Last Conversation Partner

              For our last meeting, Linda and I went to Union Grounds. I’ve been super stressed out 

with all of my finals this week, so I was looking forward to have a break from rigorous studying 

and trade in organic chemistry jargon for light small talk with a conversation partner. It’s 

overcast and chilly outside, so I decided to get a coffee to warm my spirits. 

              Somehow, we got on the topic of movies. I told Linda about the drive-in movie theatre, 

and Linda was pretty interested. She said that they did not have a drive-in movie theatre in 

Shanghai, and she really wanted to go next semester. I, myself, have not been since last year. 

My friends and I would load up a big SUV with pillows and blankets, and sneak in a bunch of 

candy to bundle up at the drive-in together. 

            As I mentioned earlier, Linda said she wanted to go next semester to the drive-in. I

 suggested that she should go with some of her IEP friends, and I let her know I would totally

 be down to go. In fact, I bet a few of us from Dr. William’s Literature and Civilizations 

class would be open to coming. We could definitely structure a group outing to the drive in 

theatre to take a break from our major classes. 

            The conversation gravitated toward talk about the gloomy weather today. We started 

talking about weather back home. Linda told me the weather in Shanghai was pretty similar

 to here. She said they had not had snow in a while, but within the last week, they’ve actually

 gotten a lot of snow. Linda said she misses Shanghai, but she does not get homesick in the way

 that a lot of other students do. Because she went to a boarding school for high school, she used 

to dormitories and being away from home. Although she’s excited to go home for summer, 

she doesn’t feel an intense longing for China. 

             I began to tell Linda about how I’ve lived all over the United States, and tried my 

best to describe geographically where I’ve lived. She definitely knew where California was, 

but it was a little difficult trying to describe Orlando, Florida, Atlanta, Georgia, and Chicago, 

Illinois. We talked about the differences in each state. Linda was shocked to hear how cold it 

gets in Chicago. Last year during winter break, during the week it was -20 degrees Fahrenheit 

with a windchill of -40 degrees. Not really ideal weather for someone raised in the South. 

             Overall, I’ve really enjoyed my time with Linda. I’m so thankful to have this experience

 to connect with someone I would not ordinarily get to talk with. Learning about her culture has

 been super interesting, and Linda is a very down to Earth girl. I’m definitely going to keep in

 touch with her for the rest of my time at TCU, and I hope she has an awesome experience 

here in Fort Worth. 

Conversation Partner 5

            After having such a positive experience at Union Grounds last night, Linda and I decided to 

go there again. We both did not order anything but went straight into conversation. We talked more 

about our excitement for winter break, and began to talk about our plans. 

             As I said in an earlier reflection, Linda is not going back home to China for the break. 

Because our break is only three weeks long this year, traveling back to China would be too 

expensive of a trip for such a short period of time. Instead, Linda is staying in Texas to take driving

 lessons in order to get a driver’s license. Linda plans on buying a car here in Texas that she can use 

when she is an upperclassman. The last week of break, Linda is going to Cancun with some of 

her international friends at TCU. She plans on going to the beach with her friends and on going sight 

seeing. 

            We started on the topic of “travel.” Linda told me once before that her coming to TCU 

was the first time she had ever left China. She said her grandparents travelled a lot though, and 

she planned to travel when she got the opportunity. Apparently, her grandparents go on many trips, 

both domestic and international.  

              I began to tell Linda about my plans for the break. After I graduated high school, my 

parents moved to Chicago, so I go up there for Christmas. Linda was not quite sure where 

Chicago was, and I tried my best to describe it geographically. We talked about how absurdly 

cold it is in Chicago. Last year, we experienced temperatures of -20 with a windchill of -40. 

              I told Linda that I, too, am going to South America during the later half of winter break. 

It was actually extremely difficult trying to explain that I was going on a medical mission trip 

to Panama. I felt a lot was lost in translation, but eventually, Linda understood what I meant. I 

can’t even imagine what it’s like to speak more than one language. 

               Linda’s English has improved significantly in the short time I have known her. Our 

first meeting was slightly awkward because the language barrier was extremely prominent. 

Now, Linda has a firmer grasp on the language, and seems to be more confident when speaking. 

Although several times this meeting she had to take a minute to think about what she wanted to 

say, her fluency has improved immensely. 

Conversation Partner 4

         For our meeting this time, Linda and I decided to mix it up a little bit and meet at Union 

Grounds. Linda had just come from the BLUU, so she did not care to order anything, but I was 

inspired to order a gingerbread latte. I’m a sucker for holiday drinks. 

           Linda excitedly told me all about her Thanksgiving. One of her friends, whom coincidentally 

is also from China, has a house just off campus. Over the break, Linda and her friends went to 

Kroger and bought a turkey and other traditional American Thanksgiving foods. Linda informed me 

that she had never had turkey before, and she liked it, although it was strange. 

            Linda went to the Christmas tree lighting and really enjoyed it. She showed me pictures of

 her and her friends in front of TCU’s massive tree, and shared her pictures of the entire event with 

me. She said she was confused at why we had a bull at the event instead of a reindeer, but other

than that, I think she got a lot out of the whole experience. 

