Words that tell a story

The first week I went to teach English, she was very quiet. I knew that she could understand some of what her husband and I chatted about, but she didn’t contribute to the conversation. He told me that they were both from Somalia. They had met and married in Yemen. They lived in Turkey for three years before being granted permission to come to the United States as refugees.Fast-forward five months. We’re having a very similar conversation. Only this time, her husband is at work and she’s telling me her personal story. Leaving Somalia for Saudi Arabia at age 6 with her mother and sister. Waiting for her father to arrive. Working at age 16 in a hotel without papers. Picked up by the police at work and detained for 30 days. Put on a plane to Yemen without the chance to say goodbye to any family. Selling her gold ring to call her parents. Alone, working at another hotel in Yemen. Living with a co-worker who had several “visitors” every night and still hardly enough food. Meeting her husband in the neighborhood…In reflecting on my motives for teaching English, I think that when I first started, my motives were mainly economic. Not for me, of course, but for her. I know that learning English will help her to get a better job, to feel the dignity that comes from being able to contribute to her family and community. I don’t think that motive is bad. I do think, however, that I now also have another motive: Giving her words. The fact that she has learned and absorbed English so quickly is by no means a reflection on my teaching skills. Rather, I believe her desire to learn English is rooted in a desire to connect with those around her. A desire to share her story, to have a voice in the most literal sense. And having the privilege of hearing and treasuring that story, even if it is told to me in stumbling, not-so-perfect-words, is the reason why I love teaching English.Carla Brenneman is a dedicated volunteer, tutoring English once a week. She is studying to receive her Masters in Social Work and hopes to use this degree to work in community development. She currently works with a program at Lower Lights Ministries that offers transitional housing for female ex-offenders.