It's always an English Problem?

Talking about heart languages.

What's your heart language? I am pretty much a Chinese and Cantonese language kinda person. Somehow, I think in Chinese and what comes out of my mouth is mostly Chinese and Cantonese.But the paradox is I write better in English. Lately, been teaching in a neighbourhood school in Punggol, and the kids are mostly heartlanders not like the previous school that I have taught in where the kids are mostly English speaking.

Have u met people who simply refused to READ instructions or rules and regulations when its written in something they dun understand? They just try la to follow the norm and do what they feel that the instruction or rules are trying to tell them..haha.. Well, teach and you would know. My P4 children simply shun the questions when they are written in English. Or even instructions in the exam paper!! Me being an English and Maths teacher, tried my utmost to explain the Maths question in English...what I get? Blank faces, huh? remarks...then i know..It's time for an educator's exercise of flexibility. I SWITCHED THE EXPLANATION IN CHINESE! Voila! immediately I get the answer to the questions I wanted to see. It's not a Maths problem now...definitely an English Problem haha..its the problem of trying to understand what the question is asking you...They are smart kids really. You just need to speak the right thing.

Well, some people really do comprehend things betta in a certain language than others, we can't blame them, its rather what you speak most or the friends around you that speak that makes your heart language. I get touched in the heart a lot by English songs when I was in Secondary 1 and 2 cos my group of friends were "ang moh" speaking. Then come Sec 3 and 4 to JC days... most of friends spoke Chinese, even now as NIE trainees, you see a group of us conversing in Chinese during ENGLISH lessons. I can't help it.. the sure intensity of words spoken in my heart language had such a better way of driving home the point that was expressed instead of others.

Hopeless romantic I am...I was packing my room that day for CNY and saw old letters and cards written to me...how sweet were the words written and how it still stirs my heart a bit even today many many years after I have received them! ah Words - my love language is it not? haha..

Received a phone call today, it was obviously a foreigner struggling to converse in English to make an appointment today for my insurance policy review...argh...being a teacher has its occupational hazards...You know what's burning within me? I wanted to go ahead right from the start and correct her pronunciation, correct her grammar and her parts of speech...ya da ya da...that's it...show some grace Rachel Tham...converse in Chinese la...Voila! I get a clearer picture of what's going on instead of having a 2-sided struggle over both sides of the phone.

I remembered learning my broken Hokkien as a Sales Executive during my 6-months break prior to University. You see uncles and aunties, opening up to you their sorrows and woes and the amazing thing is...they buy up your product!! Wow!

Speaking the heart language in the missions field also has its power. Nebbermind about the stumbles you get in getting the slang right. By the fact that you are trying very hard when you are speaking to the locals in their language, things get by rather easier for you. You get help fast! A basic "Thank you", "Have a nice day" or "God Bless You" has its power spoken in the native tongue. The locals of the places you are visiting started to open up to you in mysterious ways. I remember this incident when I was in Japan chatting up with this business woman on the bus. What with my broken Japanese can convey, I managed to get her name, her occupation, where she stays and her dreams for her life! Same goes for my other trips elsewhere..people feel this link, this connection with you and this makes me feel very excited on doing missions work especially in a place whereby learning the local language would definitely be a challenge.

Speak the right language...it's not always an English Problem....:P