            During our meeting, many of my friends happened to pass by. In fact, my room mate from 

last year, Ashley, came by and chatted with us a little bit. Ashley, too, had just come from the BLUU 

and shared her woes about what she ate with us. She had experimented with a smoothie, and it did 

not work out in her favor. 

            After Ashley left, we began to discuss our living situations. I told her more about living with 

Ashley last year and how she’s one of my best friends now. Linda wanted to know all about my 

current dorm, Tom Brown, because she is interested in possibly living there next year. Linda and 

her friends are also strongly considering living in Grand Marc because all of the apartments have a 

kitchen. 

           As the conversation continued, we ended up talking about her friends from back home. 

According to Linda, all of her friends stayed in China for college. What was interesting to me was 

that her friends are actually going through midterms as we’re about to start finals. Because the 

Chinese New Year is in February, Chinese students still have half of their semester left. I thought 

that was really interesting how different our schedules are. Linda said that was one of the main 

reasons she did not want to go home for the holiday break, because all of her friends would be in 

school still. 

           We decided to break up for the night because we both had finals to study for. While the 

majority of my finals are next week, all of Linda’s IEP finals are this week. We decided to meet up 

tomorrow night, too. 

Conversation Partner 3

         The weekend before Thanksgiving break, Linda and I went to go have dinner at Market Square. 

Linda brought one of her friends, a new student from China, Andrew. Initially, I planned for us to eat 

dinner with Mary Lauren and our friend Megan, but Market Square was pretty busy, and we could 

not find a table to fit all of us. Linda, Andrew, and I finally found a table, marked our territory with 

our school ID’s and backpacks, and went to get food. 

          Honestly, whenever I go to the BLUU, I pretty much always resort to pizza. Unlike the 

“Cookhouse” section of the BLUU that is consistently busy and has a quality range of mildly edible 

to “Are they honestly serving this,” the pizza section of the BLUU never has a line, and the quality 

of the pizza is consistently tolerable. I don’t like surprises. Linda and Andrew both had rice and 

chicken, which is the most similar dish to something they’d have back home, they reported. 

          As we sat down and began to eat our meals, we began to talk about the residence halls we live 

in. Both Linda and Andrew live in Waits hall. I told them I knew Terrul, who is an RA in Waits and 

coincidentally in Literature and Civilizations II. We began discussing room mate situations. Linda 

explained that she adores her American room mate. Inclusive and sweet, Linda’s room mate has 

made Linda’s year at TCU enjoyable. Her room mate often invites her to go out to eat with her 

friends. I told them both about my living situation from my freshman year. 

           I was in Moncrief hall in a forced triple: our room was intended for two people, but because 

TCU was beginning the Great Housing Crisis, three freshmen were crammed into one room. Ashley 

and Connie were lovely room mates. Connie is actually an international student from Taiwan, and so 

I related to Andrew and Linda about how I am somewhat familiar with some struggles faced by 

international students. Although I was skeptical at first about living with not one, but two girls, I 

enjoyed my time in our forced triple, and am extremely thankful I got to know Connie and Ashley. 

          Andrew, on the other hand, is apparently having a pretty rough time with his room mate. 

Although he did not get too specific, Andrew said his room mate is not courteous at all. I suggested 

to Andrew that he talk with a resident assistant about it, and he said that he hadn’t even met his RA 

yet. 

          We were finishing up our meals, and all three of us cohesively sighed as we noted the busy 

couple of days we had before us before Thanksgiving. We decided it was time to be productive, and 

began to pack our things up. We all wished each other a happy Thanksgiving, and decided that we 

should get frozen yogurt soon at Sweet Frog. 

Learning Experience

Two quotes from Emerson particularly affected me: 

'Society is a wave. The wave moves onward, but the water of which it is composed does not.'

           Given an abundance of Emerson quotes, I was particularly drawn to the one above. The 

diction of the quote is peaceful; the imagery of a calming wave surfaces, but the underlying message 

is relatively dark. The metaphor of society as a wave and individual people as drops of water allow 

the reader to feel insignificant in a peaceful kind of way. Simultaneously, Emerson forces us to 

acknowledge that we will not be a part of society forever. Clear and concise, the quote evokes a 

stream of thought from the reader. 

             Whether we ourselves have had a near-death experience or have known someone who has 

passed, we have all graveled with the concept of death. It’s uncomfortable. Death is treated as almost 

a taboo topic because our own impermanence is scary.

               Upon reflecting on Emerson’s insight, I’m reminded of my room mate, Alex, whom is in 

a class called Death and Dying. I ask her about it often because I think learning about how society 

copes with and grieves death is extremely relevant. The concept of society as a wave is a powerful 

metaphor to depict the role of people. 

“Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind” 

                To fulfill my religion requirement at TCU, I took a course called Latino Religion. 

Truthfully, I only enrolled in the class because I anticipated it would be less rigorous than a Bible 

study class or World Religions. The first week of class, we defined what religion is, according to the 

philosopher, Paul Tillich. According to Tillich, everyone is religious. Everyone is concerned 

ultimately with one thing, or idea. There is one idea or organization or something that takes 

precedence over every other facet of a person’s life. This facet of one’s life that takes precedence is 

called your “ultimate concern.”

