Tonight, I had my friend Maria over for dinner. I met Maria through the Catholic campus ministry at St. Thomas Aquinas. She is from Mexico and moved to Arkansas when she was 3 years old. I got to talk to her about her family and her story. She said that one of the hardest things is that her grandparents are back in Mexico and it's really hard for her to not be able to see them often. I really enjoyed this conversation and glad that I got to share a meal with her!
Gave 2.00 hours on 05/03/2022 with University of Arkansas
Shu needed to interview an American student for an assignment given to her by her sponsors for the exchange program she's in. She asked me questions like "What does it mean to you to be an American?" and "What does a typical day look like for you at home?". I really enjoyed getting to share about what my culture looks like at home and in Fayetteville. Spending that time with Shu was so special, and am really going to miss her when she goes back to Malaysia!
Gave 2.00 hours on 05/03/2022 with University of Arkansas
This was the last meeting with my conversation club! Today it was just Shu, Kariman, Awais, and I. We just talked about plans after classes end and what our summers will look like. I'm going to miss them, but we exchanged Instagrams to stay in touch for when they go back to their respective countries
Gave 1.00 hour on 05/03/2022
Today, I spent time with my next door neighbors, Daphne and Gift. I had them over for breakfast and we talked about what next semester will look like for them. Gift is graduating in May, so she was talking about how she is going to use her Masters in Psychology and Criminology and work for the police department back in her home town in Nigeria. Daphne will stay in Fayetteville over the summer and continue her bachelors degree next semester.
Gave 2.00 hours on 04/30/2022 with University of Arkansas
This time, it was Kariman, Shu, Awais, and I. We all talked about what our summer will look like. We also talked about their favorite parts of living in Arkansas/the United States.
Gave 1.00 hour on 04/26/2022 with University of Arkansas
Today, I met with Shu, Awais, Kariman, and Kariman's friend Jasmine. We spent the majority of the time talking about weddings and the rituals that come along with it.
Gave 1.00 hour on 04/19/2022 with University of Arkansas
This week, it was just Shu, Kariman, and I. We talked about the differences in success in our cultures. Both Kariman and Shu expressed similar cultural definitions of success based on tradition. They both said that they think it may take 20-30 years for things to change. For their cultures, success comes with weath, job title, and status.
Gave 1.00 hour on 04/05/2022 with University of Arkansas
