The Wednesday following Fall Break 2013, Vera Wang and I met up for the third time this semester. We had a lot to talk about after four days away from the classroom, and I was very excited to hear about her long weekend. After the initial awkwardness associated with meeting in Union Grounds, we settled into a pair of comfortable chairs and struck up conversation.
Our conversation the week before regarding hunting made Vera a little uneasy, so I decided that it probably wouldn’t be in my best interest to continue on about shooting wild hogs and coyotes. I inquired about her shopping spree over the long weekend, but was unable to get a detailed response. Besides shopping, Vera simply told me that she was able to keep up with her necessary school work, and then relax and be with her IEP comrades. I was very surprised when she then asked me how the hunting trip went! We both laughed for a bit about the question, simply because I didn’t expect her to actually want to know. We talked about the experience of actually just being out in the middle of nowhere and enjoying the country lifestyle. I told her that it was unlike anything I had ever done before, and she agreed with that. We talked for a little while about exactly the kind of environment we were used to back home, and she began to tell me about her living situation.
With no brothers or sisters, she said that her parents were always very strict on the kinds of grades she had to receive in school, and constantly spent time studying and working to achieve success. She did mention that she was very lucky to have her father support the decision to travel to America and study here though. Vera explained that most of her friends back home wanted to leave China and travel to the United States, but found it difficult to do so. She also said that she missed living in such a big city. After adjusting to the suburban American lifestyle, things like the hustle and bustle of everyday Shanghai can be missed. However, while she may miss the city, Vera definitely does not miss China as a whole. She continually tells me that she loves being in America because of the freedom and opportunity here. One of the specific things that she mentioned during our meeting is her new love for Facebook. Back in China, she wasn’t allowed to have Facebook, but now loves keeping up with her friends in America via social media. After this short tangent on the topic of communication, Vera continued to ask me what I missed about Boston.
Now of course I could have gone on for hours about what I loved about my hometown, but I decided it would probably be best to spare Vera of that. Instead, I simply told her that I miss the city atmosphere like she noted, but also the greenery and autumn foliage that Texas doesn’t have much of. We discussed things for a bit longer, but soon finished up the conversation and parted ways. I am looking forward to meeting with Vera again in the near future, in hopes of having even more interesting talks about life in general.
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