Adam CP # 2

Today I met with Abdulmohsen (Abdul) again. This time I met him at 5:00 p.m. in the Global Engagement Center for the Global Engagement Center's Free International Coffee Hour. I introduced him to my friend Matt, who was talking about how the internet had eroded borders and made the world more globalized/interconnected in the past twenty years. Abdul said that he had just gotten back from an optometrist's appointment and that the optometrist determined he was going to need glasses. He also described his vacation in Orlando and talked about how he was waiting to hear back from one of his friends who had gotten into a fight at a nightclub. He introduced me to an acquaintance of his from India, who compared and contrasted Indian and U.S. politics by talking about how the U.S. to him seemed to do a better job of controlling violent groups and individuals. Abdulmohsen also introduced me to an Arabic speaking acquaintance of his. Both of them were interested to know that I had studied middle eastern and Islamic history as part of my curriculum in International Affairs. Abdul gave me his perspective on the study of history, which entailed his feeling that getting bogged down in studying history kept one from looking forward into the future. I said that I found History interesting because it allowed a person to more adequately analyze what was happening now and what would happen in the future. Because Abdul and his friend knew that I had studied both current and past middle eastern politics, they talked with me about the current situations in Syria and Egypt, and both were curious to know my opinion about these issues as someone who had studied International Affairs in the United States. Abdul and his friend said that not very many Americans knew much about Saudi Arabian history, but I mentioned that I had studied the history of Saudi Arabia to some extent, including having read about Wahhabism and the history of the ruling Saud family. In addition to asking what I knew about middle eastern politics and history, Abdulmohsen also offered to teach me a few words of Arabic, which could potentially be useful. (don't worry, I am keeping in mind that the conversation partner program is not intended as a language exchange program!) In general, the meeting went well and I was happy to have had a refreshingly intellectual exchange with Abdul and his friend.