My third meeting with Harrison was an educational experience for both of us.
After the craziness of a short week following Fall Break, it was good to get back in the swing of things with a meeting with Harrison. This time he didn't bring his roommate! I was so excited to see how bold he's getting in conversation. A far cry from the shy guy who needed to go through his roommate to talk to me at the beginning of the semester.
Harrison is also getting so much more animated in his conversations! He's so confident; he told me today that he has "a pretty good grip" on American culture. I believe him.
Of course, the conversation opened with yesterdays football game. He had gone to the first half (before the torrential downpour) and headed to the BLUU to eat once conditions got bad. But once he saw the rain and overheard the score of 30-7, he decided to call it a night. A smart decision in my book.
Harrison told me about how last night's rain was similar to the rain in his hometown in central China.
"It's always hard rain!"
We talked about how the weather here in Texas changes so quickly and so often throughout the day.
"That never happens in China!"
As the conversation about football died down, I asked him if he was excited to Halloween.
He gave me a puzzled look, then had to think about it for a while.
"I'm not a costume guy..."
He then began to tell me that there's no Halloween in China, at least in his hometown. To try to clear up the holiday, I told him about some of my previous costumes. One of my favorites was when I dressed up as the Tooth Fairy.
Harrison gave me another quizzical look.
I then had to go about explaining the tooth fairy, "Well, you put your lost tooth under your pillow. Then a fairy takes the tooth and gives you money for it..." Yeah, it's not that easy.
I then had to tell him the hard truth that every child must hear in their lives: "But it's really your parents."
I think I might have confused him further the with explanation that with the concept in general. I tried to clear myself up a bit, but the concept was lost.
We continued to speak, but left the Tooth Fairy subject lie. Another time, perhaps.
I would say that today was a big leap for Harrison communication-wise. He is getting really confident in his speech and is using American turns of phrase more comfortably. It's amazing to see his progress. At the beginning of this process, we struggled for speech and topics. But now, we are really able to get easy conversation going right off the bat.
I really grew in my ability to explain abstract concepts like the Tooth Fairy. I just take these social references for granted, but when put on the spot for an explanation, the words were difficult to find. I think it gave me an opportunity to expand my own language and vocabulary. My conversations with Harrison don't just make him a better speaker, they make me a better listener and critical thinker.
Now who would have thought that you could learn so much from the Tooth Fairy?
It's interesting to think about whether or not American holiday traditions are also practiced in other countries! I'm positive that Americans put their much more effort into many more holidays than other countries - most likely because of the economic aspects. It's pretty much all about the money! Valentine's Day in the US, for example, would be considered a "Hallmark holiday" because of all the profits made from card, flower and candy sales. But other countries have a more cultural or traditional basis for their holidays. I wonder how people in China or Russia would react if we pounded on their doors on October 31st demanding candy!
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