I was excited as my second meeting with Angela approached.
From our first meeting I had learned a lot about her culture and her life in
Colombia. We did not have anywhere near as large of a language barrier as I
thought we were going to have so I was excited to meet with her again and learn
more about her life in Colombia compared to her experiences in the United
States. At our second meeting I wanted to learn more about her everyday life in
Colombia and the cultural differences she had experienced since living in the
United States. Angela said that the main difference she had experienced between
Colombia and the United States was the organizational system of the United
States. We had discussed this a little bit during our first meeting but she
talked a lot more about the government set up in Colombia. She said the government
does not impose a lot of restrictions on the people so many systems are
unorganized especially the traffic systems. She said the roads themselves are
much nicer in the United States and traffic is terrible in Colombia. She said
it can sometimes take hours to get from place to place because the traffic jams
are so bad. She also did say a major difference is the freshness of the food. She
said fast food is not prevalent in Colombia and the food is much more
traditional. They do not have as large of a variety of food options as we do in
the United States. Angela said clothing wise people dress similar and there are
many stores that she shops at both in Colombia and the United States. She also
said one major difference is Colombia experiences one constant weather type
which is similar to spring in Texas while in Texas she has experienced every
season. She said she was not prepared for the extreme weather changes in the
United States, especially snow and freezing temperatures. In our first meeting
we had talked a bit about her family back home and she discussed the challenge
of being away from them more in our second meeting. She said the hardest part
about being in the United States is being away from her family and friends and
not being able to eat the traditional foods with her family in Colombia. She
did say that she really loves her experience living in the United States. Her
favorite part about the United States is how organized everything is and the
opportunities that are present here. She said many of her friends come to learn
English and study in the United States in hopes of eventually getting a job
here. People are better off in the United States then they are in Colombia
financially. The United States presents
many opportunities for jobs and a better life than most people could have in
Colombia. So far I have learned a lot from my meetings with Angela. She has a
pretty good grasp of the English language and we do not have trouble
communicating, though we do teach each other a lot about cultural aspects of
the United States and Colombia. I have had a really great experience so far and
cannot wait to learn more about her life!
