It was the end of Spring semester for our ASE classes as we sat in the Cafe Class room. We had students from many different countries and different ESL levels. After our director opened up the floor for students to share about their classes or time, it was a blessing to hear so many students share highlights, from learning English to making to new friends to building a new community.
In fact, I shared the account from my Level 1 class, that had started without the friendship between the students. Especially a group from a European country tried to hide their dislikes, however it it was clear from the expressions and manners, towards students from Latin America and the Middle East. And when one group or the other talked, the other students would express their dislike on their faces and in their mannerisms.
However, over the weeks of classes, tests and all expressing various misunderstandings and challenges with English, and my encouragement to befriend one another, their “hostility” slowly began to fade. In fact, one student had always expressed his favorite food was meat and one time a fellow student brought some food for the break time. I encouraged Max to try it but he said no. Ahmi came to his table and said something to the effect, “You like meat. Meat!” (as she pointed down to the chicken in her dish). Max ended up trying and liking the dish. Later, Sasha (another student) took the secondary Hijab/scarf from Ahmi and put it on, smiling, they hugged each other and smiled.
As the weeks progressed, when one group would talk, the others would show respect and began to laugh with each other. From hostility to friendship they had not only learned English, but they learned to befriend those from other countries and make new friends!
I briefly recounted that story during our end of year cafe class, they were laughing and smiling at one another. It was delightful and I tried to share that we love because of God’s love for us.
(Names are changed for privacy)
Turners at WFI 