Day 16

Today I'm thankful for people who speak English! Don't get me wrong, French is a fine language and I'm happy that French people can converse with each other easily. However, when I'm calling customer service for an American company, it's really hard to sort through two hours of someone who doesn't speak English. My vacuum cleaner broke this afternoon and I talked to three different women who had a very difficult time understanding what I needed. I could almost see them flipping through their translation dictionaries and the on-screen script to figure out how to help me. When they finally referred me to a local repair shop I nearly cried when the man who answered was a native English speaker. If it was possible I would have jumped through the phone and hugged him!

I also have several students this year who don't speak English. It is a daily challenge to help them understand what's going on in our classroom. It's even harder for those students who don't speak at all.

So, I'm very thankful for English. Having the same language makes communication so much easier!