Getting to Know Hanan

               The thought of meeting with an international student six times this semester scared me. I admit I was extremely nervous for these conversations; I did not know how my conversation partner would react to my questions or if he/she would be willing to open up to me. I honestly just wanted a new friend from this whole experience! My conversation partner is Hanan, who is from Saudi Arabia. We decided to eat in the Bluu. It was funny because Hanan did not understand that “Market Square” is the same thing as the Bluu to TCU students. I also felt terrible because she had actually come to campus just to meet me for lunch! Classes had gotten cancelled for the intensive English students that day, but Hanan hung around because she wanted to meet me. She came to the United States because she wanted to get a degree in engineering, but the public institutions in Saudi Arabia are not good and the private universities are too expensive. She plans on finishing the Intensive English Program here at TCU, and then she is going to transfer to another university in Kentucky. She has a scholarship from the Saudi Arabian government to go to school here in the states. I asked her if she had any sort of a visa, and she just started laughing. She said that the U.S. would never give her a visa to complete a degree here, and then take her knowledge back to Saudi Arabia. It seemed like there was more to that story than meets the eye, but I did not want to push my limits during our first visit. The first part of our discussion was definitely based on getting to know each other. Hanan is engaged! They met here at TCU, but they both happen to be from Saudi Arabia. We spent a good amount of time talking about the differences between an American engagement and a Saudi Arabian engagement. Women wear their engagement ring on their right ring finger instead of on their left. She is also not allowed to live with her fiancé until they are married. Hanan said that she is a little older than the average age of women who get married. I asked if she had been dress shopping, and she said she does not like the style of wedding dresses in America. I asked to her to show me a picture of what she was thinking, and she pulled up a picture of a white ball gown. I had assumed that she would wear something that I thought was traditional to the Islamic religion, but I definitely assumed incorrectly. Hanan said it has been hard trying to plan a wedding when she is away from her family, especially because the wedding is going to be held in Saudi Arabia. Hanan is extremely family oriented. She has a large family, which is a norm in Saudi Arabia. She FaceTimes her mom almost every day, and misses her siblings a lot. When she moved to TCU, she had her brother to support her through the transition. Hanan told the story of her travelling journey to the United States. Hanan was so nervous and scared to leave her country and her home that she did not eat a single thing on the flight over. The flight attendant had to force Hanan to eat a little something because she could tell that Hanan was distraught. Hanan also did not know a lick of English when she came to the states. Not only did she have to go through culture shock, but she had to break through a language barrier as well. Hanan has also experienced a culture shock with her religious beliefs. The Islamic faith is not a predominant one in the United States, so transitioning to a place where not everyone believes what Hanan does must be difficult. Hanan taught me so much on our first visit. I really cannot imagine leaving my family behind and moving to a country where I did not know the language. Hanan and I were similar because both our family and our religion are important to us. I am so impressed with her English. We ended up talking in the Bluu for two hours. Hanan shows so much grace and poise when she speaks. Although it takes her a while to respond sometimes, she always gets what I am trying to say. She even pokes fun at me and makes sarcastic remarks. I cannot wait to get to know Hanan better. She really opened my eyes in just our first meeting, so I can only imagine how we will continue to learn from each other as the semester goes forward!

Probe Te Dignum, Evermore

When we began the discussion of how college campuses tip-toe around the feelings of every race, religion, and political stance, a light bulb went off in my head. I attended a private institution, Wichita Collegiate, for thirteen years of my life. I grew up with the same friends, the same campus, and the same Headmaster for all those years. Never once had I realized that my school was “politically correct” until our discussion from the other day. Although the majority of the high schoolers were white, there were still many students who were darker skinned. Many of these students were offended when people would make announcements about “YoungLife” or anything regarding the Christian faith. After a couple of these announcements, parents started calling into complain, like all of the Collegiate parents did. From that point forward, I, as a member of YoungLife, could not openly talk about my faith to other classmates who were not considered my friends. Although that was never made an “official” rule, it was understood all the same.  Another example that fully shows my school was extremely politically correct was the morning of Honors Day. Honors Day was also known as the “celebration of learning.” Awards were given to those who made a 93% or above in any or all of their classes, and other individual honors were given as well. There were always students that felt ostracized by this celebration, so some had not gone since they were fifth graders. Once I got into ninth grade, the high school administration decided to change up the morning of Honors Day, instead of just having an all-school breakfast gathering. The administration started giving out “Blue and Gold Awards.” As I put in my high school resume, “A Blue and Gold Award is given to students who seem to have a ‘Commitment to Collegiate.’ A ‘commitment’ can be displayed through academics, sports and sporting events, and established or non-established leadership roles in various school activities.” I am not ashamed to say that I received one of these awards my senior year. I will admit, I would get upset when I wasn’t given a distinct award at Honors Day because I felt like I had earned those recognitions. When I was in eighth grade, I was diagnosed with a chronic illness called Autonomic Dysfunction or POTS. I only went to school two hours a day and I also had to be tutored in math and science. Although I ended up with straight A’s at the end of my eighth grade year, I was not recognized for any of my hard work during my last middle school Honors Day. When I went into ninth and tenth grade, I still missed a ton of school. I worked with my teachers every day during tutorials, catching up and learning the new material. Upon graduating, I had a 4.0 GPA and Summa Cum Laude honors, along with a fairly hefty resume. When I received a Blue and Gold Award, I felt as though I was finally given credit where credit was due. At that moment, I was proud to be coddled by my high school. Everyone, including me, loved this part of Honors Day because there was no awkwardness in the air; everyone was a winner. After reflecting on my high school glory days, I can think of so many other instances where my school stood its ground on political correctness. I guess Collegiate really did prepare me for college; it taught me to always be aware of others feelings! Thank you, Collegiate, for all the memories, the preparatory work, and the hand-holding. As their motto says, “Probe Te Dignum,” or prove yourself worthy. I will forever be a Collegiate Spartan proving themselves worthy to the world!