meeting number 1!

Today was my first meeting with Suneun. She was nice and seemed a bit nervous. She could not speak English well, so we began slow. We exchanged names and numbers. I asked where she was from and learned she was from South Vietnam. She also informed me that she lived in Fort Worth with her three daughters- 20-22-15, if I understood correctly.

I had know idea how much English she could speak. It did not help that we are both shy natured. About twenty minutes into our conversation things began to look up for the both of us. She had a friend stop by with her, and he was a great help. It made her much more comfortable, and that made me feel more relaxed. He was a nice gentleman, and he spoke a little more English than she did. His presence opened her up more. We talked and joked, some of the jokes I did not catch though. I am a little hard of hearing, because I busted my ear drum a couple years ago. I did not realize how bad my hearing was until I was trying to catch every syllable she said to me.

I learned that we both have to be patient, and she knows that too. It can be hard, because we are both from two different worlds. She told me, that when she is at home, they speak nothing but Korean and that she even watches Korean soap operas. When I  asked her what else she liked to watch she said that was all she watched. I knew right then that this was hard for her, since she is so use to her native language.

As we continued talking, she asked if she could meet some of my friends. I told her yes, that I would take her to where I work and she could meet them today. Out of curiousity, I asked why she was so interested in my friends, and she responed by telling me that she was having a hard time making friends here at TCU. She said everyone was friendly, but she could not make friends.

Everyone where I worked was wonderful. They all introduced themselves, and even asked Suneon where she was from and about her family. I could tell she really enjoyed it, even if she could partially understand them. I also plan to have her meet some of my other friends in the future. I also encouraged her not to be shy, and to tell people hi, or if  she wanted she could do some of the activities we have around campus. Suneon and her friend seemed very interested in the concert that is coming to TCU. I told them all about it, and hopefully they will go. They seemed pretty interested, and I told them to let me know if they decided to go, and I would meet up with them there.

I think our first meeting went well. I think we both have alot of learning to do, but I think we will get through it just fine. I cannot wait to learn more about her home country and her lifestyle.