Eighth Conversation with Mehran

            Mehran and I met for the last time, and I can honestly say it felt a little bit odd. I cannot believe that we have already met eight times and that we would not be meeting after this conversation. Therefore, I wanted to make the most out of our final meeting.

            When Mehran first sat down, he seemed really stressed out. I asked him what was wrong, and he said that his day had been really busy because he had had a presentation and two tests; however, now he is now completely done with the international program at TCU. I had not realized that the program was already over, so I asked him what his plans were for next semester. Mehran told me that he planned to go to Texas Community College or TCC for two semesters because his English was not yet developed enough to come to TCU. I could tell that he was sad about leaving TCU because he absolutely loves it here; in fact, I think he might even love TCU more than I do. Mehran did mention, however, that he plans to return to TCU after attending TCC for two semesters in order to study finance. When I mentioned that I was most likely going to double major in finance and accounting, Mehran wanted to know what the business school was like. I told him that is was hard, but really rewarding because I have learned a lot in a short period of time. I sincerely hope that Mehran pursues finance because he is really brilliant and would excel in it.

            I then decided to ask Mehran what his plans were for the break. He told me that he is going to New York, Chicago, and San Jose; talk about a fun break! I asked him why he was going there, and it turns out he has cousins and friends in all of those places, which I think is absolutely incredible. I think it is so incredible because he is from Iran, and yet he already has so many connections in the United States. He is going to leave on December 20^th, and he will not get back to Texas until the second week in January. Needless to say I am super jealous because my break will consist of me being bored at my house.

            As our conversation drew to an end, neither one of us really knew how to say goodbye. In my opinion, goodbyes are really awkward. In the end, Mehran thanked me for meeting with him and told me that he really appreciated me helping him practice his English. However, I told him that I should be the one thanking him. Mehran was truly a great conversation partner because he always met with me, even if I had to schedule something last second. Mehran also was willing to share so many stories with me about his experience here, and it really offered a new perception on so many topics. 

Seventh Conversation with Mehran

            For Mehran and my seventh conversation I decided that we should meet again in 1873 since last week was so confusing. When I first arrived we exchanged the usual small talk conversations; for example, we asked each other how we were, how classes were going, and questions along those lines. I then asked Mehran what he ended up doing for Thanksgiving, and he replied that he was able to spend the holiday with his roommate’s family. I was really happy to hear this because he originally thought that he would spend the holiday alone. I then asked him if he enjoyed the food and he simply shrugged and said, “It was ok.” I could not believe that those words came out of his mouth. Personally, I think Thanksgiving is the best meal I have every year by far, and I have never heard anyone describe a Thanksgiving meal as just ok.

            Mehran then asked me if I knew what the word morsel meant, which I thought was a rather odd question. I told him that it meant something small; for example, the chocolate morsels that I use for baking. Mehran looked at me surprised and told me that I am the first person who he had asked besides his teacher that knew what morsel meant. This fact surprised me, so after our meeting I went up to one of my friends and asked her what the word morsel meant. To my surprise she had no idea what it meant.

            Our conversation about the word morsel then led into a discussion about grammar. Mehran asked me if I had been taught grammar in school, which I replied that I had in elementary, middle, and high school; by the time I had gotten to college my professors expected me to know grammar. He was curious then why his professor mentioned that many Americans did not know how to use proper grammar. I told him that even though many people learn proper grammar they fail to use it because it is not the way in which many Americans speak.

            Our conversation this week really revealed how observant Mehran is of the world around him. I also really enjoyed the conversation because it strayed away from our usual topics. The topics were both unique and insightful, and I cannot wait for our next meeting.

Mark Twain

Katherine Oster

Lit and Civ II

Mark Twain Humor

1.     Advertisements  page 3

a.     The humor from this piece comes from reading the fine print, which I found to be both unique and unusual.

2.     Liars page 138

a.     This piece shows Mark Twain’s quick wittiness and the insulting nature of his humor.

3.     Old age page 171

a.     I enjoyed the pun on the word dye, which reflects how Mark Twain could often be perceived as rude.

4.     Punishment page 189

a.     This piece reveals how Mark Twain was a troublemaker when he was young; perhaps this is how he gained inspiration for characters like Tom Sawyer.

5.     Youth page 255

a.     This piece is relatable because teenagers often think that they know more than their parents; however, as they get older they see otherwise.

Sixth Conversation with Mehran

Mehran and I decided to meet in the library entrance and walk over to the McCalisters to get some food. I had been waiting for him for ten minutes when I got a text message that said here, and I looked around for him in the lobby of the library. I then decided to go outside and look for him, and there he was. I could tell he was a little bit annoyed because the first words he said were, “I have been waiting for ten minutes.” I quickly apologized and told him that I had been waiting inside the library lobby because I thought that is what he meant by the entrance. Miscommunications like this are usually funny, but I could not help but to feel bad.

We then went to McCalisters because I was so hungry, and I could not help but to bring up Thanksgiving. I asked Mehran if he had any plans for the break, and he said that he was just going to stay here and catch up on his sleep and his work. I could tell as he was saying this that he was a little bit sad to not be going anywhere during the break, which is completely understandable since he has not seen his family in years. I would have invited him to have Thanksgiving with my family; however, I couldn’t since I was going to Colorado during the break.

Since I could tell the Thanksgiving topic upset Mehran, I quickly decided to ask him about his last weekend. He instantly looked happier as he described his hunting trip to Oklahoma. I then asked where in Oklahoma, and he said that he wasn’t really sure if it in Oklahoma; after all, it could have still been Texas because they look the look the same. Mehran also mentioned that he was a good hunter and he tried to remember the name of the bird that he hunted. I am not an experienced hunter at all, so I guessed every bird that I could think of. This included pigeons and quails, but I eventually got it right when I guessed ducks. I was so excited, and we both laughed. Mehran then said could use one of the ducks he hunted in place of a Thanksgiving turkey. 

Fifth Conversation with Mehran

            This past week, I had been trying to get ahold of Mehran in order to have our fifth conversation all week; however, he never got back to me. I was growing concerned because he was ignoring all of the text messages I sent him, which was very unusual for Mehran. Just as I was about to give up and send a search party to look for him, he returned one of my text messages, explaining that he had been sick all week. It took us awhile, but we were finally able to schedule a time that worked with both of our busy lives. 

            I began our conversation by wishing Mehran a happy birthday, which caused Mehran looked completely surprised. He then asked me how I knew that his birthday was last week. I imagine the thought that crossed his mind was something along the lines of “My conversation partner is so creepy, and she must stalk me in her free time.” This thought made me laugh, but I simply reminded him that he had told me during our last conversation. Mehran looked relieved to know that I was not insane after all.

            However, one of the most interesting parts of our conversations was when Mehran asked me why we always met in 1873, and why I never changed up our meeting places. I initially joked with Mehran by saying it was just because I was a boring conversation partner. He laughed at this, but I could tell he wanted an actual answer. Therefore, I then explained to him that I just get used to routines; for example, I inevitably sit in the same spot every single day even when I can chose any spot in the room. I then promised Mehran that I would chose a more interesting place to meet next week.

            Mehran and my conversations generally revolve around light conversation topics like the weather or holidays. However, we also always manage to talk about something interesting during each of our conversations. This is because Mehran offers a new perspective on almost every topic and makes me think about things in a different way. Therefore, I always look forward to our meetings.