Abdullah and I had out first meeting yesterday. We were supposed to meet at 3:30 and go to the Tallahassee Museum. Unfortunately, the museum closes at 5 on weekdays and Abdullah was late...but for good reason! He was getting his CIES certificate finalized, and when he finally came down to meet me, the first thing he did was show me his certificate. He was very happy about this, and seeing that was really great. That being said, his English is obviously very good. Not once in our meeting did I misunderstand anything he said. His grammar and pronunciation are practically flawless, so our session was really enjoyable in that regard.
Instead of going to the museum, I decided to bring him to Lake Ella and Black Dog since it was such a nice day out. We got some teas and made casual conversation just to get to know each other. He's a really smart guy and very interesting to talk to. He's from Saudi Arabia, is married (they're expecting their first child!!), has been in Tallahassee since early 2012, and is going to the University of Jacksonville in the Spring for his master's in Business Administration. Overall, Abdullah has a lot going for him, and I imagine he will be very successful.
We exchanged a lot of information: food from our respective cultures, how to take college classes in the US (I introduced him to ratemyprofessor.com), and explanations of customs. However, there was one moment that made me a little uncomfortable. We started talking about the protests going on in Saudi Arabia at the moment. For those that don't know, many women in the nation have been protesting a law that prevents them from driving. Abdullah was very vocal on this matter, and although I am of a different belief, I made sure to keep quiet because I didn't want to offend him. Instead, I just conceded that I thought ALL people are bad drivers (except me, of course) and that no one should ever drive. I was kidding though. :)
Except for this last bit, I had a great time with Abdullah. I hope we can go to the Tallahassee Museum next time!
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