So Long, Dear Friend (Conversation #6)

Today was my final conversation session with Essa. I was sad to think that I would no longer be blogging about the conversations and fun experiences that we have had while learning about each other’s lives. On the other hand, I have a found a consistent study buddy throughout this process. Just because my blogging with Essa ends here does not mean that Essa and I’s friendship has to conclude along with it. To start off the day, we deviated to the subject of our favorite TV shows. Being in college, my TV watching is minimal considering the homework that my day-to-day schedule entails; however, Essa happened to bring up one of my favorite shows of all time: Friends. When he said how much he loved Friends, I launched straight into the interesting connection that I have had with the show. Two years ago, I had both of my ankles operated on after being diagnose with a tumor. Coming to the rescue, my best friend bought me the entire set of friends DVD’s, and she watched the episodes with me for hours on end. We would laugh the pain away and sing the theme song at the top of our lungs each time a new episode began. Still to this day, we have not finished all of the episodes, but we are getting there gradually. We then began discussing our favorite characters and why they are so relatable to us. His favorite character is Joey. We both decided that what makes Joey so lovable is his naïve personality and ignorance toward much of the reality that happens around him. Essa informed me that the “Central Perk” coffee shop was created by the show’s producers. The coffee shop still exists today, and New York’s Central Park was the inspiration behind it. Come to find out, Essa also loves going camping. In Saudi Arabia, their idea of camping is largely different from ours. When they go camping, they produce everything from scratch. By this, I am not implying building a fire and making s’mores. In Essa’s family, they even set up their own electrical units for their utilities. Their favorite time of year to camp is spring, because it is the only season when they have blooming flowers. As soon as summer arrives, their surrounding areas turn quickly to sand. All seasons encompass a particularly dry climate, and sand storms are a regular occurrence. He then went on to tell us that they refer to the direction of the wind as “Haboob”. They can typically predict the wind patterns fairly accurately in Saudi Arabia, and this brought me to a story about my step dad. I explained to Essa that my step dad has always considered himself a meteorologist. My mom and I, however, have come to realize that his accuracy is subpar to say the least. Any time he says bundle up we wear tank tops! For Essa, finals are next week. He explained to me that his homework load is so heavy that he rarely has time to sit down and physically study the material, which makes mastering the content quite difficult. Finals week runs Tuesday to Thursday. He began explaining that his wife has struggled with her studying, as it takes her hours and hours to get through her reading. She went to see a doctor and found out that her vitamin D level was low. The doctor prescribed her pills to boost her vitamin D and attention span. When we met with Essa, his family had just boarded the plane to Saudi Arabia. He was sad that they left, but he was happy to know that his daughter would get to spend time with her grandmother and would be starting a new school soon. When she was in the states, Essa’s wife would tell him not to nap on the couch, but we found it hilarious when Essa said that he would “sleep wherever he wants” now that they are gone. Next, Essa showed us a diagram of his family tree. It was an app on his phone that allowed him to input the names and photos of his family members and rearrange them accordingly. It was great to be able to put faces with the names that we had heard so much about. One of his sisters went nine years without having a child and then found out she was having triplets! Next, Essa showed us how to write our names in Arabic. Their written language is extremely complicated and looks more like symbolic pictures than letters. It seemed to be a tough language to learn; however, Essa explained that learning English is just as difficult. Because their letters are very intricate, he says that using a thick edged Sharpie is the best utensil for writing in Arabic. Some portions of the letters are thick; whereas, other parts of the letters require thin, fluid strokes. They have a form of cursive in Arabic similar to that of English writing. One of the things that I appreciate most about Essa is his constant willingness and striving to connect us with his culture. Not only would he give us detailed explanations of his experiences,  but he would not proceed with a story unless he knew we were relating to what he was saying. He made us feel at home in his conversations and just like an addition to his family. I feel that my time with Essa has allowed me to open my eyes to the many cultures that make up Texas Christian University. There is so much to this campus that we are blind to. I will always remember this process as one that has shaped my worldview and allowed me to embrace the diversity within this school. The greatest part is that I have made a new friend out of this awesome journey. I cannot wait to hear more about the adventurous life of my new pal, Essa.