Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Alex Conversation Partner #1

Friday May 13, 2016 3:30pm


Today I met Hamed for the very first time in front of Starbucks. Hamed was sitting in the shade and had a Frappuccino on the table when I walked up. After saying hello to each other, Hamed asked me if I would like to run inside and order a drink for myself. I thanked him for his politeness and told him that I do not like coffee and would be fine. During our conversation about coffee, Hamed mentioned that he usually drinks Arabic coffee which is not as sweet as his iced Frappuccino. I learned plenty of new things about Saudi Arabia in my dialogue with Hamed. Besides the Arabic coffee, I learned about an organization known as the Ministry of Education. This ministry will test Saudi Arabian teenagers and determine for them what occupation the test taker will have for their career.  Hamed test results told him to become an Electrical Engineer so as such Hamed went to a college with around thirty to forty thousand students and received a degree in Electrical Engineering. Hamed has been in America for 8 months and will eventually take a test to decide if he may stay in America or go back home to Saudi Arabia. The conversation eventually transitioned into sports and Hamed mentioned that his favorite soccer club was Real Madrid. I asked Hamed if he thought Real Madrid would beat Atlético Madrid in the Champions League Finals two weeks from now. Hamed responded that he did not think Real would beat the rival club because Atlético’s coaching, attacking, and defending were better. As our conversation was coming to an end, I asked Hamed if he would like a ride to his apartment. Hamed thanked me but declined saying he would prefer to walk home. 

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