Conversation with Adil

                I was one of the unfortunate few that was assigned a new conversation partner. Alessandra was not allowed back into the program in order to make room for incoming students. I found this unfair, but perhaps I do not know the whole story. I am completely bummed about the situation. I had a great time talking with Alessandra and wished that we had done more than three talks before she was removed from the program.

                I met with my new partner, Adil, on Thursday at the bookstore.  Adil is a middle-eastern man; Saudi Arabia to be exact.  While I did not ask his exact age, he appears to be in his late 20’s or early 30’s.  He is fluent in English but still has a heavy accent that is sometimes difficult to understand and talks faster than I can keep up with. I tried my best to understand him, but occasionally got lost and found myself nodding my head in agreement with something that I could not understand.  There were a few embarrassing instances when I asked him a question that he had already given an answer for but I did not pick up on.

                Adil came to America to study linguistics and receive his PhD.  He has already received his undergraduate and master’s in either linguistics or marketing, I’m not entirely sure.  He first moved here with his family, composed of his wife and two kids, but later moved them back to Saudi Arabia. I imagine that that was a tough decision for Adil, but he did not show any signs of grief.  The cultural difference that allow for such a position for a family to be in amazes me.  It seems as though war is usually the only thing that separates families in America. Adil made it sounds normal.

                I learned that Adil comes from an upper-class family that owns their own manufacturing business in Saudi Arabia.  I couldn’t fully understand what role Adil played in the business, but I know that he is involved.  He showed me pictures on his iPad of what his family makes. They design and produce large marble murals.  The murals are all handmade and I would guess cost a pretty penny.

                We talked for a while about Saudi Arabia. One of the most interesting facts I learned from Adil is that the price of gas is extremely low in the middle-east. He calculated it to be around 35 cents a gallon, and even cheaper for diesel.  He said that because of this, people drive everywhere and no one is concerned about conserving the resource.  I would like to hear an explanation for why there is such a difference in the price of gas around the world.

                Overall, the conversation was a little clumsy but interesting nonetheless. Adil, like many foreigners, has an interesting story to share and a difference perspective of the world. I imagine that we will continue to talk about our different cultures, as there is much to discuss on this topic.  Although I will miss talking to Alessandra, I am thankful that I will get to learn about more than one culture and more than one life story.