Mohammed: Meeting #5

After apologizing profusely for missing our last meeting, Mohamed sat down and quickly started to explain his absence the week before.  Last Friday, Mohammed realized he had no food in his apartment and needed to go shopping; however, shopping for Mohammed is not a quick trip to Kroger or Walmart, it is an expedition.  Followers of the Muslim religion are forbidden to eat meat that was butchered improperly.  This means that Mohammed must purchase meat from a refutable Saudi Arabian grocery, from butchers that administered the proper Muslim rituals before slaughtering an animal.  Saudi Arabian groceries are relatively rare in Fort Worth, Texas, meaning Mohammed was forced to travel far from campus to obtain “clean” meat.  Between heavy traffic and other car-related issues (gas, tire pressure, etc.), Mohammed did not reach the library in time for our scheduled meeting.  Last week, Mohammed’s absence perturbed me; I was irritated that I had spent 30 minutes in the library on a Friday afternoon, waiting for a person who never arrived.  However, as Mohammed nervously explained his absence and apologized multiple times, I set aside my agitation; his sincerity and apologetic attitude made it impossible for me to remain irritated with him.

Once again, our conversation turned to cars.  While I am grateful that Mohammed finds this conversation topic extremely interesting, my limited knowledge of motor vehicles makes my participation extremely limited in our conversations about cars.  During this conversation, Mohammed explained his fascination with “drifting”.  As Mohammed explained the process of “drifting” to me, employing a number of hand gestures and mimicking car noises, I listened with confusion and bewilderment.   Just as Mohammed was about to give up explaining the concept to me in his broken English, his eyes lit up with inspiration.  He quickly pulled out his iPhone, and muttering to himself, he loaded a video from YouTube and placed the phone in front of me.  The video he found consisted of a driver over-steering his car, causing the back tires to become even with the front tires.  Fascinated, I watched the video multiple times.   Mohammed laughed with amusement as I hit the replay button over and over.  After discussing the danger of “drifting”, Mohammed and I began conversing about speeding tickets and driving under the influence.  When the topic of drunk driving arose, Mohammed shook his head in disgust.  Angrily, Mohammed expressed his abhorrence of underage drinking in America, demanding to know where minors illegally obtained their alcohol.   Ranting, Mohammed explained that his religion forbids him to drink alcohol (beer, wine) or smoke marijuana.   When Mohammed first discussed studying in America with his parents, they rejected the idea because of the stereotypes of American college students.  Worried that he would begin drinking, smoking, and engaging in “immoral activity”, his parents originally denied his request; however, they eventually relented when he promised his father he would abstain from these activities.  ­­I asked Mohammed if he found the temptation to drink and smoke overwhelming in America.  Mohammed explained that he resists the temptation by always remembering his promise to his father; his desire to maintain his promise to his father prevails over the temptation to “fit in” through alcohol and drugs.

During our conversation, Mohammed asked for my opinion on American colleges.  In order to be admitted into TCU, Mohammed is required to score relatively high on his English exam.  Worried that he will not obtain the required score, Mohammed is beginning to research other universities which accept lower scores.  I suggested Mohammed look at other universities in Texas (SMU, Baylor, etc.), but he shook his head.  He explained that he wanted an “easy” college in which he could enroll for select classes for only one or two semesters.  Explaining that no college is going to be “easy”, I suggested Mohammed look at more flexible colleges which cater to commuting and working students.  I explained the difference between universities and community colleges, a topic Mohammed found intriguing.  I apologized for not being more help and suggested that Mohammed speak to his professor or other professionals more knowledgeable about solutions for his situation. 

Near the end of our conversation, Mohammed and I discussed our weekend plans.  While mine consisted of studying for exams, Mohammed happily announced that he would spend the weekend clubbing and napping.  We wished each other the best of luck and parted ways, not expecting to see one another until the following Friday.  To my surprise, I saw Mohammed only a half hour later as I ate lunch with my friends in Market Square.  We had never seen each other outside of the library so we had no precedent for how to interact during spontaneous encounters.  Luckily, Mohammed took the lead and gave me a small wave; reassured, I smiled and waved in return, confirming that we are more than just conversation partners, that we are in fact friends.