me in high school and I was not extremely excited to find out I would have to force my through it again.  I did find The Big Thirst and A River Runs Through It quite interesting, however, and they provided two very different approaches to water that I enjoyed equally.  The Big Thirst presented a bounty of information on the water crisis that I was previously unaware of and quite a few different attitudes regarding humans’ relationship with water.  I completely agreed with Fishman’s idea that water is invisible to us because we are too accustomed to its availability and “freeness” and we therefore take advantage of it.  Another point he made that really opened my eyes about the water crisis is how every water crisis is a local problem and nothing we do here in Texas will help those in India with no access to clean water.  This makes the water crisis much more personal and emphasizes how important it is for communities to focus on working together to fight the drought.  A River Runs Through It focused more on the deeper significance of water in a family’s life and its representation of relationships and responsibilities.  The Blackfoot River fosters the Maclean brother’s youth and is also holds significant meaning as it is the last place the brothers fish together before Paul Maclean’s death.  This film was a nice break from the facts and horrors presented in The Big Thirst regarding the water crisis and I enjoyed taking a more literary and abstract approach to the significance of water.

As we complete the first half of the semester, I can only look forward to what the second half has in store for us.  I can’t wait to experience the Trinity River on another level (literally) when we bike along its trail and I am interested to see how the second film we watch incorporates water and its significance.  I am excited to see how else we can analyze and interpret water and its significance in literature and in civilization and if these first six weeks were any indication of how the last six will be, I’d have to say our cup is half full and we have only just begun this journey with water. 

Learning: Seeing is Believing

Although I have lived in California my whole life, I never felt as though I lived in an area affected by drought.  Sure, we don’t get a lot of rain during the year and water supply warnings were occasionally on the news, but how could a city 10 minutes away from the ocean be experiencing a drought?  It just didn’t make sense to me.  I think it was because I couldn’t actually see with my eyes the effects of the drought.  The grass wasn’t any less greener, people didn’t remodel their yards with rocks and cacti, and the trees weren’t dying.  It is hard to understand something you can’t see and I guess that’s where the saying “seeing is believing” comes from.  When you can’t see the consequences or effects of a drought, it’s hard to believe that it is really occurring even when you are in the middle of it.  I started to really believe and become aware of the drought crisis in not only my home state but in the country when I finally had physical proof. 

My family has been going to Lake Mead in Nevada for over ten years now and it is the biggest indicator of the drought that I have seen yet.  What is amazing about looking at Lake Mead is that the cliffs surrounding it hold the lake’s history.  You can see the different levels the water has been at over the years and it is amazing and extremely concerning to compare the water level today to what it has been in the past.  Every year I visit Lake Mead, the water level is significantly lower than the previous year.  The lake is currently at less than 40% capacity, a frightening statistic that concerns those who depends on Lake Mead for water.  Seeing the state that Lake Mead is in forced me to face the very real problem of the drought and subsequent water crisis taking over the country.

Treasure Island

Growing up in southern Orange County, ten minutes away from Laguna Beach, I have always had access to the ocean.  Ironically, however, I didn’t indulge in all the beach has to offer until high school.  My family didn’t make trips to the beach very often; family events, unusually warm weekends and Fourth of July celebrations were the usual excuses to spend the day by the sea.  It wasn’t until high school that I became a “beach person” but when I did, you couldn’t keep me away.  It became my happy place, somewhere I could escape from the real world and just relax with the sound of the waves crashing on the shore.  I loved swimming in the ocean, finding treasures in the sand (sea glass, unique shells, etc.), and exploring the tide pools and all the creatures they held.  I can find some of my happiest memories at the beach. 

During the summer, my friends and I would spend our days beach hopping, spending a couple hours at multiple beaches throughout the day and always searching for a new hidden cove or bay we hadn’t been to before.  My favorite beach, the cove that I spent the most time at, is Treasure Island.  It is a beach made up of three small coves and during the school year it was empty all day.  My best friend, Amanda, and I devoted every Monday, Mermaid Monday, to Treasure Island and we would spend the day swimming in the water, laying in the sand, and expanding our collections of sea shells and sea glass.  We even invested in waterproof iPhone cases so we could take our phones into the ocean and take way too many selfies.  In fact, every picture I have of the two of us is either in the ocean or on the beach.

When we couldn’t make it to Treasure Island during the day due to our work schedule, we would head out around 6:30 in the afternoon and have our Sunset Swims (actually, we called them Sunset Schwims because we talk like toddlers sometimes…).  These evening adventures involved a quicker dip in the water that was beginning to become a little too chilly to stay in for too long, and blankets and sweatshirts to warm us after our swim as we sat in the sand and watched the sunset.  There is nothing more beautiful to me than watching the sun set into the ocean and the colors that it paints in the sky and in the water.  It is an incredible and humbling reminder for me of the beauty of God’s creation.  Those nights spent with my closest friend are memories I will cherish forever and I can always find those memories at Treasure Island.

The ocean possesses something that brings out a side of me that not much else can.  It makes me so happy and so goofy and it makes me forget about the real world.  When I am in the ocean, I am in an entirely other world and it is truly exhilarating.   Floating in a body of water that is bigger and more expansive than anything I can imagine is overwhelming and awesome and reminds me of water’s power.  The tide just needs to change and I can be dragged out to sea.  I have so much respect and love for the ocean and its power and it is a place that I can call home.