ESL Meeting #5 – 11/03/11

ESL Meeting #5 – 11/03/11

            Asking Jeanelie how she was doing today, I quickly discovered that she was feeling a bit homesick. It had been almost 3 months since Jeanelie had been home and she said that she missed it quite a bit. Jeanelie explained to me that living in the hotel here in the United States proved to be a lonely condition. Aside from attending class, the only time she spent with other people was when she was hanging out with some of her classmates or spending time with her American family, neither of which she did very frequently. I asked her if she and her husband spent a lot of time together. She said that they did, however he was in class much longer than her and had other duties he had to attend to. Jeanelie explained to me how many times she found herself lonely in the hotel room wishing she could go home and be with her family and friends.

            Hearing this from Jeanelie, I began to feel sorry for her. I completely understood what she was saying and found myself imagining what it would be like to be in a foreign country with no close friends or family. I understood how Jeanelie could feel lonely at times and I could easily see where she could often be bored. I have a hard time being completely alone for long periods of time and enjoy having people around me. Setting myself in a foreign country with few friends, I would imagine feeling very similar to Jeanelie.

            Working to lighten the mood, I tried to cheer her up by asking her what her and her husband enjoyed doing. She talked about a few restaurants they had eaten at and talked about the wonderful foods she had tried while in the US. She also talked with me about the shopping she did. Coming to the US with only two suitcases, Jeanelie explained how she had bought an additional two suitcases to bring all of her purchases back to Venezuela with her. I was shocked and asked her what the heck she bought! Jeanelie began by explaining that prices in Venezuela were extremely high and that neither she nor her family made many purchases. Confused by this, I asked Jeanelie to explain what she meant. Jeanelie explained to me that a phone in the US that costs $300 will cost somewhere between $1000 and $1300 in Venezuela. Shocked, I asked her if all consumer goods were like this. She explained that because of all the corruption and problems in Venezuela all prices on goods were outrageously priced.

            Not being able to purchase ordinary consumer goods for reasonable and fair prices seemed unjust and unimaginable to me. Thinking about this idea, I came to further realize just how lucky we are to live in the United States. While we may have our own problems, we are blessed to not have to face the corruption and unjust nature that makes up so many other countries around the world.

            Jeanelie had purchased clothes, toys, and electronics for her family and friends at home and could not wait to share her gifts with them. Jeanelie and I spoke for a while about her shopping and her favorite malls and shops and before long she began to forget about being homesick. I could see Jeanelie was feeling better.

David Belpedio