Chattin' with Leo

     My first meeting with Chen Qi, or “Leo”, was fun and interesting. I enjoyed meeting and getting to know him.

     We first met about a week ago for lunch at 1873. I was excited and a little nervous. What was he like? Would we get along? Also, I was afraid that he would walk by me and we would not see each other. But we were able meet and introduce ourselves to each other. Leo is from an area in near Hong Kong in China, lives in Brachman Hall, and is 20 years old. I was curious to know why he decided to come study in America, and he said that his teacher back in China influenced him to come. He asked me where I am from (Frisco, TX), my residence hall (Wright), and my age (19). He also wanted to know about the campus, about the names of the buildings, and about how long it takes to walk to certain places. Once we broke the ice, I felt more at ease because he was pretty friendly and seemed genuinely glad that we were meeting.

     Since Leo is from China, which is very different from America, we took the time to talk about some cultural differences. He said how Chinese girls are different from American girls because they often do not wear makeup. I was intrigued by this information. I wondered how Chinese students my age view and define beauty, and how much it differs from America’s view. Another difference is that unlike American students, Chinese students do not have a boyfriend or a girlfriend when they are high school age. They often wait until they are in college to have a romantic relationship. I found this fact interesting, and it was hard for me to believe that Chinese students wait until they are in college to pursue a relationship. This seems like a smart choice, because many high school kids in the United States experience problems in their romantic relationships because they can be immature.

     Since this is a class about humor, I also took the time to ask him about Chinese humor. He said that it “is similar to American humor, but with different logic.” I was not sure what he meant by this, so I was a little puzzled. He then went on to explain why he does not always understand American humor. He pointed out how Americans use different slang terms than the Chinese. He says that TCU professors often say something in class and the students laugh, but he does not laugh because he does not understand what the professor said and what slang he used. This information did not surprise me. I have a friend from China who can speak English pretty well, but she often has a hard time understanding the professor because of the slang. During our next meeting, I want to see if I can learn more about Chinese humor.

     Meeting with Leo helped me realize just how complicated the English language for those who are not native speakers. Although he learned English in school while growing up, which is common in China, I noticed that he had trouble pronouncing some words and coming up with the right words. I also had some trouble understanding what he was trying to say. For example, at one point during the meal he said how he did not like the taste of sour foods. But instead of “sour,” he actually said “sore.” I learned that English is one of the hardest languages to learn. I always disagreed with this statement, but that is because English is my first language. During the meal, I thought of two reasons why the English language is so complicated. First of all, in the English language, the adjective comes before the noun. For example, we say “pretty bird” and not “bird pretty”. And second, we have words that sound the same but mean different things such as “to,” “too,” and “two.” I cannot imagine how frustrating it must be for students like Leo who have to learn how to speak English, and speak a new language in a different country.

     It was nice to meet Leo. He is easy to talk to, and there were not any awkward pauses. I had a nice time at lunch and am looking forward to our future meetings. And I am looking forward to learning more about him and his culture.