Meeting Mohanad

Yesterday, I FINALLY met my conversation partner! I must admit, I was extremely nervous to meet him, because let's face it, I can be extremely awkward.  If you know me, you will know that my life is one giant awkward moment. Awkwardness seeks me out. I walked in 5 minutes late because my apartment building decided to block off all exits that are located closest to the bookstore. Typical.  So I walked in, had not idea what Mohanad looks like, so I sat down in a comfy chair and texted him telling him where I was.  I went and ordered a coffee, and while I was waiting, a guy walks up to me and it was Mohanad!  We were actually sitting right next to each other and had no idea...whoops. Again, typical.

So we sit down at his table and just start the normal awkward get-to-know you procedure.  Mohanad was actually extremely easy to talk to, and we didn't have too many awkward moments.  Mohanad is 20 years old, from Saudi Arabia, and he moved here 10 months ago.  I tried to explain where my hometown was, and I think at the end of the conversation (after talking about Spring Break) he finally understood.  Mohanad also has a twin brother named Abdul, which I thought was cool.  He says that they are really close, but Abdul is much more serious and likes to play video games and study, whereas Mohanad likes to have socialize and have fun more.  They lived together until this semester, but now they don’t.  Mohanad says this is because when they are together they speak Arabic, and they want to focus on their English.

We talked extensively about how different American and Saudi Arabia are.  Mohanad LOVES America, and he especially loves Texas.  He is so comfortable here, and he says he always feels safe here.  He talked about how strict the rules are in Saudi Arabia.  The women have to wear a hijab to cove their head, and an abaya.  The clothes that women wear are not supposed to reveal anything about their bodies.  I’m not sure how this topic came up, but he told that alcohol is illegal for everyone in Saudi Arabia.  Despite the illegality, people buy it under the table, but it is extremely expensive.  He said that when he came here, the freedoms that we have are amazing.  And when I think about it, he is so right.  We take for granted that we can do/say/wear/drink/eat anything that we want (within reason of course).  I know that I forget how great this country is, especially amongst all of the political drama.  Anyways, Mohanad says that he never wants to leave America, but he knows that he has to.

The last topic that we discussed really stood out to me.  We talked about his father and the values that his father taught him.  He has so much respect for his father and hold him in such high esteem.  He said that his father raised him to be a good man, to respect his elders, and to be grateful, especially for the opportunity he has to study here.  He said that every morning he goes to his father and mother and kisses them on the forehead.  He did that with a family he stayed with here, and the mother was taken aback but said, “None of my children have ever done anything like that.   You are my favorite son.”  Again, I think that we forget how blessed we are. I know I take my parents for granted.  If everyone treated their parents with that kind of respect, it could strengthen familial relationships.

Overall, this was a really great meeting and I really enjoyed getting to know Mohanad and talking to him.  We have already decided that we are going to meet up next week to talk again!