How my students must feel...

An advantage to teaching a foreign language while living in a foreign country is that I can experience first-hand what my students must feel like.  Are they wide-eyed and bewildered by the language that surrounds them?  Well, I certainly have had my fair share of times when people were speaking to me in Russian or Kazakh and I didn't understand.

What's hard is when students reach a certain level (called "Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills") where they can interact in a social setting, have basic conversations, yet they still don't quite understand.

It's harder still when they're beyond that, they can interact in a classroom setting, they can follow directions, they can read and write responses to what they've read, and yet... Their English isn't fully there.  But it's hard to realize that, and it's hard to have experiences to help you understand.

Years ago I studied French.  I went to Paris and took classes in French, I dated a French guy who didn't speak English, I got a Bachelor's degree in French.  I was never perfectly fluent, but I was close.  Then I spent over ten years not using it.  I can still read nearly fluently in French, but I have to work hard to keep up the rest (which I don't really do, being in Kazakhstan...)

I recently learned that the Catholic Church here has Mass in French sometimes, and I made friends with a French woman who text-messages me when she learns when the Mass will be.  So I have dragged Sophia several times to Mass in French.  (Poor child!)

Catholic Mass is a great place to practice a new language, because most of the Mass is a repetition week after week--the same prayers, just in different languages.  And of the parts that change weekly, most are set in stone, on a rotating 3-year schedule, and I have a missal--a master book with all the different parts for every Sunday of every year, in English.  So I can follow along in any language.  And I have downloaded and printed the Mass in French, and have a copy of the Mass in Russian.

The homily is the hardest part.  It's usually about 10 minutes long, and this part is unique to each Mass and to each priest.  The priests write their own homilies, often connecting the readings to their congregations.  You cannot download these from the internet or buy these in a book.

I remember that when I lived in Paris, it took most of the year for me to be able to understand the homilies (despite the fact that I had been studying French for quite some time at this point!)

This evening, as I was listening to the homily, it made me think of my students...  If I really concentrate, I can understand 90%, meaning I can get the gist as well as some details.  But if my attention strays for just a moment, it takes tremendous effort to get back on track and figure out what the priest is saying.  In the end, I understand, but I'm mentally exhausted, and I didn't get everything.

About half of my students are probably in English where I am in French.  They can do it, they can listen and pay attention, but they don't get everything, and it takes a lot of effort for them to get what they do.  And they're only 8 years old!

Sometimes I need an experience like this to help me reflect and realize just what school must be like for my students.  I think of how nice it would be if the priest would speak more slowly and use visuals.  (I do use visuals, but how often do I forget myself and speak too fast?)  And I am so proud of my students for how well they do, despite their obstacles!

The Case of the Flickering Lights

On my first night in my current apartment (I moved in at the end of June), I noticed that the hallway lights never fully go off.  When you turn them off, they flicker.

Being a light sleeper who prefers absolute darkness, this annoyed me; however, I do wear an eye mask to sleep, so I mostly ignored it.

My hunch was that the lights were like this on purpose, so it's never dark in the hallways, so you can find your way to the bathroom at night.

Recently, I was talking to a co-worker's husband, who has lots of experience in all things technical and mechanical.  Their apartment had the same flickering lights issue.  He bought some gadget to measure electrical output, and saw that the light switch was putting out quite a bit of electricity, even when off.  Not only is this a waste of electricity (and more money on your bill), but it means that the light is NEVER off, so if you go to change it, you can get quite a shock!

He said the problem had to do with the light switch, it wasn't turning off properly, and he was able to fix the ones in his home.  He's currently working on fixing my car (long story!) and after that, he has on his agenda to fix the light switches of everyone who has this problem (I'm not the only one).

How interesting!  And how frustrating!  But hopefully soon the problem will be fixed!

Halloween in Astana

Halloween isn't exactly a holiday that is celebrated here, although in the Mega mall, there was a sign advertising Halloween from 6 to 8 pm on the 31st.

Our school has a Fall Festival every year in October, and for most of the students, this is Halloween.  They get very excited in the weeks leading up to it, they arrive in costume (sometimes elaborately so), and they play games and get candy.  This year and last, the middle and high school put on an appropriately spooky haunted house.  (That is, it was quite spooky and well-done, but not really scary, which is appropriate considering the small children who went through it.)

The American Embassy had some Halloween event, but as far as I know, people outside the embassy weren't invited.  Highvill, an apartment complex catering to foreigners, also hosted a Halloween event.

This year another embassy hosted a Halloween party that I was invited to.  I invited two friends, found a babysitter for Sophia, and then focused on figuring out costumes.  I've never actually been to a Halloween party before!

My friend A. came over a few hours early to do my make-up.  Over the summer, I'd found a dress at a vintage store that looked very much like a prairie girl dress, and I'd worn this to the Fall Festival.  To be more spooky, A. made me look like a zombie (zombie prairie girl!).  She painted a spider's web on her face, dressed in black, and called herself a black widow.  Y. wore a fancy Bollywood-style outfit that I had bought for Sophia.  (Yes, Sophia's the same size as some grown-ups.)

We hailed a cab from the street, and wondered what the driver must have thought of us!  (Especially me!)

The party was what you would expect from a Halloween party--a large, spooky house with cobwebs, skeletons, a coffin, and even a severed talking head on the table!  Everyone was dressed up, and you could tell that lots of people had to scramble for ideas, since there really isn't a Halloween costume shop in Astana.  Costumes do go on sale around New Year's, since people dress up then, but they aren't very spooky.  There was lots of elaborate scary make-up, giving A. ideas for next year.

Overall, it was great fun, and I enjoyed showing my friends what Halloween is like.  We're already thinking about next year!