CP 3 Dhugal Gardner

hey all, 

I spent some time with my conversation partner Daniel today. We had planned to go to some sinkholes but inclement weather prevented us. So instead we watched a soccer game (last game of the English Premier League, very dramatic), which provided much conversation (soccer being his favorite sport and one that I can enjoy and talk about). Daniel is from Ecuador and of course cheers for them, whereas my mother and father are English and Scottish, respectively; England is the only country worth cheering for on that island so that’s the one I supported. As it happened, England and Ecuador played each other in the knock out stage of the 2002 World Cup (England won on an incredible Beckham free kick), and Daniel still held some hard feelings. We used the power of YouTube to show each other our favorite goals and players and talked about other memorable soccer moments.

After the game I asked him if he’d like to play basketball with some friends and me but he declined (said he had a lunch to go to but I suspect he wasn’t comfortable with a sport he had to use his hands for). On the way to dropping him off at home, we talked about his plans for the near future (he and his brother are looking to rent a house and he is attending TCC in the fall). We are fairly comfortable around each other but at times it still feels like an interview. I keep forgetting he is only 18, that may have something to do with it.