Polyglots

Yesterday morning I went with Jocelyn to a school where she learns Korean. All the students were Filipinas so it was quite an experience hearing Tagalog, Cebuano, Korean and English all in one setting. If Koreans are quiet and reserved, a class of Filipinos sounds like constant chatter. And the students and teacher were amazed to see that I could actually speak in Tagalog and even add some Cebuano phrases. The fact that there are cognates in Tagalog and Cebuano makes the vocabulary easier to understand. With Korean one has to learn the vocabulary without these aids. I know the Korean alphabet, but have real empathy for young kids learning our alphabet because by the time I have worked out the syllables in a word, I have often forgotten the entire word. Argh. ha ha.

In the evening we went to a wonderful ballet which included both dance and singing. I only wished I knew more of the words. One of the major roles was played by a girl who was classmates with our friend Cindy. The subway system is so well-organized, but we ended up doing a lot of walking. I think it says something about their system that the doors open to phrases from classical music. As we came to one stop, the Brandenburg Concerto played.

Today I had three of the quietest students I have ever seen. I had them interview one another, and they eventually told me about a well known hip-hop group which one can find on the internet. Amazing how things can be so different but so similar from one country to another.