Time flies when you spend most of your day in language class! 5 days a week, we go into our smal groups for language instruction. My group consists of 5 people. 4 girls and one guy. Our instructor is awesome. We are learning a lot from her. She speaks Saramaccan, Aucan, Sranan Tongo, English and Dutch. At least. We learn a lot of dutch words in addition to the Saramaccan ones since Dutch influence is huge around here. When we go to the shops to buy things, we are constantly struggling to communicate with the locals. This is especially hard since they may speak dutch or sranan or english, and figuring out which language you are trying to understand is harder than trying to speak it. Twice a week we also have "culture" class, which involves us asking our language teacher obnoxious questions about their cultures. It sounds like women are in a serious pickle out in the jungle. Women are expected to be virgins before marriage, purity, the whole nine yards. Then, when they get married (at around 14) their man might have a few other wives. They are expected to have as many children as possible, and also do all the work in the fields and in the house. And the laundry and the food. You heard me. The men don't have to do anything. They go around maybe hunting sometimes. and disciplining their children of course. The nice ones help their wives on occasion. The bad ones don't. End of story.
I am trying to understand the cultural differences.
I am super exited for the potential growth that this new language will enable me to experience!!!!
Later!
Alissa
No comments:
Post a Comment