Loving Languages
09/29/2005 01:09 p.m.
The photo problem solved, (thanks, you know who you are) I now have changed my library one for the next while at least. I think my pensive look on my face in the kado shot may be due to a moment where we'd all just learned how Marianne Bluger, our co-leader of kado ottawa, has continued to be so much more worse from her cancer lately. She's surpassed (over many years) all the medical predictions, and gone on to continue living a full life and publishing and creating way past expectations, (medically) but now is suffering final stages.
I'm not sure if that's what the serious look on my face is all about but suspect so. I'm hugely devoted to her example and spirit. She also lives very close to me, and attended the same high school as my eldest brother, but I've only come to know her through haiku and from Sasquatch originally also.

We were invited to send haiku in support, that would be taken to Marianne's home recently by her dear friend and co-leader, Terry Ann Carter. I gave this one I wrote right away, inspired from an image at our campsite and I felt it suits Marianne and her experiences, and mine of her.


for Marianne Bluger

the first leaf
to catch the breeze
starts the flutter

I guess I'll be adding more photos as time permits, in journals, as I enjoy Image so much and yet now am busy with studying and homework for Italian class on top of poetry classes. But these inspire me and motivate me, all these learning endeavours with language, so much. And the people I've met and continue to are always a treasure tucked in with the word gifts.

The sounds of the Italian coming from my teacher, Filomena, soon drifted to me easily and comfortably and so musically, like Spanish does, and I felt right at home. Though I admit I was shy (yes, even me, I do get shy and quiet and self-conscious especially trying to get my tongue around a new language in the first times I'm called up to speak to the class or teacher)only minutes into being taught a few words, and using our little fun sentences, to introduce ourselves to the group. What was amusing was that our example sheet to use for responses did not provide how to say "I'm married" in Italian, ( we later learned it's esposata(o)when we were asked that, and so all we married ones were saying "Sono scapolo" - (for the men responding), and Sono nubile - (for the women), which meant we were all single. Every one of us. That was the wording on the page, don't blame me! He he. We were diligently doing our work, is all, with what we had at hand at the time! One man had his wife there, sitting right beside him, when he answered he was single! We all laughed often, already as we are getting to know one another and the language, another gift of such learning situations. It works much better in a group of conversational beginners when there's laughter to relax us. Not laughing at each other, but with each other. But I can tell this is going to be a particularly tight and friendly group and the teacher is the kind to build social rapport, not like the one I had for Spanish a few years ago who didn't foster that. I found it unusual, as most of my language teachers always have. It makes the flow work so much better and the hours pass more happily and easily.

The teacher's terrific, I can tell already I'm going to like her process and personality, and sounds so familiar because she's from the same part of Italy my neighbour across the street is from - Calabria, not to mention others I know whose heritage is partly from there.

Last night I wondered if my Spanish, French or English would suffer, that silly little fear we get when we take on a new language. I guess in a way it did, as I e-mailed "knew" for "new" when I was tired and still fresh from immersion of two hours with Italian.

Sorry Chris. But then again, typos do happen whether we play with language or not. Right? Well off to do my review and watch for my Italian and English word of the day on the e-mails. Maybe the verb to know in English will come to me this morning!
The shot below is of myself and Brewster my sister's darling cat, who slept with me often when I stayed there to help last year when Jack was dying, and that picture was taken during one of those stays at their place in the country. I love that Marilyn (the photographer) caught the slip of moon behind the bay window. My scanner seems to make streaks on images when I scan, and if anyone knows why please tell me, it's so annoying. And getting worse. If I win a lottery, one of the things on my list is a new scanner!

I am currently Good

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