The Rural Voice, 2005-12, Page 30We'd like to take this
opportunity to wish
you and yours all the
best!
Q
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Siapppv
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400 Huron St., Stratford, ON N5A 5T5
Office (519) 273-3300
Toll Free 1-800-565-9983
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Highway trailers - dump trailers - livestock trailers - custom built trailers
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Winter is coming - turn your skid steer in to a dozer with our heavy duty tracks
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CONTACT ABRAHAM BAUMAN 1 (519) 923-9772
199 190 2nd Line N.E., R.R. #3 Dundalk, Ont. NOC 1130
26 THE RURAL VOICE
needed my signature. I couldn't read
a word of the form. For all I knew I
was signing away my first-born.
"For someone who loves language,
complex discussions and long
evenings of conversation it was hard
to suddenly have `pass the butter', be
my linguistic accomplishment of the
day."
Weber said that finding a
community was important. "At the
beginning I worked really hard at
connecting with the Swiss moms. It
worked on some levels but there
were cultural differences that made it
hard. I finally developed a small
group of ex pat friends with whom I
could relax, talk with and who
understood my cultural background."
That is just one of the greatest
benefits of the ESL class here.
"Learners get a chance to bond
with others who are going through
the same experience, the same
isolation, the same language
difficulties. The ESL course seems to
revolve around a lot of laughter as
learners chuckle at their own
mistakes and share their stories of
what has been happening to them."
Weber said her experiences are
similar to the ESL learners with one
very important difference. "These
people are going to stay here, their
children will be raised as Canadians."
Most of the learners are attached to
agriculture on some level, said
Weber. The afternoon class has
women from Holland who work with
their husbands on the farm. They
want to improve their language skills
so they can better their work skills
and discover more about the rules
and regulations required for
agriculture here.
That's only an acre in a whole field
of necessity, however. "They need
to be able to write notes to teachers
at school. They need to learn how the
education system works here."
The classes also function as a safe
place where learners can come to
share their experiences of trying to
function in a new country. What are
the new customs? How do you
interact with your neighbours here?
The latter is a very important issue
to address as, in addition to being
unable to communicate, newcomers
are often intimidated by the
spaciousness of not just the rural
landscape, but that of their new