Meeting Ory

I was pleased when I learned that my conversation partner was male. Honestly, talking to girls I don’t know is a lot more nerve-wracking than talking to guys. Girls tend to be more judgmental. So when I met Ory, I was overjoyed to discover he has a carefree, relaxed demeanor.

The basics: Ory was born in Guatemala, but his family moved to Israel when he was eight years old. He has an older brother and older sister. His older brother received a business degree from TCU. Ory would like to study political science at TCU after he finishes with the IEP.

The conversation flowed effortlessly as Ory and I switched from topic to topic. From movies to politics to sports, there was always something to comment on. It was nice to bounce off one another, but I could tell I hit a hot topic when I asked what his interests were and politics was brought up.

Ory took me by surprise when he launched into the topic of politics. He leaned forward and started waving his arms around. His face lit up with passion as he outlined for me the patterns of history that could help predict the future of politics today. This just shows how little you know about people until you sit down and really delve into conversation past the superficial, “how are you?”

We did eventually touch upon the topic of humor. I learned that humor, although it can be different, has a very similar theme for everybody of all cultures. Ory asked me what humor I most enjoy, which I answered is sarcastic, witty humor. Ory agreed. He enjoys sarcasm as much as the next American. He also enjoys teasing and laughing at his friends, he said, but only to make them overcome their insecurities. What a great friend. Ironically, I feel as though Ory and I laughed more when we weren’t discussing the topic of humor, which is a bit funny in and of itself.

Talking with Ory seemed very natural. He seems to be a light-hearted, friendly person and we never ran out of topics to talk about. He’s only been studying English for three months, but I couldn’t tell. He seems to have grasped the language very easily and was a great conversationalist. I’m looking forward to what the next conversations will bring.