From Conversation Partners to Friends: Mohamad and David

Mohamad and David enjoying a beautiful day in a Columbus park.

Last year, one of our volunteers, David, found himself looking for new ways for him and his wife to get involved in the community. During the past presidential administration, they noticed the push to exclude refugees and wanted to learn more about what they were seeing on the news. At the time, they did not even realize there were organizations who were solely dedicated to serving refugees. Then they discovered US Together. Having both traveled overseas, they have not forgotten how hard it is to adjust to life in a foreign country. They had people offer kindnesses to them, and now they wanted to be on the other side and welcome people who were just arriving to the United States.

When he signed up to serve as a Conversation Partner, David was agreeing to help a former refugee improve his English skills. Little did he know, he would get much more out of it than he ever imagined. Without any experience as an English conversation partner, he wondered if he would be successful in this role. Towards the end of June 2020, David met Mohamad for the first time on a video call. In talking with Mohamad, he found that their conversations progressed naturally from the start.

As a former refugee from Syria, Mohamad’s native language is Arabic. While practicing English with Mohamad, David has picked up a handful of Arabic words! He has learned the names of foods Mohamad grew up with and their cultural significance. This Halloween, David and his wife showed Mohamad and his family the Halloween tradition of carving pumpkins. David’s basic knowledge of phrases came in handy while spending time with Mohamad and his family.

Mohamad and David have a lot in common, with a shared love for the outdoors. They experienced a common challenge in 2020, wondering how to form a personal connection through video calls. They persisted, logging onto their computers every Tuesday evening. After discovering they both had an interest in the outdoors, they were able to meet with masks in parks. During the winter, they went back to video calls. Since they connected over a year ago, they have only missed their weekly conversation three times.

As a software developer, David is able to help Mohamad with computers and assist with schoolwork. Mohamad enjoys sharing his interest in anime, and they watch episodes and discuss them in English. Mohamad wanted to develop his writing skills, so they took up emailing as well. They would pick a topic they were both interested in and exchanged emails, reviewing the grammar and content. Throughout this time, David has seen Mohamad’s English skills improve greatly.

Although they were a random pair, David mentioned the importance of having a good match. He owes much of their success to the fact that they were both willing to be vulnerable and talk about themselves. They had patience when the language barrier made expressing themselves difficult. The flexibility of the conversation partnership allowed them to delve deeper into their interests and learn more about each other.

To anyone who is considering volunteering, David has some advice for you: “Take the risk. You never know what you’re going to find by doing it. You might find it’s not just a volunteer opportunity - it’s a friendship opportunity. It’s a way to expand your horizons.” If you are interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities, please reach out to us at volunteers@ustogether.us.

We offer a special thank you to Mohamad and David for letting us highlight their experience.