It really is the small things that matter. As I was told by Mrs. McBride
my Latin teacher at school "Girls all the best things come in small
parcels and packages". Just think of mini chocolate Easter eggs, mini
doughnuts and mini pizzas and how much better they all taste. We were also told
us that, along with those little things and a sprinkle of hope and perseverance
we could climb the highest mountain, " and girls! The view from the top is
worth it!!".
Learning a new language is the same thing. It's the little words and
expressions you remember and which eventually make up an exchange and then lead
to a conversation with a perfect stranger in the bakery about how difficult it
is to know what to wear in Lucca in these months. Most of my students love
those little seemingly insignificant words as they have all reported back to me
on how 'oyster card' saved their life
when visiting London. Without an oyster card you can't travel on London buses
on the underground.
Or how 'cut and blow dry' allowed them to get a haircut in a swish
London salon and end up working there as a trainee.
Another recent report was how the word 'mac' could not have been more
helpful. The Mackintosh is a raincoat
named after its Scottish inventor Charles Macintosh (with the addition of the
letter 'k') and my student was so happy to return with a snazzy mac just in time
for the April showers.
It's great to know that all these little words were learnt in context
and then used in everyday situations. Going back to the bakery ... That morning
I happened to learn some new words but in true teacher spirit I also taught a
few... you may bump into a grandma in
Lucca telling her grandson to eat up his crusty roll, put his mac on and sing '
Rain Rain go away come again another day!!'.
If not the baker will greet you
with a warm 'Good morning! A little foccaccia or a little pizza today?'
