The Huron Expositor, 1990-10-10, Page 3'.6". THE rit)HOP4 EXPO6i TOM UC; TO6Ei 10. 19114-3
Mexican woman is learning Er glish in Sea torth
BY SUSAN OXFORD
To actin another language many
"pie travel to USA= cxxintr s k,
tanto lessons and practice
with the 'roves, and that i w�
uae wumwu► is doing is Stator&
Martha Hcnandcz-Carni is a
Y woman frau Mexico who
will te livuyl Seaforth for at
least throe monde to learn English.
She canes from a town called
Tepic which is near the resit city
of Puerto Vallance, a place Martha
has spun many weekends.
In Tepic Murtha watts at two
jobs and is sure being able to speak
English will be a benefit to her. in
the mornings she worts as a recep-
tionist in a medical clinic
downtown and helps cryptic
patients for the doctor. The doctor
meats people with colds, indigestion
and other common ailrncnta.
In the afternoons Martha works at
the job she is trained for and likes
best. She wets in a travel agency
booking flights and arranging trips
within Mexico for tourists. To be a
tour guide Martha would have to be
able to converse in English.
"I like working in the agency
because 1 meet people from around
the world," said Martha from her
host's home in Seaforth. "1 would
like to go to Europe sometime and
maybe if I learn more languages I
can work in Europe."
Martha's English lessons began
12 years ago when she was in a
private school preparing for univer-
sity. She also took French courses
as part of her preparation. Martha
spent five years at a public univer-
sity and graduated ready to work in
a travel agency.
In Tepic many of the businesses
do not have computers and Martha
has never worked with one. In
'.anger Mexican cities many travel
agencies Liu have computers and
Martha a stiswnalta dug is all her
state uiaybe tine agencies have
umputrrs.
Martha lives with bar of her
stswora un hetpasan['s apartment m
Topic. Allot them are single and at
34 -years -old Martha is the
youngest. She has a boyfriend,
Psansico, who lives is Taw and
works as an OIXOWItifit at the John
Deas tractor Wax. His company
main office and factory is to
Mlonter+ey, which is south at Dallas,
Teuaa.
"I mitran hum and I telephone him
sometimes,' said Martha. "It will be
good to be back home."
Two -and -a -half hours away Crum
Topic is Puerto Valiant' and many
weekends Martha and her sisuars
and friends drive to the resort town
to go to the beach and eniov the
nightlife. That she met Seaforth's
Gordon Pullman who was
vacationing at the resort two years
ago. Gordon, Martha and her
friends became friends and spent
some time together. Martha and
Gordon kept in touch by letter and
Gordon invited her to be his guest
in Scala -1h to learn English.
Through her agency Martha
booked a flight to Toronto via
Miami with a 12 hour stopover in
Chicago. At O'Hara airport Martha
spent the whole time in the airport
because she was afraid there might
be terrible crime outside the
Chicago airport. In Mexico, said
Martha, people talk about violence
in America, but she doesn't recall
hearing anything bad about Canada.
Being in Seaforth is a wonderful
opportunity for Martha. Gordon
does not speak Spanish so Martha
does not have to speak any Spanish.
She only speaks English and is
improving greatly.
Wok.► bi•A u►a arrived at Taroila
airport Sepsr bor 10 die fiat Wag
she no t iceed wU tie chill in the air.
With tie nice weedier w Mexico
d the water, Martha doubts
her boyfriend win vomit to Canada
to visit box is the winter. Her
visitor's visa is good for thrck
samba, but she is conadenng
maid sig it for another throe
months to give her tame time to
practice
' 1 bave English. ery good lumbar in
Seaforth," cxpiaised Martha. "I'd
like to antsy atlsd leans more for my
job and for mo."
Paul Copeland, a resident d
Senior* spends a few hours a
week with Martha at the Town of
Seaforth Council Chamber
teaching her English. Ha English is
very good and not difficult to fol-
low, although Martha expresses a
wish to be helped by people she
meets.
"If I pronounce a word wrong I
want to be corrected," Martha said.
"If 1 need help finding a word 1
want people to take the time to help
me find that word. And, of course,
if I use the wrong word I want to
be told so."
