Look what I got today . . .
In case you’re still wondering what in the world those are . . . they’re workbooks so I can start teaching a Level 1 ESL class next week! Last week I posted about my experience visiting the Sudanese Community and Women’s Center (which has now been renamed the Nashville International Center for Empowerment). Today I went back to observe two classes and left with workbooks in my hand so that I can teach next week! I had the best time there today, and I’m really excited about this opportunity. Today as I was leaving I was overwhelmed with the thought that it feels like this is part of what God created me for. To be able to befriend and help the people I saw today just falls right in line with everything else I’ve been learning lately. It just feels so right.
When I first got to the center, I met Donna & Connie. They are currently teachers there, and Donna is the volunteer coordinator. I sat in Connie’s Level 1 class first. There were people from ALL over the place in there, and I felt very honored to be with them. They are working so hard to learn English, and they all seem very fascinating. As I took notes, I couldn’t help but think about what it must be like to be in their shoes. To be in a country where everything is so different. To not be able to communicate well. I imagined myself trying to learn another language in another country while adjusting to a new culture and possibly dealing with painful circumstances back home that brought me there in the first place. I sat beside a man from Haiti. His children are still there. There were three Ethiopian women at the front of the room, and they were so beautiful to me. I hope to get to know them better as time goes on.
After about 30 minutes (the classes are 1.5 hours long), I went into Donna’s Level 2 class. They were discussing fact vs. opinion and also talked about synonyms. Most of the people in there were from Ethiopia, Sudan or Burma. I couldn’t for the life of me remember where Burma is, so I looked at the globe when I got home and still couldn’t find it. I googled it (thank goodness for Google – what did we do without it?!) and was reminded that it was officially named Myanmar. It is east of India. See . . .
In the Level 2 class, I got to hold a sweet little 18-month-old girl while her mama learned. Her mom, who is from Sudan, just became a citizen and will attend her oath ceremony this Friday. She came to the center about 1.5 years ago when her little girl was a tiny baby and literally began by learning her ABC’s. She has come so far and has worked so hard to get where she is today. As she talked about the ceremony on Friday, she just beamed. I don’t even know her, but I am so proud of her! The Ethiopian ladies in the class asked me some questions about our adoption, and I just wanted to sit and talk with them all day.
I will teach a Level 1 class at 9 AM on Mondays and Wednesdays. I really don’t know what I’m doing, but I know I’ll figure it out along the way. I’m looking forward to developing relationships with my students outside the walls of the center as well. I’m so thankful for this opportunity and grateful that God has given me this passion and an outlet to use it – and it’s right in my backyard! I’m sure I’ll keep you posted as I travel down this road, and I’ll probably have funny stories to tell along the way . . . so stay tuned!
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