Good communication is the key to building strong and meaningful relationships, whether between a husband and wife or two business partners.
The lack thereof can cause great strife and misunderstanding. Communication can be difficult between two close friends who share the same language, so imagine the difficulties that can present themselves with two people that recently met who speak different languages. According to John Powell,
Communication works for those who work at it.
We are certainly working at it here in Prashanthagiri. Not only are we teaching Spoken English, but we are determined to learn Malayalam to bridge the language barrier.
Spoken English has been very well received here in Prashanthagiri. Since the first children’s class I taught 5 weeks ago, it seems there are new faces in the room each week. There are so many kids now of different ages that we must add new classes! Spoken English is not only for children though. Today marked the first day of class for the women in the tailoring workshop. We also will be adding a class for adults once a week. Being able to speak English can open doors, leading to more opportunity and possibilities for the future.
I have big plans for my classes once they resume after Onam. For the older children, between 12 and 15 years old, we will begin corresponding with pen pals in the USA, Delaware to be exact. One of the students has already written a letter, after only I mentioned that it is something we will be doing in the future. In her letter, she explains that Wayanad is “God’s Country” and invites her pen pal to come visit and she will make her nayapam and paisam, local treats. I felt so proud upon reading her letter. The students’ eagerness and passion to learn is truly beautiful.
This passion and eagerness to learn also applies to the women in the tailoring workshop. Their first English/Marketing/Business class went very well. We began with simple introductions. “Hello, My name is ______. I am from Wayanad.” We then launched in to colors. I was amazed when our oldest “student” went down the worksheet saying each color in English like it was nothing. I have to admit, I had underestimated their English knowledge. With the colors mastered, we expanded upon the vocabulary with articles of clothing; dress, pants, scarf, skirt, etc. While the women learned the English names, Isel and I learned the Malayalam. We will both be tested on this vocabulary next week. : )
Following vocab, we discussed likes and dislikes. “I like green. I do not like rose.” The discussion of preference transitioned to the marketing portion of the training. Posing the question, “What do people in Wayanad like?”, the brainstorming of ideas for products for the local market began. Many good ideas were passed around the room. A list was composed and “homework” was assigned. Each woman must review the English vocabulary and come up with a design for a product from the list. She must think like a businesswoman, taking in to account costs and profit margin.
Next week we will expand upon their English skills and discuss their product ideas. The transition from “stitchers” to “businesswoman” has begun and there is no turning back.
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