Ahmed and I met for the first time yesterday, under a shade
tree just outside of Strozier Library.
He is from Saudi Arabia, yet has lived in Tallahassee for one year in
order to study English. He wishes
to obtain a Master’s Degree from any institution
that will accept him. He studies
Educational Statistics. As an
American woman, I find it interesting to meet Arab men and compare the dress
code of Arab women with that of European cultures. Ahmed said that he was familiar with European style dress
because of his extensive traveling.
He mentioned that in Dubai and Egypt, the cultures have a strong
European influence.
Ahmed’s
use of conversational English appeared solid, although his accent was quite
thick. After I told him that I was
studying Music Therapy and working in elderly care facilities, he was most
interested in distinguishing the different types. He seemed slightly shocked to learn that people send their
parents away to live in nursing homes, rather than keep them at home. He shared that Islam requires the care
of their elders within the family unit.
Ahmed was not zealous about his religion, or attempting to place his
customs above ours. He simply
wanted to discuss the matter, in an innocent (almost naive) way.
During
our next meeting, I plan to help him prepare for his TOEFL exam, yet in an
easy-going conversational way.
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