Multi Celebrations, Multiply Joy with the Multicultural Students

10 of the 18 students in the beginning English Class

It has been 6 months since I started tutoring Adult Immigrants coming to Moose Jaw from their homeland.  Ten are shown here but a few didn't want their picture taken and a few were away for various reasons.  There can be up to 20 in this class. This is the Entry Level class so their English is very  limited but their desire to learn isn't! (sure sometimes they are tired or mind is on family elsewhere OR several are type 2 diabetic due to OUR western food they didn't come as Type 2 diabetic...so sugar levels are off and focusing is hard) and I continue to see just how challenging it is to learn and teach English!  I remind myself WE Westerners have good and bad days and days we focus well and days we don't! They are no different!

I do one on one with about 4 students along with sitting in the classroom several times a week for half a day to experience the process as a whole and getting to know the students.  I am in awe of their ability to work hard to learn how to integrate into the western culture while learning family members are ill back in their homeland or they have died.  Quite a number of family members from babies to adults were lost during the summer and fall Ebola crisis, which still continues.  The students even though they don't know one another except for meeting in school (which runs 9-3 5 days a week all year except around Christmastime).  The empathy is amazing....and yet w/out the drama ...very mater of fact at times that they have lost a family member and cannot be there with them or to mourn them in their homeland as we are so used to doing in our culture.  They look forward more than backward.

This day was January 5 and we were celebrating Canada's New Year and including the Chinese New Year which begins Feb 19th......AND the biggest celebration for many of these students was THEIR BIRTHDAY!  Many do not know the exact date they were born. Very common from my understanding......SO they have January 1st of whatever year they were born as their birthday. SO we had treats and singing and party hats, streamers etc. and sang and celebrated for a bit during class and then went to the other 3 classes and the office staff to sing and wish everyone Happy New Year and Birthday.

The women usually wear something on their head and a few do wear the traditional Muslim Dress. Some are Catholic as well.  The school and daycare for 35 children is housed in a United Church building.  It is a lovely union.

We tried wrapping my head with a colorful scarf  one day and they laughed as did I!  It is helpful for me to have a safe place to explore new religious beliefs and customs....asking questions and having the person in front of me know I'm genuine....not making fun of them etc. and vice versa.  I believe for me anyway, this will allow me to go OUT into the bigger world and NOT have the limiting beliefs I carry and some I'm not even aware I carry and some the NEWS would insist I carry............it is an exciting time!


I have been helping a couple, mainly the woman, who has 6 children and is about to have her 7th. Her smile is infectious and her joy for learning and her caring for others continues to touch me.  I decided to stop by their home last Friday evening.  All their children were there (15 yrs to 2 yrs old, 4 boys and 2 girls) Small older home, so clean, warm with few material things displayed and yet the warmth of their souls filled the living room!  I was asked to come in and sit down on the sofa.  I had brought applies and bananas and OF COURSE, flowers for the expectant mamma!  I am still feeling the hugs a week later!  They speak Arabic and so far all I know in Arabic is hugs and smiles and laughter.

"J" got up and went into the kitchen. She made freshly squeezed Orange Juice, put it into a wine goblet and served it to me on a small silver tray. SO SWEET!  I started chatting with the children who were ALL so full of joy and so well behaved. they all stayed in the living room with the older ones helping translate my English to their parents and vice versa.  It was so comfortable.....I wanted to know the names of the children. I had one of the girls write the names on a paper for me with their ages! All the boys are Abdul -____________.  I can't imagine being upset with one Abdul and trying to remember the second name in a fit of anxiety!  Ha!  The girl's names begin with R. 

They have a computer and a T.V..  The oldest boy connected to YouTube and brought up current music from his country Eritrea and it was just the neatest to watch them all enjoy that and want me to watch and take it in.....SEEK FIRST TO UNDERSTAND.........THEN TO BE UNDERSTOOD!!! no matter WHO is in front of us!

Right????

Then they found an Arabic comedy show. Well of course I couldn't understand the words but watched the show and figured a bit of it out on my own and the kids were helping me and we were all laughing...mostly at ME not understanding! ha! They never got frustrated with me asking several times saying I didn't understand what they said.  Reminding me NOT to get frustrated at them either!

I stayed about an hour and they were going to be doing evening prayers so I left before that began.  I got hugs from all the children and the adults and I can tell you a hug in any language is warm and life-giving!

I continue to learn how to help in a healthy way and must remember I cannot save the world whether it is the world I am accustomed to or new worlds I am being introduced to.  I continue to learn and to believe in all our differences we have much we all desire.....to belong.....to help......to laugh.....and to feel connection in our spirits.

Right now they are learning about applying for jobs and the first job we are focusing on is Housekeeping in hotels.  Lots of laughter when some of them try to read and pronounce "flat sheet" or "fitted sheet".........some languages don't even have the sounds we have in English....."P" is difficult for them "th" and "EE"..........so  we were working on NOT saying "fitted "sh_t"  or "flat sh_t"...but to "show your teeth" and when you say "th" stick out your tongue to the person you are speaking to but with a smile!  When they hear themselves say the word correctly  you would think they had won the lottery.............

As I spend time with my 2 year old granddaughter also learning to speak English in a very elementary way,  in her home and everywhere she finds herself,  I'm reminded of the fact SHE hears it daily.........so when she hears herself say it correctly she doesn't seem to show the thrill these adult immigrants show.

I continue to see what watching the robins and bluebirds building their nests and tending to their babies till they flew away taught me this past summer..................PATIENCE! and being present..........or you miss something very special.

This isn't for everyone..............for sure................but there is something out there FOR EVERYONE.  My wish is that everyone tries to find what that is for themselves...........nothing more lifegiving than sharing yourself in a lifegiving way to someone else ourside ourself.

Happy New Year !!