At the beginning, my
goals were to improve my English skills by learning a new vocabulary and
becoming more comfortable with conversing in English. During my penultimate day
of internship, a German lady came to speak to me about Universities. She
mentioned that my English had improved since the beginning of my internship.
She explained me that the first time we met, I was very insecure with my
English, whereas now I seem more confident because I articulate my words and I
speak louder. I do agree with her, because I can see the difference in my
English now compared to before. Furthermore, I have expanded my vocabulary and
as you can see in my other posts, I am not afraid to speak in English with
people.
Strategies
During my internship I
often use the practice and guess strategies. I use these two techniques by
talking with my English teachers and my English friends. For instance, when I
see May Ann, I automatically speak with her in English.
After my internship
when I walk alone, I talk to myself by creating a dialogue or I try think in
English about my old memories.
I will abandon the strategy "look for
patterns in a language"; because I have discovered that I can't learn a
language without learning the grammar first. I need visual learning by
practicing with the exercises.
Growth
Wednesday October 13, Sonia organized a little trip by bus to go and
visit a greenhouse in Westmount. During our observation of the different types
of flowers and plants, Sonia and I had a conversation about her work. Sonia
said that she has two jobs; one in the yellow door, where she organizes
activities for the social club each Wednesday, and another where she writes
blogs about several topics for her company. After our conversation, I
discovered that I would like to have a similar job, because I enjoy writing
blogs in English and I also love working with people. Moreover, in the social club,
we have many volunteers that go to McGill University. I discovered when talking
with them that I would prefer to go to an English University.
The internship
In the social club, I gained a lot of knowledge by participating in all
the activities that I have named in many of my previous posts. I learnt to sew
baby hats, make small stars in origami, make homemade apple sauce, how to
decorate my house with Halloween pumpkins and masks, etc.
Gratitude
Wednesday October 27, during my internship we made a homemade applesauce.
When everyone had finished eating, May Ann and I went to see Sonia to offer her
two cards and a little gift. She could
not believe her eyes that we were offering her a gift. I explained that it was
to thank her for correcting us at any moment and encouraging us to speak
English. After giving us a hug, she asked us if the next session we'll come
back to help her and we responded that if we do not have a lot classes on
Thursday, we will come to the reading club which will allow us to improve our
reading skills.
“Dear Sonia,
Thank you for allowing me to participate in the social club, I will be
forever grateful!
During these two months I noticed your enthusiasm and dedication to the
social club. I am really glad to have you as a host, and I have learned a lot
from you and your strategies. In the future I hope to have a similar job as
you.
Everyone loves you and likes to participate in your wonderful activities.”
The placement
The Yellow Door organization contains a lot of choices of entertainment
for the volunteers and the seniors. On Mondays they have the art club to help
you relax and get your creative juices rolling. On Tuesdays they have the knitting
club which permits you to learn new techniques or share the ones you already
know with a group. On Wednesdays is the social club which consists of workshops,
visiting museums, musical performances, potlucks, and various discussions about
film and poetry. This service allows you to go outdoors, meet new people, and
share ideas. On Thursdays they have a book club in which they discuss some
great books and have an enjoyable time. Finally, on Fridays it is a movie club
where you can enjoy free popcorn and a show.
I recommend this internship placement to other students, because you can
improve your reading, listening, writing and oral skills by choosing any of the
above mentioned activities. Also, the elderly are really friendly and sociable
as employers.
