Language Update

This week, we took a series of tests at the Language Institute and our instructor has 'graduated us' to the next level of instruction. We will get our certificates in January when we resume classes at the next level. On Monday and Tuesday, we took our written exam that went on and on and on. On Wednesday, we both had to do oral presentations on a subject of our choosing. Next we each listened to a Portuguese 'story' and were quizzed on our comprehension. We next read different texts and were again quizzed orally on our comprehension.

In the final analysis - we did well on written and comprehension, but our speaking was not so great, although 'passing'. We both have this tendancy to throw in English connective words because we aren't sure which of Portuguese connective words to use - so we use English words (unintentionally) like "to" and "so" more in the sense of "uhhh" that some do in English.

As an aside, we've become quite attached to our instructor but his contract runs out at the end of the year and he is not planning to return. He says it is because his income is inconsistent and completely dependent on student contact hours. No students, then no money. For example, we are not there in December, so he will not receive any pay related to our fees. It makes sense to me, for without students, the institute has no income - but it doesn't to him. And, as we've seen other do, they will 'quit' and put themselves in a worse situation (no job) for what seems to us as crazy reasons. We argued with him that he should continue until he finds another job, not just 'quit' with nothing to do, but that is Western culture talking. We have been starting to talk a little bit more about the things of God, and it would be my prayer we could spend more time with him.

I am convinced language learning will take the rest of our lives and we will never be truly 'fluent' although we will be more or less 'proficient'. The people we work with say they can tell a difference; we hope that is true!

Blessings!

"....Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other. So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel - because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world...." Genesis 11:7 - 9