The Ins and Outs of Speaking English

In the first session I held with ENGin, I put together a little presentation of introductions, questions, and other prompts to start off strong and continue for the next few months. It was definitely challenging since talking to someone and trying to connect with them over a screen isn't the same as how easy it seems when I put together a lesson plan, and that was easily shown when I went through my entire presentation in about 15 minutes and we still had 45 minutes to spare.

While taking notes on my iPad, I mustered up the courage to ask a few more introductory questions and find out what exactly my buddy wanted to learn, why she decided to use ENGin, and how I could bridge the gap. The first session was definitely challenging because my buddy didn't have her camera on and trying to build a connection to someone I've never met before while improving their literacy/speaking skills is different than talking to someone I've met in person.

The most important thing I learned from my first session was that teenagers and students in America aren't as different as teenagers and students in Ukraine-- even though some cultural aspects are different, my buddy and I both love music, languages, and eating Italian food :) It was a little nerve-wracking to figure out what to talk about without assuming that she knew what I was talking about or not, and it became really silly when I asked her about pizza/Italian food and she said, "Of course we have [it]!"

Talking with my buddy, even after the first session, made me realize how humanity is united and created to be in community with each other, no matter how far apart or different each of us might be. Hearing about Ukraine and Russia on the news, some people just take a moment and move on with their lives, but thinking about it occurring in one's hometown and country is terrifying. It's important to see it that way-- to realize that a conflict over in another part of the world isn't just an isolated problem, it matters, and no matter where we are, we have a role in what takes place. We have a responsibility to do something.