Martha also wants to meet more
people and travel to places near
Seaforth. She has been to London
and Toronto and has also met the
Mexican farm workers at Vissher's
farm in Exeter. In Tepic Martha has
her own Datsun car. If possible
Martha would like to make use of
her driving skills in Canada. She
has a Mexican driver's licence and
can drive a car with an automatic
transmission.
"In Mexico there are many types
of Spanish spoken," said Martha.
"From state to state it can make as
much difference as Irish and Scot-
tish."
SNACK TIME - Student Tammy Janmaat served cookies to
children at Time Out while the children' parents listened to
speakers discuss today's issues. Oxford photo.
NEXT STEP'S THE FUN PART
- Kalen Carroll did everything to
make little Ghantane feel better.
After feeding her and checking
her shoe there was little to do
but check her diaper. Oxford
photo.
"HAVEN'T I MET YOU
SOMEWHERE?" - Three -month-
old Kelly looks like she has a lot
of conversation to catch up on
with student Leanne Charters_
Oxford photo
A CHALLENGING GAME of Duck, duck, goose was played at
Time Out. High School students Mark Nolan and Kalen Carroll
supervised the game. Oxford photo.
Mothers benefit in "Time Out"
Time Out for Parents is meeting
every Wednesday morning from
9:30 to 11:30 at Egmondville
United Church.
Parents are invited
to attend group discussions on
topics of concern to today's parents.
1 ►N.►► wu�ui. a d►l- well *41 Oy LIIUIt
helpers and Seaforth High School
students from the Family Studies
program.
Tme Out is a nine -week program,
but if response to Time Out is good
similar program could be con-
tinued for parents. Some of the
topics for Time Out will be STEP
Parenting, Aids and Talking to
Children about Sex. Each week a
guest .spanker from the area will
give a talk to parents upstairs at the
church.
Call Heather or Susan
527-0240
a
LEARNING ENGLISH THE EASY WAY - Martha Hernandez -Carni has come from Mexico to Seaforth
to learn English. Seaforth resident Paul Copeland spends a few hours a week with her teaching English
at the Seaforth Council Chambers. Martha would Tike to meet people who understand her need for help
with English. Oxford photo.
Martha says it doesn't matter if
the people she meets in Seaforth are
young, old, married or single. She
just wants them to be patient with
her English and speak slowly. In
her work at the travel agency Mar-
tha has heard English spoken by
Americans, Canadians and British
people and notices the differences
in the language. She observes that
Canadians talk much faster titan
Americans
Poor highways irk councillors
BY MIKE WILLISCRAFT
The deteriorating highway
conditions in Huron County has
gotten to some county councilors
and they voiced their displeasure at
last Thursday's regular meeting.
"When I travel the provincial
highways in other areas and return
home, I find the condition of our
roads in terrible shape," said Coun.
Bill Mickle.
"This council has got to make an
effort to upgrade."
After requesting an update from
the province on improving highway
conditions, Mickle noted that there
has been concerns from across the
county.
"Our county roads are better than
our provincial highways. That's for
sure," said Mickle.
"There hasn't been any work
done from Exeter into Middlesex
(County) and even from Wingham
to Exeter. This is something we
should make known to the province
and to our new MPP. It will give
him something to do."
The matter was referred to the
Roads Committee.
PROCESSING PLANT
All levels of government are
looking for ways to attract new
businesses to their region or town
and Huron County councillors are
no different
Several council members pointed
out that although the county has a
white bean processing plant, in
Hensall, and a cannery, in Exeter,
there is no processing operation for
red meat.
"As a leader in agriculture, there
is no reason we shouldn't be able to
send the finished product to
Toronto, instead of on the hoof,"
said Warden Lionel Wilder, during
the discussion.
"We should do everything we can
to attract a business of that type to
Huron County. This is something
that shouldn't be gathering dust in
the corner."
The matter was referred to the
Agriculture and Property
Committee.
SOCIAL SERVICES
Statistics from the Ontario
Municipal Social Services
Association shows a steady increase
in caseloads.
