Meeting 6

            Meeting number six started off with some great news. The TCU office of admissions agreed to accept Rosa’s application to become a freshman even though the deadline had past! Definitely a relief for Rosa. I know I’d feel pretty down if after going through the ESL program I didn’t become a freshman because I missed the deadline. Rosa was eager to tell me about the application process. From what she said, it seemed very similar to the application process for non-international students; you send in your transcripts, fill out a couple of essays, send in your test scores, and hope for the best. The only difference I could tell is just a few additional forms. But, I know Rosa finds writing to be the hardest part of English, so I’m sure the extra forms make the process more frustrating. Rosa has applied to two schools, TCU and ULA or something along those lines. Hopefully she’ll be receiving some good news from both schools.

            In other news, both of us were busy with school the past few weeks. Rosa told me how her teachers have suddenly felt the need to fit in more tests and projects. Not sure why, but that’s seemed to be the case in all my years of schooling. When students are ready to shut down, teachers seem to really turn it on. Of course not all teachers take such actions, but quite a few do. I told Rosa I’ve been “lucky” this semester to have my last round of tests last week; a two-day second midterm in financial accounting and an econ test. Both worked out just fine. The only problem is the time from now to finals. It’s nice to feel done, but it makes it a lot harder to focus. When you don’t have anything to study for, it can really make your days feel long. Rosa didn’t understand my point of view. She said she’d gladly swap her upcoming tests and a couple papers for my schedule. Another case of the grass is always greener.

            Our conversation took an interesting turn. Rosa asked me how many semesters I had left at TCU. I answered four. She was shocked, to think of a twenty-one year old with a degree. It doesn’t seem too weird to me, but I understand her point of view. She’ll have her degree at age twenty-eight. To think I’ll be done seven years before her is eye-opening. That’s a long time! She asked what I was going to do for graduate school. I matter-of-factly informed her that I wasn’t planning on attending grad school. Once again, she was shocked. I tried to explain that the career path I’m pursuing wouldn’t require grad school. If anything, it would set me back for the lost time. She told me my thinking is wrong. It’s become apparent from our conversations that Rosa really values her education. After she earns her TCU degree, she plans to return to her home country and finish her degree that she almost finished there. I asked why, and said it was a personal choice. She doesn’t feel right about how she quit so close to the finish line. Good for her. It’s probably also good that she’s in no hurry to get out of school.

            It’s been really cool to see how far Rosa’s English has come. Her vocabulary has expanded quite a bit, and her pronunciation has improved significantly. All that movie watching paid off! Okay- I’m sure there were a lot of other contributing factors. Either way, I’ve been really impressed with Rosa’s skills. Our conversations became easier each meeting, and it was obvious that Rosa’s speech was becoming more natural. She doesn’t seem to spend as much time thinking about her response before she says them. She’s even picked up some of the vernacular. With Rosa’s work ethic, I’m sure she will have a good handle on English in no time.