It was Rosa's first time attending the English Conversation Group. Man, can this woman talk alot! She's been living here in the United States for the past four years. According to her, the reason she's attending the conversation group is because some people can't really understand what she's saying.
Rosa is a caregiver for an elderly American woman. Since Rosa works, it helps her to speak English on a daily basis. Many times, I've noticed that the women who are "stay-at-home" moms, are struggling to communicate in English. Part of the problem is because of convenience. They speak their language at home with their loved ones, and at certain ethnic stores too. They watch TV, listen to the radio in their language, even the countless amount of paperwork their elementary-grade level children bring home from school is written in Spanish.
Surprisingly, Rosa's English is impressive. I have a one-on-one student, who's lived here for 11 years also a Homemaker and doesn't speak English as well as Rosa. Rosa's advice to her and the group was to read, watch TV, listen to the radio, and download music lyrics to their favorite song and sing along with it. Rosa speaks English to her young school-age children. Her seven year old son, sometimes makes fun of her or teases her but that did not stop her from learning to speak better. She didn't really care if her son said, "no mom, you're saying it wrong!" She talks to them English, no matter what.
Rosa hopes to secure a job teaching in the public school system. She holds a Bachelor's Degree and was a teacher in Ecuador. She didn't quite understand the Basic Skills Tests that she must first take and the bureaucratic paperwork that the state requires in order for her to teach here.
Sounds like a really inspiring story, Lourdes. I would really want to hear some more of Rosa's story in detail, if and when I can meet her.
ReplyDeleteI wish my cousin, Saimon, would learn English as passionately as Rosa did. My cousin is lazy and thinks that the language will somehow come to him magically like the tongues that flew from the sky in the Bible. However, that's not how life works. One must work and stay focused; Rosa is a fine example of that. Thank you for sharing this great story.
As for your email a week ago, I'm sorry I couldn't answer it faster. I've been out mostly all last week and I had my high school graduation, so I had a bunch of emails left in my inbox unchecked.
But, I got a chance to read yours and it sucks that my comment got deleted somehow. Anyway, I do enjoy the paranormal and supernatural stuff, I've actually experienced some on my field trip to Armenia that was last summer. (That's a story for a blog post coming soon, so I won't tell it now!)
As for psychics, I don't know much about them really, but I always wanted my palm read professionally and to talk to the dead via a medium. Your parties sound very intriguing and fun, I hope one day to have a party like that.
I think the psychic that you said that works with the police department sounds legit. I'm sorry, but I don't know any psychics around the Chicago or Illinois region.
Lastly, I think you're an interesting and inspirational writer, yourself, so write on! ;D