                 Tillich also explains that spiritual fulfillment may only be achieved if your ultimate 

concern is “infinite.” That is, if you’re concerned ultimately with something finite, such as aesthetic, 

you will not live a fulfilled life because beauty fades. 

                 Tillich’s theory has rooted in my mind, and I think about it often. What you’re ultimately 

concerned with says an awful lot about your character. For example, I actively try to not be so 

consumed with the thought of financial instability and material possessions because they’re finite 

and unfulfilling. Emerson’s quote relates to Tillich’s theory because each person’s consciousness is 

what they hold to be sacred. 

Conversation Partner 2

          Several weeks ago, TCU’s Intensive English Program set up a party at the Recreation Center.

Mary Lauren and I walked to the Rec Center together and met up with our English class gathered by

the rock wall.

          Upon the arrival of the international students, we discovered that Olivia’s conversation parter,

Amber, and my conversation partner, Linda, are good friends. Both of the girls are from the same

general area around Shanghai, China. I asked them if they knew each other before coming to TCU.

They said they met here, but enjoy having a friend that has their hometown in common.  The girls

also introduced us to their friend who just transferred here from an area in South China in the middle

of the semester.

             At the party, they served pizza, soft drinks, and a traditional dish from Saudi Arabia. Being a

vegetarian, I couldn’t eat the international dish, but it looked like a flat bread with a meat-type

spread. We all joked about how “pizza” and “soft drinks” is typical American cuisine. We also had

chocolate cake and celebrated everyone with an October birthday.

             We all scrounged to find a table, but the only available table was not in the shade. Because

Fall doesn’t begin in Texas until late November, sitting in the sun would have been brutal. We all

decided to pull the chairs into the shade and “rough it” without a table.

                I spent most of my time at the party talking with Olivia, Amber, and Linda. They asked us

what students typically do for school breaks, such as fall break and winter break. I replied that what

we do typically varies every season and every year. Personally, I have friends and family scattered  

all over the country, so I travel to many different places depending on what break it is. Linda has a

family friend close by that she’s staying with for winter break, because winter break is too short this

year for her to fly back to China. I thought about how hard it would be to go without seeing my

family for a year, but Linda said she’s used to it because she went to boarding school back home.

Mary Lauren and her conversation partner, Hannah, also sat with us. Hannah is from Saudi Arabia

and is majoring in petroleum engineering.  Mary Lauren and I have always been interested in

camping, and Hannah expressed her interest as well.

                 Olivia and I both had to leave after an hour after the party began because we both had

class. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to meet everyone’s conversation partner, and I plan on getting

dinner with Olivia, Amber, and Linda in the near future. 

River Reflection 2

         This morning before my lecture classes, I walked to the Trinity River. Typically when I take

this route, I’m accompanied by a couple of my friends. With how hectic the last couple of weeks

have been, I was glad to find a little serenity by myself off campus. Although it certainly wasn’t my

first time on this path, I noticed certain things I had not noticed before. I noted leaves on the ground,

a trademark of my favorite season. So early in the morning, there was a crispness to the air which

would eventually be interrupted by Texas’ hot sun around noon. I walked down the winding path to

the water, and as I crossed the bridge over the Trinity River, I took note of the sun’s position, still

rising, blazing through the clear blue Texas sky.

           Walking up the river’s path, I decided to sit on the rock dam of the Trinity. The water flowed

between myself and the rocks, close enough for me to touch. I could have put my feet in the water, if

the Trinity wasn’t so disgusting. Nonetheless, sitting there was still relaxing. Hearing the water flow

past you is therapeutic, and I was thankful. I noticed that hardly anyone was on the Trinity Trail this

morning. A couple of joggers passed by me, but I couldn’t help but recall how active the trail was the

last time I was here. 

           During my reflection, I did not see as many animals as I was expecting to see. I did hear birds

chirping in the trees around me, though I seldom saw any. Typically when I go down the Trinity, I

see many turtles, but unfortunately on this trip, I didn’t actually see any. A few people on the trail

were jogging with their dogs.

             I started to reflect on the foliage around the river. Often, I complain to my friends about how

Texas doesn’t have Autumn, my favorite season. Although leaves do fall to the ground, the trees

 tend to go from green to the ground instantaneously, skipping over the pretty brown and orange

colors of Fall I miss. The trees around the Trinity are green and hanging on to their leaves as of yet. I

also noted the stark contrast between the perfectly trimmed grass of the golf course within my sight

of view and the grass around the trinity: unkempt and arguably unsightly.

               Reflecting on the river tends to make me thankful that we have the Trinity River in walking

distance to campus, but it also makes me wish there were more things to do outdoors in Fort Worth.  

I would love to be able to go on hiking trips with my friends during the day, or scenic canoeing trips

on the weekends. On campus, I feel cooped up with classes, homework assignments, and

meetings. 

                As time passed, I sat on the rocks, and the day became more active. More people began    

to appear on the path, as if the day were truly just now beginning. After a few moments more, I

decided it was time to start my day of lectures and labs and meetings.