Meredith CP #3

The second time I met with Ahmed is when I invited him to a party. At our first conversation partner meeting, he insisted that I invite him out somewhere. He has an American roommate, but they do not interact very much. So he does not see FSU American college life that much. My friend was hosting a party so I invited him there. Ahmed is a level 1, so his speaking/ listening skills are still at a novice level. Inviting him to an event where there would be loud music and loud people was definitely a challenge. There were definitely some communication issues. But I introduced him to a lot of my friends and he was able to experience a very authentic American college party. Something I noticed that is definitely a cultural difference is that he did not drink that much. He is 23, so he is of age, but he mostly wanted to smoke. He only had one cup of beer. I have noticed that is the case with many Arabic students- they really enjoy smoking more. I think that there was definitely an element of culture shock on his end- especially due to the difference in gender roles between Saudi Arabia and the United States. It was fun though, and I am glad he came, because I know that many CIES students have trouble finding things to do in Tallahassee.