My Sixth Meeting With Angela

Angela and I met for the final time and I realized how sad I was to be done meeting with her. We had found many similarities between the two of us and had formed a real friendship through the conversation partner program. I was excited to know though that just because this semester was over, our friendship was not. We talked a lot about both of our plans for the future during our last meeting. Angela wants to return to Colombia and finish her degree after she completes the intensive English program at TCU and then eventually return to the United States and pursue a master’s degree. I have tried to learn a new language before, quite unsuccessfully, and I cannot overstate how much respect I have for what Angela is doing. To leave her family and friends behind, come to a country where she knows no one, and embark on a difficult journey is a pretty courageous thing to do. I told her about my plans to pursue a degree in marketing at TCU and then move back to Omaha and work for a non-profit organization. Eventually though, my real goal is to get married and raise a family. Though I have many career and personal aspirations, family is the most important thing to me and I value being a mom over all of my other goals. Angela and I reflected back on the semester and realized we had learned so much about one another and our different cultures. We had no problem communicating, which was the main fear we both had going into this semester. Talking with one another had given us such a new perspective on our own lives. I think throughout this process the most important thing I learned is that though someone is from a different country or speaks a different language then you, this does not mean that you are different from them. I have found more similarities between me and Angela then I have with some people that I grew up with in Omaha, Nebraska. Angela and I share many of the same values and this is where all of our other similarities stem from. This semester has been a great experience in learning something new about a different culture as well as learning about myself through the process, not to mention making a great new friend.