The most recent numbers, from
July, reveal that Huron County's
caseloads rose more than 43 per
cent. The provincial average was
about 37.5 per ceni
The county's Social Services
Committee, in its report to council,
said that more clerical work is
needed to keep up with increased
caseload.
Currently, the office has one full-
time clerical position which is
equally shared by two part-time
employees. One of the two will be
called in for additional work when
the need arises.
"We are up to 80 per cent of our
budget to the end of August and
there are still four months to go,"
said John MacKinnon, social
services director.
'We will be well over budget and
there's nothing we can do about it"
HURONVIEW
Planned changes for Htronview
have been stalled since the election
of the new provincial government
but county council hopes to get
some information soon.
"Now that the premier has
announced his new cabinet we can
find something out," said Warden
Lionel Wilder.
Board to address drug awareness
Drug Education Awareness is the
theme for the Huron County Board
of Education's Professional Activity
Day, On Friday, October 26, at
Central Huron, October 26, at
Central Huron Secondary School.
Approximately 700 teachers and
administrators, as well as interested
citizens, will attend a full day of
presentations and workshops as part
of the Huron County Board's on-
going in-service initiative in drug
education begun in April, 1989.
The key -note address during the
morning session will be given by
Dick O'Brien from the Council on
Drug Abuse. More than 25 small
group sessions will be available for
participants to choose from in the
afternoon. Individual school staffs
will meet during the final session of
the day, to begin forming their
school section plans.
Further in-service sessions will
take place in November at each
school. During the spring of 1991,
additional in-depth training for
administration, school represen-
tatives and counsellors will take
place. Also in the spring, school
staffs will get together in regions to
share action plans. Following that,
the board will develop a Board
Drug Education Policy m this area
for the fall of 1991.
NDP postal critic calls for halt
The New Democrat postal critic
has called on the government to
reject Canada Post's proposal for a
1 cent increase in first class postal
rates requested for January 1, 1991.
"The proposal cannot be justified.
After two years of gutting the pos-
tal system and recording multi-
million dollar profits, the Cor-
poration cannot expect Canadians to
accept another increase in rates,"
Len Taylor MP (The Battlefords-
Meadow Lake) said.
"is Canada Post not happy with
its $149 million in profits last year,
or its $96 million the year before?
There isn't a postal iter in Canada,
urban or rural, who hasn't been
touched by cutbacks in services.
There is no way the people in
Canada will accept any increases in
their rates.
"Canada Post is still a Crown
Corporation and must be held ac-
countable for its actions. Until the
Cation restores services, par-
ticularly in rural areas. no more rate
inc eases should be considered.
"The last increase (two cents) was
subjected to public hearings. The
Marchment Report recommended
acceptance of the incir.ase. only if it
was applied to increases in service.
"Since then more post offices
have closed, more postal workers
are out of work, more communities
have been denied door-to-door
delivery, more rural route carriers
have lost their jobs, and the
Canadian people are being asked to
sort their own mail. What kind of
nonsense is this?" Mr. Taylor said.
Last year, Mr. Taylor released a
report on post office operations
called "Canada's Post," in which he
called for the establishment of a full
time Commission to ensure the
Canada Post Corporation adheres to
its mandate of providing service
first.
"1 again call on the government to
establish the independent commis-
sion, and to investigate what is
going on inside Canada Post.
"The gutting of our postal system
and the abuse of its employees, and
users, has got to stop," he said.
Hobbyists should register craft
Home -hobbyists who plan to craft
dolls and decorations to sell at
Christmas markets and church
bazaars should call on Ontario's
Consumer Ministry before getting
started.
Whether shaped like a pooch,
pillow or potholder, if items are
stuffed or padded. the craftsperson
must be registered with the
ministry's Upholstered and Stuffed
Aticles Branch.
The branch works to protect the
public from unclean or used fillings
in articles for sale in Ontario
6
"The biggest problem in
registering home hobbyists is not
that they're unwilling to fill out the
form and send away their minimal
annual fee," says director Murray
Firzpatrick.
"it's simply that some people still
think registration applies only to the
big manufactures.
in fact, a separate registration
form and fee schedule were
designed specifically for home
hobbysits and craft operators in the
mid-1970s
Tera to paste 111 •