"Ohh soddy!" (sorry)

The rains have returned and strangely enough we have really missed them!  The past two days have been pretty overcast, humid, and rainy.  The women rejoice because their gardens are always in need of the rain.  The rains even provided me with an extra “trip”, or shall we say slip… Yesterday on the way to morning chapel, the combination of rain, mud, and undulating land caused me to find myself gracefully *cough* flailing to the ground.  I mostly caught myself before putting on an entire jumpsuit of mud and Mel comforted me saying, “It’s not even that bad!”

Carry on friends, nothing to see here. 

I had to share why my dress was all muddy with the women.  I told the story quickly and with the hope that they wouldn’t catch on to everything I was saying.  They all laughed hysterically but a few even added in, “Ohh soddy! (sorry)  I think we underestimate what they all know…

Mel and I continue to encourage the women to use the English that they do know outside of class.  Generally most of them can write a decently worded sentence, fill in vocabulary words to complete a sentence, or even sound out and read English sentences.  Speaking the language is what makes them a little more uncomfortable but that is why Mel and I are so thankful for the relationships we continue to develop with the women… We have really noticed the women being willing to participate more, help correct and teach one another, and most importantly have fun with learning this new language.  Mel and I are incorporating more and more opportunities for them to be conversing with one another and learn from one another. 

Mel has been an amazing grammar guru, helping the women in areas they misspeak or incorrectly speak.  This week we have been drilling present continuous verbs.

          Example:  I am working in the garden. We are going to the store. 

          What we might commonly see/hear: I working in the garden. We is going to the store. 

Today we gave them a speaking opportunity in which they were to answer a series of questions using a slip of paper with three words, putting them into the present continuous tense.  It’s amazing how much they can do when given the freedom to be creative on their own.  They had so much fun helping one another speak properly and we even learned some things from them in the process. 

I will continue to say this but Mel and I definitely have smiles on for miles because of the awesome people we get to see and work with every day.  Thanking God for the relationships he continues to bring to us on this trip and for the relationships we have with our readers! 

Have a wonderful Tuesday everyone!

Kelsi and Mel