Thursday, July 2, 2009
Slowly, painfully . . . . .
The work of teaching moves forward. The review session this morning went slowly with questions that were even one half step from simple memorization being very hard to grasp. The language barrier remains huge with the constant waiting for every word to go back and forth.

I need more language skills. Will hopefully start Kreyol lessons soon, but the time to do so was in grade school. The world is too small now for American children to learn only English, and we cannot expect the rest of the world to learn English for us. The Europeans on campus are multi-lingual--our education system has got to aim higher if we are to succeed in today’s world.

Duane Dowell is here now and it is fantastic to have a friend to talk to and share the misery of a hot evening together. It is also good to have a sounding board for all the questions and situations that incessantly arise here--people asking for money for food being high on the list.

In Dallas it is easy--go to the Bridge, or North Dallas Shared Ministries, or Parkland, or ask for help from the Minister’s Discretionary Fund. For a friend, a student, i would loan money for food without a moment’s hesitation. But ironically in this place where hunger is an overwhelming problem, that is much harder to do. Handing out money on the street or in the hospital could cause a near riot of others wanting the same. How to decide who is really in desperate need, and who is taking advantage of a sympathetic ‘blan.” Then how much do you give? There are no easy answers to these questions. Many spiritual traditions implore you to give all that you have. But if you do, then what?????? i suspect that this instruction may refer more to the spiritual than the physical, but in a place like this you cannot be sure.

I think I may be droning on longer than interest allows so will close. Let me hear from you! Judy