Today,
I met with Paula for the fourth time this semester. At this point in our
meetings, I feel pretty comfortable sitting down and conversing with Paula for
an hour or so. When we sat down and started talking, I could tell Paula was a
little upset. She just didn’t seem to be herself and wasn’t full of her big smiles
and boisterous laughs like usual. We talked a little bit about our weeks and a
few other small things before I finally inquired about what was bothering her. To
my surprise, Paula informed me that a judge had denied her attempt to obtain a
visa to become a full time citizen of the United States. Despite the fact that
Paula currently has a driver’s license, social security number, etc., she still
does not have the visa she needs to travel in and out of the country. Ever
since Paula moved here five years ago to marry her husband, Paula has been
trying to obtain this specific visa. When she told me the bad news, I felt
terrible. I could tell that she was extremely disappointed by the judge’s
decision. It was clear that the matter was extremely personal to her. In my
opinion, Paula sharing her thoughts on the topic showed a lot about how our
relationship has grown. In our first couple of meetings, I don’t think she
would have been as open to share something so private with me. Upon quite a bit
of encouragement, Paula started to lighten up a little bit more.
As she opened up, Paula told me she
wanted the visa in order to be able to visit Columbia, which was originally
home for her. All of her friends and family still live in Columbia. Paula
expressed how dearly she misses them. I felt for her. I couldn’t imagine going
five years without seeing my parents, brothers, and friends. As our conversation
continued, Paula went on talking about the parts of Columbia she missed such as
the food, people, and overall culture. In an attempt to make her feel a little
better, I told Paula how strong she was for leaving everything behind to come
to America. She smiled and told me that she wished it were possible to have the
best of both worlds. Paula then proceeded to tell me that there was still a
slight chance that she could obtain the visa. The lawyer who was representing
her told her that she could appeal the judge’s decision. Although the appeal
process is long and tedious, it is still a possibility. Upon hearing this, I
knocked on wood and told Paula I would be praying for her. She thanked me and
we continued on with our conversation.
Paula asked me what I was going to
be up to for the rest of the day and I told her that I had no plans other than
going to the gym after our meeting. Paula perked up and asked me what body
parts I was going to work out. I was caught off guard by her question because
Paula had never seemed to be the workout type to me. I answered her question
with “back and biceps” and she then proceeded to ask me about rep/set schemes,
my diet, and what my favorite exercises were. To say the least, I was surprised
by her knowledge on the topic. Paula proudly informed me that she had her own
personal trainer and that she was a bit of a health nut. She knew more about
eating healthy and working out then I did! As we finished our discussion about
the gym, I realized that our hour was up. Our conversation had flowed better
than ever. I am quite pleased with the progress Paula and myself have been
making as conversation partners. We have gotten to know each other on a
personal level that I didn’t know we were capable of achieving. As we headed
our separate ways, Paula and I agreed to meet up at the same place and time
next week.
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