Conversation Partners #3

     After a long break from meeting with Deo due to spring break and busy test schedules, we were finally able to meet this past week. The meeting started out with a few laughs because Deo asked me to take a look at his phone to see if I could figure out what was wrong with it. Upon being handed the phone, I realized that he still had the original plastic wrap on the screen with the company name on it. He told me that he thought that he wasn't able to remove it and was very glad that he could now see his full screen.
     We then began to talk about doing FASFA for the upcoming school year. Deo really began to open up for the first time when I asked him if they have something similar in Rwanda. He told me that they didn't, but he also told me that paying for school is done much differently. He explained that if a family feels that their child is smart, they gather the entire extended family and tell them that they are sending their child to school. The extended family then takes the all of the expenses, including supplies, food, uniforms, and tutors, and splits it up among the different families. In return for the help, the family does the same for any of their relatives that want to go to school. Deo told me that he currently sends about $200 a month to Africa for cousins, nieces, and nephews. It was cool to learn just how family oriented their culture is. I am willing to bet that 75% of my extended family doesn't even know what year of college I am in. We kept talking about this and I told him about graduation presents (which is the only thing remotely similar in America to what he was telling me). He thought that this was weird and wasteful and the money should be given at the beginning of college to help pay for the actual schooling instead of having fun.
     As we were walking out of the IEP building, Deo got a call from a friend who is also from Rwanda that goes to TCU. As soon as he answered the phone, he switched from having a conversation in English with me to having a conversation in Swahili with her. I found this remarkable, and it didn't stop here. He finished the conversation with her and then ran into someone he knew and began to have a conversation with her in French. I was in awe. He was able to switch between 3 languages flawlessly. The lady whom he was talking to in French apparently asked me something and Deo had to tell her that I only speak English. I was just so impressed because Deo only had told me that he spoke French. I look forward to seeing what other talents Deo has been hiding from me the next time we meet.