Lunch with Nasser

For my last visit with Nasser we decided to mix things up a little bit and go somewhere off campus. We had talked about getting lunch somewhere before so that seemed like the logical thing to do. Nasser suggested that we go to Terra, a Mediterranean restaurant on west 7^th street. Apparently it was one of Nasser’s favorite restaurants and had some of his favorite dishes from home. I hadn’t eaten Mediterranean food in a long time so I trusted Nasser’s opinion and got what he suggested, I really enjoyed the food, plus it was a buffet so you can never really go wrong with that.

Technically this was my last required visit with Nasser, but as we will both be living here this summer I plan to keep in touch with him and hang out with him over the summer. We have learned a lot about each other and our different cultures. Who knew that I would have a friend from Saudi Arabia? There is no end to the things that we can discuss and compare from each of our lives. It really is fascinating to be able to learn firsthand about a person from a completely different side of the world and what its like for them to live in my world for a few years. We always learn about places from textbooks or professors, but there’s something about being able to have a discussion with someone who has the experience rather than just the information. I think its great that we are able to talk to our peers, not just someone from a different country, but also someone whom we can identify with more closely because of our age and our common experiences.

Looking back to a few months ago to our first meeting it seems like its been much longer than just three or four months. I have really enjoyed getting to know Nasser and I hope he feels the same about me. Every time we meet his English gets better and better, I think this last time I only had to help him with one or two words, and we didn’t have any misunderstandings at all. As much as I would like to take credit for this I don’t think I can. I would like to think that I have at least helped him in some small way though, introducing him to new experiences that might be unique to being an American. Its really fascinating to see Nasser learn about something for the first time, especially when its something that he is amazed by. I remember when we went to the TCU baseball game and he finally started to understand the game, it was great to see him watch something for the first time that I have grown up with all of my life. I'm sure that I would be just as awed if I traded places with Nasser and visited Saudi Arabia, which I hope to do someday. But, until then I plan on keeping up with Nasser and continuing this friendship that we have formed.