Here in Abu Dis we have been meeting in small groups and working on speaking English.  It’s big ask but the social aspect of the learning is amazing. 

Here we are in Dar Assedaqa – notice the tiramisu Janan made and the chocolates that Nandita sent for Kefah. Eating delicious food has been a big theme ever since Yaz, Flo and I arrived in Palestine.

We are meeting most days from Saturday to Wednesday in Dar Assedaqa at 5.30.  I’m finding the group gets talking well when we have about 8 people and there is a buzz while people talk in pairs. When we have only 3 and people are shy it is harder for them to get talking with everybody listening but we have begun developing stories and that works with fewer people.   When another volunteer comes with that encourages chat and we can chat together using the target language and give people more listening time.  Communicating without translation is a wonderful thing, but the feedback is that folk really want someone to be there who is confident and happy to translate. Jinan is taking this on. She is standing on the right in this picture. She is learning 5 languages and plans to be an interpreter.

Her family all have a great interest in languages. Here is Kefah, Jinan’s mother, singing an Indian song she used to sing when she was a littles. W were talking about things we used to do.

As you can see, there’s a dance that goes with the song.