Wednesday 23 Aug
Month one! Suzanne reflects on her first month in the Silk Road Area.
“Can you believe it's already been a month since I arrived? I sure can't. Every so often I need to stop and remind myself that I am, in fact, living in a different country. I realised the other day that this is the longest stretch of time I've ever spent away from Australia.
Everything from here on in is new!
Over the month I've been here, I've established my regular spots close to my apartment to buy food and practice my K language. I now have a regular bread vendor, fruit and veg stall, and mini mart where people seem pleased/bemused to see me return.
I go to at least one of these each day to meet people, practice the language I'm learning baby step by baby step, and get to know some of the people in my community.
The stall owners have been very friendly and we've stumbled through conversations in a blend of K and English. After understanding that I'm here from Australia, one owner very kindly gifted me half a delicious roasted chicken to welcome me as a guest to the country.
I've had about two weeks of culture and language learning lessons. This is my main task for the beginning of my time here: 20 hours a week, across 6 days, usually 3-4 hours per lesson. My language nurturer is a fantastic teacher with high expectations but also a great penchant for having fun.
The model of language learning we are using is based on recent research into language acquisition. Similarly to how a baby hears and listens to a language far before they ever speak it, I'm learning to recognise words spoken to me and respond tangibly before later starting to learn how to pronounce them.
What this looks like day-to-day is a lot of pointing at toy cats or watermelons; acting out scenarios and actions with toy dolls of children, adults, and the elderly; and me staring into space as I race through the cabinets of words in my mind trying to put my finger on exactly what this oh-so-familiar word means.
Overall, the part of me that loves learning is enjoying the process. However, the part of me that loves speaking more like an adult than a two-year-old wishes I could fast forward a little!
But despite only knowing a tiny bit of K language, K people will always smile when I try and speak it to them instead of English. That makes it feel worthwhile.”
- Suzanne, intercultural team member
- Pray for Suzanne as she immerses herself in life, culture and community on the Silk Road
- Pray for her as she seeks to build relationships and partner with what God is already doing among the K people
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