Jinn meets Mackie

            Jinn and I’s fourth meeting was a little different than usual. Last time we met Jinn told me about how she had fully moved into her apartment, and wanted me to come over so she could make me dinner. She had also mentioned that she wanted to meet some of my friends, so yesterday Jinn picked up my friend Mackie and I and we went to her apartment and she cooked us dinner. 

            I was unsure of how things would go with Mackie being there, but Jinn had said she wanted to meet more Americans and I knew Mackie would love meeting her. And thankfully everything went really well! Mackie and Jinn hit it off and got talking for a while about theatre (Mackie is a theatre major and Jinn had studied theatre and acting back in China). They discussed their favorite shows for a while and compared similarities and differences between theatre in China and America. It was really interesting to listen to and made me happy that they got along so well.

            Jinn lives just about five minutes from campus in a really nice apartment. She said some of her neighbors are TCU students, although she hasn’t really gotten to know them yet. Being at her apartment gave me some insight about the Chinese customs. For example, they are very strict about having shoes on the carpet. All of Jinn’s shoes were lined up alongside the stairs, so Mackie and I were careful to take our shoes off before we stepped on the carpet.

           

            She had already begun preparing dinner before she came and picked us up, so she cooked for a little while we waited in her living room. About ten minutes later, dinner was ready and we went into the kitchen and sat down to eat.

            The food was good and our conversation was easy and enjoyable. Jinn’s boyfriend came home from work and so we got to meet him, which was cool since I had heard so much about him. Jinn also told us a little bit about some of her classmates in IEP, in particular she shared with us that there is a French boy that all the girls are in love with. So far he hasn’t shown interest in anyone yet. This led to a whole new topic of conversation: boys.

            Jinn has traveled quite a bit, so she has gotten to know boys from countries all over the world. She talked about European boys, Spanish boys, Chinese boys, and American boys. She spent a lot of time telling us about all the differences in manners, style and dress, and looks. But by far, American boys are her favorite. She told Mackie and me we were lucky to have so many different boys to choose from and we all laughed.

            I’m glad I got this opportunity to hang out with Jinn in such a personal setting. It was cool to see her house and be able to pick up on some of her customs. After we finished dinner and she drove us back, she sent me a text saying she really liked Mackie and thanked us for coming over! All in all it was a night well spent.