Exploring Different Cultures (Meeting with Omar Part 1)

Today I met my conversation partner for this semester, Omar. After talking for just one hour, I have so much respect for what he did by leaving his whole life. I especially applaud his efforts in learning English and his determination to advance his career. Omar is from Mexico and has already completed his undergraduate degree in biochemistry. Before he left, he was working as a Biochemist on weekdays from 9 AM to 6 PM and as a grocer at a grocery store on weekends. He told me he found out about TCU literally by googling “Intensive English Program” on the internet. TCU’s program showed up as one of the results, and after some research, he discovered it was located very close to where his Uncle lives. In June, he decided to apply. By July, he received his acceptance letter to the program, and in August he was here in Fort Worth.

A big part of our conversation revolved around talking about Omar’s friends and family. He said it has been extremely hard in this past month being far away from them. However, he knows that this is what he needs to do to improve his career and create a better future. I respect Omar for being able to completely uproot himself from his friends, family and culture, and start over in a different country. That is not something that just anyone could do. Omar has one sibling--an older brother. His brother is a doctor and is currently working towards a specialty in psychiatry. He lives and works in Mexico. Omar’s mother is a secretary and his father is a family doctor. Omar talked about his family with an extreme amount of affection and I could tell he really missed them. Also, when I complimented him about his family being so successful (I mean, who wouldn’t?) he was so humble, playing off having two doctors and a biochemist in the family as if it was nothing.

Omar and I also talked a lot about the differences in culture between the United States and Mexico, especially in college. One thing that stuck out to me was the costs of an education in Mexico versus in the United States. Omar told me that in his four years of an undergraduate degree, he spent around the equivalent of $6,000. This was appalling to me, compared to TCU’s pricey tuition. He also told me that class schedules were extremely structured. So, for instance, if you were a psychology major, you would have every single class mapped out for every semester since your freshman year. Students in Mexico also were not free to determine the times of their classes; classes typically ran from 8 AM to 1 PM every day. I thought this was interesting when comparing this to class schedules at TCU. My accounting major does have a decent amount of structure with regards to what classes that I am supposed to take, but with my second major, economics, I can take whatever classes I want as long as I get them all done by senior year. Additionally, uniformly across the TCU campus, students can schedule classes for whenever times they want. This is unlike Mexico where every student was in class at the same time.  

I asked Omar how his classes have been going so far in the Intensive English Program at TCU and he loves it. Funny enough, his favorite part is having the afternoons off. He said that every afternoon, without fail, he goes home and takes an hour nap (which I am slightly jealous about). His schedule was so crazy back home during college and after he graduated that he is really enjoying his free time and not being busy 24 hours of the day. Needless to say, I think he has worked hard enough during college and in his career before coming here to earn that hour nap.

The hour I spoke with Omar today flew by and I am looking forward to the next time I get to talk to him. It was interesting getting to learn about his upbringing and the culture in Mexico because it is so different from the United States. The whole time I was speaking, I could not help but think that Omar’s English was excellent, especially since he has only been in Texas about a month. I respect Omar for his bravery for coming to the U.S. and learning English—if this situation was flipped I’m not sure I could do the same.

Learning Experiences from My First Three Weeks of Sophomore Year (Learning Experiences Part 1)

Just three weeks in to my sophomore year, I have already learned so much and had many amazing experiences. It is crazy to think that just 21 days here at TCU has already provided a massive amount of opportunities for me to grow as an individual. I am so grateful to attend a school as amazing as TCU, where literally only a few days on campus cultivates my personal development.

This course, Literature and Civilizations II, has been nothing like I was expecting it. I took Literature and Civilizations I last semester as my honors class, so I was imagining this class to be set up somewhat like a book club, which was how Literature and Civilizations I was structured. However, ever since attending class on the first day, I realized my preconceived notions were far from correct. Within just these first 6 classes, I have learned a lot without having the intense pressure of tests and due dates looming over my head. Also, I am especially enjoying the focus on humor. Before this class, comedy was never a topic I thought deeply about, but learning about the different theories of humor and why we laugh is very interesting. It makes a lot of sense and I am finding myself applying it to my life outside of class. For instance, my friends and I were watching the movie, The Proposal, together one night and we started laughing when the fluffy, white dog, Kevin, was scooped up by the eagle. I thought later that the reason why we were laughing was because of the incongruity theory of humor since the eagle taking the dog was an unexpected outcome given the situation. As nerdy as it sounds, I thought it was awesome I was able to tie what I had been learning in class into real life.

My first three weeks of classes in my other courses have been an adjustment transitioning from freshman to sophomore year. Beginning this year, I just transferred into the business school, so it has been different adjusting to my business classes since I had not been able to take any beforehand. Also, now being a double major in accounting and economics is already starting to be a lot of work. I am learning how to manage my time more efficiently and handle the workload. However, on the positive side, I am taking classes that I enjoy and am excited to learn about because it is what I will be doing with my career. It is exciting to be learning material that I will be using for not only the next four years in college, but for the rest of my professional career.

Within the realms of my academics so far this year, I have already learned so much and have transferred these skills in my day-to-day life. However, not only have I had learning experiences in the academic spectrum, but outside of class as well. I was tested the very first week of classes with a family emergency. It was stressful to deal with, but it has taught me a lot about myself and those around me. I learned how to become a more compassionate person and be there for others; not that I was not before, but I often find that I encompass myself in my school work and make little time to be a solid support system. However, during this time, I had no choice but to take a step away from school and extracurricular activities and just be there for my family. Although it has been hard, this situation has taught me to look at the big picture and appreciate the importance of my loved ones.

These first three weeks of classes have been a whirlwind, to say the least. The days flew by and were mixed with a rollercoaster of ups and downs, but I would not take a single second of it back. Even though they have been crazy, I am excited for what sophomore year has in store for me and hope it does not fly by as rapidly as these first three weeks did.