A little over a month ago, I started the fun job of teaching a Korean family English. They moved from Korea to Latvia in January for the father's job, so they're new to the country and the language of English. A lot to adjust to overnight! Their English names are Sara, Daniel, and Angela. Sara, the mom, is a sweet lady. She took English classes 20 years ago, so she still has some vocabulary and basic grammar which allow her to act as a go-between when her kids don't understand something. The kids are attending the international school we go to, and Daniel is in 2nd grade so he's learning there as well and Angela is in the preschool program. After 6 weeks, I can see the progress and confidence they are feeling to speak and ask questions in English.
On this day, we were using the phrase we had learned before of "I want to..." to express what we want to be "when we grow up." We hold a lot of classes in the preschool rooms, so we were fortunate to be able to dress up in costumes of different professions as we were learning vocabulary. The kids had a lot of fun and they still continue to remember the profession names!
Pirate and firefighter. ;)
Other interactions. Angela was being cute in her mom's hat so I had to get a picture. Sara told me that their hot water was turned off all day so she herself didn't get to wash her hair before leaving the house. She wore a hat, and she was "ashamed" of having to wear a hat. I taught her the word embarrassed. The next day, in case they still didn't have hot water, I wore a hat too, and I explained that I wear them all the time when I'm lazy and don't want to do my hair! ;)
Daniel loves to build and make things from paper, so we worked on that vocabulary from the start so he could express the things he loves doing.
Here's Angela eating an afternoon snack before starting our lessons. Usually she's got a banana in her hand, and she loves the Minions from Despicable Me because they love bananas too (the Minions have thus become a part of our lessons too!). On this day, Angel was eating a package of dried squid like it was candy. Rhea helps out when she doesn't have after school activities, so Sara offered her a piece. She politely accepted it and then didn't eat it. Different tastes for sure. :)
After just a week of English lessons, we had a week of no school. So after skiing for a few days with my family, I hooked up the L family for two days for about 3-4 hours each day. I went to their house the first day, and then she wanted to come to my house so her "kids could see American culture." Sara showed up with a large pack of pink toilet paper that she handed to Savannah when she opened the door.
Savannah didn't understand what it was for, but carried it to the bathroom and quietly told me as I walked by to welcome our guests, "I don't know why she gave me toilet paper. Don't ask about it mom." I laughed inside at Savannah as she was apparently embarrassed by the gift and her lack of understanding Sara's English, but I of course had to ask Sara about it. She explained that it's a Korean tradition to bring a "cleaning supply" like toilet paper the first time you visit someone's house. Toilet paper seems to be the most popular choice of gift, which we appreciated! Together, I googled it to understand more because in her limited English, I didn't understand everything. I found a blog entry where someone shared how when living in Korea, they received like a year supply of toilet paper when they invited Korean friends over to their house. Sara, Savannah and I laughed together at the thought of that, and we expressed our appreciation for her sharing this wonderful tradition with us. I think I've decided to adopt the tradition myself!
After the toilet paper greeting, we had an English lesson about foods we like or don't like, and how to express that, followed by an American lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, apples, and Rice Krispy treats with chocolate chips sprinkled on top. It was their first time eating the sandwiches and treats, so I was relieved to see that they all liked the sandwiches. Sara really liked the Rice Krispy treats, but the kids weren't so sure about them. I think the texture of the marshmallows threw them off. :) The kids then played together inside and outside in the snow.
I appreciated my kids' desire and ability to interact and play with Angela and Daniel with the language barriers that existed. But truly, PLAY is an international language, no words needed. They were all smiles and fun together. I'm sure we'll find ways to play over the summer break too.
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