I have had two more get togethers with my partner, Dora. We usually go out to eat, and alternate week by week whether we go to an Asian or American restaurant. On Dora's week, we went to Joy's Village - a Chinese restaurant underneath Buckeye Books. The food at Panda Express or No. 1 Chinese restaurant are really Americanized, but Joy's has done a better job of preserving Chinese food. We both ordered a main dish, and we got unlimited rice for free. The two dishes were set in the center, so we shared and I got to try both. My boyfriend is Taiwanese, so I surprised her by knowing a little Mandarin and using chopsticks proficiently. She told me about her hometown, parents, and her favorite Chinese festivals. I told her about Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was a lot of fun, and it must be really hard to be so far away from home.
This week was my week, so I took her to Chipotle for the first time. We talked about Thanksgiving and a Moon Festival (I think) that was this weekend. We stopped at Cuzzins on the way back and she tried frozen yogurt for the first time as well. She says she misses the food the most, since American food just isn't the same. We are going to a Korean place next, so that should be fun.
My English Conversation Partner is from China, and it has been really great to get to know her this semester. I just had my last meeting with her last week. It was definitely a bittersweet meeting. It was sad to say goodbye, but we will definitely be keeping in touch. I am excited about participating in this program again, and getting to know another international student next semester. I really enjoyed getting to hear about my partner's culture and home, and I also ended up learning a lot about my own culture as well while trying to explain it to her. As an out-of-state student, I was able to relate to her when it came to missing home. I may not be in a foreign country like she is, but that was one main thing that we bonded over.
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