greek to me

Once a week we meet with Ate Bebe for our language lesson.
She is a very patient, gifted teacher, and she encourages us even when we are so very slow to learn!
She is also a fabulous cultural interpreter, answering questions we have about living here.


The Bisayan vocabulary isn't so hard - it's the grammatical structure that makes our minds whirl.
Our assignment this week is to memorize the personal pronouns.
I guess I'd better go study!

What amazes me most is the warm and gracious reception of the Filipino people to our faltering Bisaya.
The letters below (and others like them) were written to us by Mae, the house helper who works full-time next door. She wants to help us learn the language, and this is her way of helping.
She began leaving letters written in Bisaya, along with English translations, in our mailbox!

Though she gets up at the crack of dawn to begin her work, she sits up late at night to write to us.
Through the letters we've written back and forth, we are getting to know Mae better. Now when we see her in the street, she's not as shy to talk with us. And through her letters, Mae has encouraged and blessed us.