Fran living in this house (apartment, rather) with me and Marisol continues to be a learning experience for all of us, one that will affect many others I imagine, like the ripples flowing out from a drop of water.
I am continually learning about Fran, her ideas, her understanding, her needs, her interests and goals across a complex communication barrier on both sides. I do not speak fluent Spanish, and though she understands a little, she speaks no English.
But this limitation is more complex than it seems because Fran speaks in a speech pattern common to the villages, I am told by other Oaxacan friends. It is not the custom to either ask or answer a question directly, using the fewest words possible (especially when the other person does not speak your language fluently). The point is talked around and at lightening speed, taking many side roads and seemingly random tangents, and is frequently lost on me as I wait for clues about the the answer to my question, or the subject matter at hand.
Sometimes I try and get her to the point, when it is important. Often I decide to be satisfied with the general idea in the interest of time. Marisol, who speaks perfectly understandable Spanish, French, and English encounters the same phenomenon with Fran, but because both of them speak Spanish (remember that Fran is not a native speaker of Spanish -- she learned it only a few years ago) she can steer her to the point more easily.
Not surprisingly, though Fran is doing fantastically with numbers, she is not appreciating (and struggling, I think) with classes like Ethics, where she is expected to express thoughts and opinions both in front of the class and on paper. I suggested to her that the more challenging something is, the more she should dedicate herself to mastering it. The idea of professors at the school is that it is not enough to to master the technical skills of engineering; the student must be able to communicate effectively with bosses, clients, and co-workers.
This week instead of classes, all the IT engineering students are meeting and hearing lectures from various professionals in their field. But their teachers are e-mailing homework assignments which they turn in all week. So far, I really like the way this course of study is going for Fran.
Had an interesting conceptual event with Fran the other day that taught me something about assumptions. She expressed a concern to me that her eyes may be getting worse from wearing her new glasses, not better. I should have picked up on something right away, but didn't. She said when she took her glasses off, her eyes were much worse. What I learned later was that she somehow had the understanding that wearing glasses would improve her vision, literally. Her dentist, who has become another mentor, cleared it all up with her.
The other night, Fran and Marisol had a long talk about Fran's fear that her excellent grades will draw negative attention from other students and make them suspect her of cheating. Marisol talked to her about owning her accomplishment and sharing her secret (constant study, and attending night classes at the Learning Center) so that they will understand how she has achieved her grades. Marisol talked a lot about being proud of her own accomplishments as they accumulate, partly because when she becomes a professional she can't expect to hear much praise from bosses or co-workers. How to be proud without being arrogant. These lessons are just as important as anything she is learning in school, of course!!
Once or twice a week Fran receives counsel from Marisol about things that have come up -- sometimes points on how to conduct research (academic advice) and other times situations with her teachers or other students. Marisol is very busy with her own professional life, and she has been very generous and helpful to Fran.
This is just a taste of the rich garden of learning that we are all harvesting from in this house. Thanks yet again to those of you whose contributions are making this environment for Fran possible.
