Conversation Partner: Meeting Four

            Ileana and I met the other night for the fourth time at Sol de Luna for a dinner before we each had different formal events to attend. Since Sol de Luna is a Venezuelan restaurant and Ileana is Venezuelan, we spent a long time discussing Venezuelan food. One of the many things Ileana and I have in common is our love of food. We both love trying new types of food and are enamored with cultural foods. For her, this meant eating burgers, hot dogs, and the like. For me, this meant trying tostones, empanadas, and (hopefully sometime soon) pepitos. Maybe it’s just because I have lived in the USA for my entire life, but I think I have the more exciting and palate-pleasing cultural experience.

            As usual, we discussed her progress in IEP, but we focused on it a bit more than usual considering last week was a major exam week for her. She said that all of her quizzes and exams went exceptionally well and that she cannot wait to continue her way through the program. If she continues at this rate, the program will not take too long for her to complete, allowing her to start her engineering coursework.

            While these were our only topics of discussion, I did notice something else about that evening. Quite a few people thought that Ileana and I were dating, which is sensible because I was wearing a suit and she was wearing a red, glittery formal dress; however, those who know me at all realize that these individuals are wrong in their notions. Regardless, I thought that was amusing. I also have a feeling that Ileana and I will not stop meeting after only six meetings. Since I will be living much closer to her next year, we can easily meet up on a more frequent basis. I am already starting to plan lunch dates for next semester where we can try some of the best food that each culture has to offer. We might even include some of the other IEP people I have met and just have a celebration of culture.