Today I visited my friend's classroom at an all-girls school in Nouakchott. The students are in their second year of high school and are between 14 and 16 years old. Mauritania's first two languages are Arabic and French, so English is often the fourth or fifth language that students speak. They learn it only in secondary school for two hours a week. The class was conducted entirely in English and I was amazed that the students could communicate in English so well after such a limited amount of studies.
As I observed the class, I was instantly impressed by the girls' strong work ethic. They were respectful, hard working, and polite. I introduced myself and asked the class if they had any questions for me about life in the U.S.
Most of the students raised their hands. I called on the students, one by one. Here are the questions they asked, in this order:
- You are beautiful.
- Are you married?
- How old are you?
- I love your hair.
- Why aren't you married?
- Where do you live?
- Do you live with your family?
It was a very funny interview! The girls had their thoughts on one thing: Marriage! The girls will have a new assignment: Finding me a husband! I would not be surprised if I start receiving applications!
Oh dear Delia, better keep a low profile :)
ReplyDeleteAre you learning some Arabic and French too?
Thank you for all of your thoughtful comments Shaista! Yes, I am trying to learn a little Arabic and also Pulaar. Luckily I speak French already. But since I am teaching English, everyone I meet wants to practice speaking English!
ReplyDeleteMaybe they could speak English to you and you could respond in Arabic or Pulaar!
ReplyDelete