Erik CP1

When I first arrived at the CEIS student lounge, I had no clue how we were going to be paired up with our partners. So I took on Whitney’s approach, and started pumping out name tags. It was mostly a self-imposed mission to figure out where my conversation partner was. As I was writing down an array of names, I saw a mild-tempered man sneak up, and start making his own name tag: “Kukit.” I diverted my attention to him, and sought him out to confirm that he was my partner.

It took only a few seconds of conversational attempts to realize that I was heading in the wrong direction. He was not getting it. So I broke it down a bit. I asked how long he had been in America—but not in those words exactly. Three big gestures, five rephrases, and a louder voice later, I found out he has only been in the country for a month. The conversation was difficult, but we learned a way of communication that worked for us—a strong mixture of slow, simple sentences, a space to write and draw concepts, and a lot of hand motions on my part.

Despite the communication gap, I was able to learn a lot about Kukit. He had lived in Thailand his entire life before coming to America. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering and went on to get an MBA. After working in a textile factory for four years, he then moved on to work as a human resource specialist, and now wants to learn English to earn better job opportunities. His sister, who is studying chemistry, is also at FSU, and he’s currently living with her. But back home he has a family—his dad, mom, and other sister—who he misses, and a new family he wants to start with his girlfriend in the future.

One of the biggest communication gaps experienced was when I asked about his hobbies, and he went on to emphasize how he liked music. He then said he played the gita (gee-tah). I did not get it, and kept repeating, “gita? Giiiitaaa?” I asked if it was a Thai instrument, because I didn’t recognize the name, but only received a puzzled look. Throughout most of the conversation, he wasn’t too animate in body gestures, but at that point I got a rise from him when he began strumming an air guitar! I felt silly, because it took so long to figure out a simple object, but then I emphasized the pronunciation to him, “Geh-tar.”

Kukit’s writing and reading skill are very advanced, but he has a long way to go to catch up with his speaking and listing skills. He said he had attempted to study English for years back in Thailand, but had very few people to speak English to. For now, I figure Kukit and I will get through a large part of our conversation with notepads, but I already like the idea. The scribbles help me remember what all we talked about!