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.