Two Worlds Together
It’s interesting to mingle with a young adult. I have heard stories about my friends’ relationship with their teenage and young adult loved ones and here I am in with one. Like older women (I’m talking about myself), young adults also have their own world. So when my nephew and I get together, the two worlds need to negotiate when is the right time to start a smooth conversation.
Playing mother to my nephew, I asked about thesis he is working on the past weeks. With eyes still gluing on television, he updated me with the progress. He is going to hold his proposal seminar this Thursday. I was interested so asked further about the organizing of the seminar. I was not behaving well it seems, he stopped trying to respond and asked me not to ask while he is watching television.
Ha ha. It’s Sunday. Cartoon and cooking channels are busy airing nice shows for couch potatoes at home. I had used tricks to find the right time to have nice chat yesterday that we managed to have between shows. I just knew that even Mr. Bourdain has his show at 8 o'clock in the evening and later close to midnight another lady still cooking on television. Cable television pushes us to be in the same time zone.
I use meal time to have a nice smooth exchange. He has such big passion for food so it’s easy to talk about what he likes to cook and what he fancies. The thing is school subject does not usually come up at dining table. That’s fine! Since we both love gadgets, I can always catch him when he comes near and starts talking about websites and books he likes me to check out. Never raised children myself, it’s nice to have an instant child like him. And the fact that we are close in personality, it’s easier for me to understand his idea and rhythm. Not a big challenge, I just need to compose report for his mom in the US every now and then. I will definitely miss him when he resides back in the US soon after he finishes his study.
Ready he was, I had a chance to have a peek at his thesis proposal. He is going to research communication ethnography on the classics The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. I enjoyed reading his idea. The terms have brought me back the memory of my master degree thesis on applied linguistics. We use similar approach, I analyzed the uses of implicatures (to convey an additional meaning not expressed literally) in communication. Been through his proposal, I have confidence he can finish it well especially because English has become his first language. Oh, how I miss being in school again!
Finally, we managed to do grocery shopping. My nephew was so precise in setting time we go. 1 o’clock! We left with somebody started cooking on television. I guessed he chose to leave her behind to be with his auntie. Two hours past. We were happy kids again with our goodies from the hypermarket. Especially my special cook, now he must have a long list of Italian food on his menu for the next days. Both worlds end the day content.
Pants in a student laundry we saw on our way to get angkot.