Saturday, March 12, 2011

Sentimental Serendipity

Volunteering at our local library , twice a week, has truly been a blessing. I help teach a group of adult ESL students who are the salt of the earth! We have had adults from: China, Egypt, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Russia, Taiwan, Ukraine, Viet Nam, and on and on. What I have found is that although language is sometimes a barrier, once that is conquered, we're really all the same. It is impossible to convey just how much this international group of friends means to me.     


    (Photos by Amy Lee)

Seated at the left side of the table are Anna (Russia) and William (China). On the right side are Lang (Viet Nam) and myself. Recently, William became a U.S. citizen and he brought a cake to class to celebrate. When we realized one of the volunteers was having a birthday we sang Happy Birthday to him as well. William spontaneously sang it in Chinese. Then it was sung in Ukrainian, and then in Spanish. It was one of the most moving experiences I've ever had. (I told you these folks are special!)