Lydia Likes It

The volunteering life {conversation groups}

After working in ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classes for eight years, I've been thinking more and more about testing myself in a new format. Conversation groups aren't classes per se. There's no homework. No reading challenges. No tests. Conversation groups encourage students to interact with each other and with a facilitator/teacher, to get to know each other, and to share information and opinions. I've thought of a few conversation starters: (1) a list of very broad questions around a single topic (parenting, a visit to the doctor, cooking for the holidays, travel, meeting in a gym class, crafts, places to walk); and (2) reading and discussion of a recent newspaper article about a current event. Role playing could be fun, too: we all find ourselves in a new-to-us situation. How would we introduce ourselves and find out about the other people? I'm currently speaking with two agencies about possibly starting a conversation group, for a maximum of 10 students. I'll let you know how it works out.

The volunteering life {job interview practice}

Long-term commitments and one-off events share space in my volunteering life, and provide the balance I crave. The relationships I've nurtured with two nonprofit agencies that serve immigrants and refugees -- Jewish Vocational Services and International Institute of New England -- ensure that both types of opportunities, from both agencies, cross my desk frequently. Several months ago, during an in-person job interview practice session, I met a young woman who had come to Boston in early 2023. In Haiti, she had worked as an environmental scientist, but here she planned to become a Certified Nursing Assistant, for which there are many openings in the Boston area, so she could be self-supporting and also help her mother and other family back home. After we finished our 45-minute meeting, I gave her my contact information and offered to answer questions or provide any other help she needed as she continued her job search. A few days later, I got a message from her asking if I'd be willing to talk with her once a week, so she could practice her conversational English. And from that time, we've been Zooming for an hour every week, with no particular agenda, just talking and getting comfortable, with gentle corrections here and there. Lately we've been talking about the political situation in Haiti, the safety of her family there, and how we wish the violence would end. We're learning a lot from each other. Oh, by the way, she's found a great new job, too.

Zooming around the kitchen table

At the start of the pandemic, when in-person classes and meetings and work were cancelled, everything moved to something called Zoom. As I had retired a few years earlier, I didn't know what Zoom was, or how to use it, or why I should care, but it didn't take long for me to figure out that this was how we were all going to stay connected until the universe calmed down, and then everything would go back to the way it had been. Or, that's what I thought at the time. Zoom, an interactive online platform, allows for two-way participation between two people, or 50 people. You can attend a lecture, organize a neighborhood action group, meet with your entire family at the same time, or even take a class. One of my friends does Zoom art groups, where everyone is working on a fiber or art project together. My adult English students love Zoom, because they can work from home, take care of their children, and save time and money on commuting to school for classes. And I've come to love it, too. Do you Zoom?

Pick-up line

The city of Newton sits adjacent to Boston; it's a vibrant suburb, home to several colleges and universities and shopping malls and many restaurants and ample green space. Some time in 2025, Ted and I plan to move to a brand new senior independent living community in Newton, and it's occurred to us that we don't know much about the city at all. Most of our activity -- cultural, medical, volunteering, and our previous work life -- has been centered in Boston. Imagine my delight to learn that Newton has a city-sponsored on-demand ride service called New Mo: Newton in Motion. NewMo, which operates Monday-Friday, costs just $2 per ride, anywhere in Newton, and works just like Uber or Lyft. (If you are age 60 or older, the NewMo Senior Service offers some additional benefits, like door-to-door and Saturday morning service and the ability to prebook for medical appointments.) Affordable, sustainable, easy to use on your phone: I can't wait to try it.

Hablas Español?

Do you hablas Español? Do you hablas French, or Russian, or Mandarin, or Greek, or Haitian Creole, or any second language (assuming English is your first)? In my New Jersey public school system, languages weren't a priority, and we didn't have the option of electing to study a language until high school. Having not achieved any fluency in Hebrew school when I was younger, I realized that language aptitude was not part of my makeup, so I convinced myself (and my parents) that taking Latin in high school would stand me in good stead academically, and give me a leg up in case I ever time-traveled to ancient Rome. Oh, how I regret that decision. Being good at crossword puzzles is one thing, but being able to travel and converse easily in Mexico or Costa Rica or Venezuela or Puerto Rico is much more appealing. ¡Debería haber estudiado Español! Now I can, with the aid of technology. Babbel, Pimsleur and Rosetta Stone are three sites to check out. Different styles, different prices, all with great reviews. It's never too late to learn. ¡Empecemos!