Placing English

Shalom University has decided to move towards a bi-lingual educational structure, requiring English classes and teaching some required classes in English so that students become fluent in both languages. Nearly everyone with any education here knows at least two languages – Swahili and French, and some know Lingala as well, the dominant Bantu language of western Congo.  Most I meet can speak a smattering of English, and everyone seems to want to learn it. Of course, Uganda and Kenya are closer neighbours than Kinshasa (the capital, over 1,300 miles away by road, although I cannot imagine how many days it might take to get there) and both of them are English speaking, having been former British colonies.  Rwanda just switched their official language from French to English, and that left me wondering how they managed to do that. In America, we are resistant to even learning metric, having pretty much managed in the last thirty years to only accept 2 litre soda bottles.  

Some schools in Congo already offering a bi-lingual educational experience and those schools are increasingly desired.  Ruth, my translator helper, goes to such a school, and that is where she learned English.

For Shalom, the first step is obtaining an assessment of the English level of its current students. Some of the students have studied in Uganda and their English is fairly good. Some studied English in secondary school (increasingly that is required), but others know very little, just a few phrases.  Shalom decided to test its students – a written exam of 120 questions, grammar and vocabulary, followed by an oral exam to test verbal fluency.  For whatever reason, they wanted it done in one day, so they recruited all the English speakers they could muster to help with the oral part of the exam.  I was asked to help because, as Jehoshaphat (dean of the theology school) said in a meeting about the exam, I speak good English. Several of the attendees at that meeting laughed, but he was serious. He said you cannot understand many Americans – they talk to fast, they use too much slang, and they do not pronounce words clearly. He was complimenting my English, although he was not saying I spoke English well, just that I spoke good English. I imagine American pronunciation is difficult for many of them, as African English speakers more closely model British English. As I sat in the meeting listening to the others, though, I thought some of them were probably not the best to be giving an oral exam on fluency …

I was happy to help out, an excuse to put aside accounting for a day.  We worked in pairs, and the idea was to start by asking simple questions, increasing the level of complexity depending on their level of English proficiency. If the student was fairly fluent, we were to ask them if they wanted to ask us any questions, to see if they could sustain a two way conversation. It was interesting to interact with the students, hearing how long it took them to get to school each day (and for some, an hour or more – I wondered if many American college students would hunger enough for an education to walk an hour to get to school each day…), why they wanted to study English (they all said it is the international language ) and what they would do if they were given $1,000. Many could barely speak any English and those interviews went quickly. One young girl struggled especially, and seemed both flustered and embarrassed at her lack of English.  I was ready to tell her sawa (it’s okay), we are finished, when the other tester asked her if she wanted to ask either of us a question.  She perked up and said yes, clearly understanding the question.  She turned quickly and deliberately to me and asked in very clear English, “How old are you?”  I certainly was not expecting that! Most of the students wanted only to know where I was from, or if I had children. I told her, what did I care (I turned 63 in Congo!) and asked her if she wanted to ask me anything else.  She said, very clearly again, “no”.  Either my grey hair captured her attention (I have seen only one Congolese with grey hair so far) or it was the only question she knew how to ask in English!

All in, the school was very appreciative for my help, but I realize that with only two native English speakers around, it was not as if they had many to choose from.  Now I am helping grade the written exams, and there are errors in the answer key.   Hmm, well it is only a placement exam…

Update:  It rained torrents last night, so many thanks for those who have been praying for rain.  I understand better the huge ruts in the road – it rains so hard it simply washes gullies into the road as there are no runoff sewers or trenches, and as the cars and motorcycles run through the mud, it makes them deeper. But it was so much more pleasant to walk around, even if one had to step around mud holes. No dust on most of the roads.

Day 33 without electricity, and I am learning that I can actually manage pretty well without it, at least here in Congo. Of course, I am walking around in crumpled, wrinkly clothes… Hmm, maybe that is why that girl asked me how old I was.  All she saw was one huge wrinkle...