First A thanks to Awkward Robert

I got my first "A" ever with an essay about something personal, I never really thought I would enjoy writting but I actually liked it. Well here is the story.

Escargots to Hamburger

It took little more than a week and I had already passed the honeymoon period, I love the United States but I went through a culture shock right in the middle of my Sociology class. “Confused” and “It’s ok” are my usual responses to the excited american college students who ask me “If I like it here”.

One day on my way to my global issues and society class I was greeted at the classroom door by a young man who was soon to be one of the most awkward college students I have ever had the chance to meet, I like to call him, awkward Robert. Of course he asked me “where I was from”, It’s not easy to hide an accent like mine when I am surrounded by southern belles. During the second class, there was no way to avoid it, he came and sat next to me, I could feel him gazing at me during all of the lecture. Then he asked me if I wanted to have a coffee with him, I couldn’t say no because I thought it would be rude. To my horror and my own wonder I ended up giving my phone number to Robert.

I don’t even fully remember how this disaster occured. He was such a southern gentleman and did many silly things that ended up embaressing him. As we were heading to the Black Bird Coffee, a nice place down town, where apparently they serve the best coffee, he took care not to walk too fast or too slow and then pulled the door open for me. It was arround twelve in the afternoon and there was a cool breeze. It took him forever to choose one of the ten coffe, Robert finally ordered a iced green tea for me and a moka coffee, he payed for it all, which is unsual in France because we would just each pay for our drink. Thus begun my first american date.

He pulled my chair back for me and we sat, I felt like we talked forever and I remember checking my watch a lot. I had my phone stuck in my hand but I didn’t want to check it because it is impolite where I come from. As his large eyes stared at me, Robert started drinking his coffee and ened up pouring some of it on himself. A few minutes later he spilt it on himself again. Then he began to start questioning me all about my self, my country, my family and my hobbies. I answered all these in the quickest way possible. It has been a week and I still hear those same questions daily. Behind us a young dad arrived with two babies, one in a stroller and the other one in his arm. He obviously liked babies and spent at least the next 15 minutes talking about the fact that he had five siblings and loved taking care of kids. At this point any girl would think that is sweet but the annoying “awww” is not for me. I don’t underdstand the fascination for those minature humans, they mostly bother me exept for my nephew. When I said that out loud I heard him express his dissatisfaction with the odd “oh” sound.

As the discussion continued he set his hand on the table and his long arm could reach my side of the table easily, Robert started nervously twitching his fingers. At the end of the date he still had his hand on the same spot, probably hoping that I would put mine on the table and he could grab it. I literally felt like a deer trying to escape from the hunter, I was Bambi and I needed to get out of this coffee shop whitout having any physical contact. I finally looked at my phone, and it was 1:37 pm, my spanish class was still half an hour away but I told him I had to go to the International Education Center before going to class. He then walked with me to the Lanier building .On the way there he asked me several questions twice in a row and also told me that his first class was early that morning, fact I already knew because we are in the same class. I was beginning to think that he would never leave me alone and as we approached Lanier hall he opened the door for me and finally left me.

I wish this epic story would end up as simple as this.Though in the same evening that I was telling my new american and foreign friends about this date, I received a text from my date in an approximately french text which translated came close to meaning “ I had a good time with you today, beautiful Anna”. Well on my side I didn’t have a good time but I couldn’t text back to say that, so I just didn’t respond hoping he would get the message. The worst part of this american adventure is that as much as I don’t want to see him I have to because I have to spend two hours per week in the same room and avoid him for the rest of the semester. The following Monday hopefully would be better.

During the weekend I thought of many ways to say no to another invitation or just avoid talking to Robert without being too brutal. When I finaly went to class I decided to arrive just on time to get a seat quickly in the front so I wouldn’t have to sit next to him. I didn’t look at the people when I entered so we would not have to glance at each other. This first part of the plan worked so well that I didn’t even know if he was in the room or not and I didn’t turn back to look.
While I was almost asleep during the lecture about Weapons of Mass Destruction a very intersting american subject, the fire alarm went off, this shrill noise totally woke me up. All the students took their bag and books and we started evacuating the room. I had forgoten the existance of Robert for a few moments until someone held the door for me and it was him. I have no idea how he arrived next to me but he succeeded in this operation. We had a short random conversation with no interesting topics and I sneaked out of the group and took a different way than the class to go back to campus. While on front campus I tried to be careful not to get too close to my group because I didn’t want to speak with Robert. When we were allowed to go back to class I just decided to go directly to my second class because we only had 5 minutes left.

Tomorrow at 8am I will use the same technique to not seat next to Robert or have to speak to him, and hopefully in few classes I won’t have to try to avoid him and it will stop being awkward and odd to pass him in the hall way or in class.