The main theme I noticed across all five of our visits was that simplicity was our friend. When explaining things that are perfectly ordinary to the average American, it was easy to get carried away and start babbling, which always resulted in confused looks and nodding along - though really having no idea what we were saying. Their English was so limited that the best thing to do was to revert to 1-3 word phrases, such as "apple is red," instead of explaining that the apple is a fruit that is varied in color and is very good with caramel or peanut butter and can be eaten as a solid, a sauce, or a juice. Sometimes a person in our group would forget simplicity, and another one of us would simplify it to a couple words that they were familiar with, and they would often react with "ooooohh, okay okay!" and possibly add something to the idea.
I think this experience will help me a great deal as I pursue my career in nursing. I will be caring for people from all walks of life, and not all of them will understand English, let alone complicated medical terms. Nonverbal communication methods, such as pointing and demonstrating an idea with my body such as walking, along with simplicity, will probably be my best friends when I am caring for someone who doesn't speak English, and this experience has really honed those skills.
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Visit #5
Our final visit was probably our most successful and rewarding visit so far; it was rather bittersweet to have made such progress and then have to say goodbye for the last time. When we came in for the first time, our family spoke very, very small amounts of English, not nearly enough that is needed to have a decent conversation. By our final visit, we had taught them enough to ask them things about themselves and their home country, Malaysia. It was clear that they were very willing to share this information, and I'm very glad we've given them the ability to begin to disclose everything they wish to disclose. For instance, we asked what the weather was like in Malaysia; hot or cold, sunny or rainy. They told us that it is very hot all year round, and rains quite a bit. We also asked what kinds of food they ate over there, and they were able to tell us that they had all sorts of vegetables and fruits, as well as fish, chicken, and rice. When asked what food they liked from here in America, they said all of it was good. I asked if they had any favorites like pizza or soda, and they said that they enjoyed pizza. The husband, Twan Son, got up and got some soda native to his part of the world for us, which was very touching.
I am thrilled that we were able to help our family learn English; it helped so much with how much they were able to disclose about themselves, as well as reducing any uncertainties that they had, such as asking if two shades of purple could both be considered purple. We know from what we've seen that they are adjusting to America well, and they were able to tell us during this visit that they feel the same. They think that America is a good place to live, though they do miss their home country. They have friends over here as well; some are from Malaysia and some are new friends who speak the same language. They still have a long road ahead of them as far as adjustment goes, but I know that they will be okay.
I am thrilled that we were able to help our family learn English; it helped so much with how much they were able to disclose about themselves, as well as reducing any uncertainties that they had, such as asking if two shades of purple could both be considered purple. We know from what we've seen that they are adjusting to America well, and they were able to tell us during this visit that they feel the same. They think that America is a good place to live, though they do miss their home country. They have friends over here as well; some are from Malaysia and some are new friends who speak the same language. They still have a long road ahead of them as far as adjustment goes, but I know that they will be okay.
Visit #4
Our fourth visit ended up being a big miscommunication. We've had a lot of coordination issues between our family, as well as between the four of us. Normally, we spend time with our family on Sunday nights, but we couldn't one night and rescheduled to Friday April 11. When we arrived, we found that a member of our family (the husband) was missing. Since they speak very little English to begin with, it was difficult for his wife, Hoy Lin Par, to explain that he was not there. Because not everybody was present and because she was so clearly uncomfortable with us being there without her husband, we decided to leave and ease her worries.
I wish that our family was able to understand more English; it would help a lot with how much they disclose about themselves and the degree to which they reduce uncertainty. Instead of telling us that her husband was out and that she was uncomfortable with us being there without him, Hoy Lin Par had to rely on the nonverbal part of communication to relay to us that she was not comfortable and her husband was not there.
We learned a bit about interpreting nonverbal communication in this visit; we stayed for about five minutes, and that was all it took for each of us to realize that our presence was not exactly desirable at the moment. The door to their apartment was locked and Hoy Lin Par asked who was there before opening the door, and then was clearly uncomfortable with us being there without her husband present. Her figure was hunched, her eyes were averted, and she was extremely quiet. When we said we were leaving, her relief was evident through her smile and opening the door for us. This was not insulting at all; Hoy Lin Par is much more introverted and less talkative than her husband, and we completely understood.
I wish that our family was able to understand more English; it would help a lot with how much they disclose about themselves and the degree to which they reduce uncertainty. Instead of telling us that her husband was out and that she was uncomfortable with us being there without him, Hoy Lin Par had to rely on the nonverbal part of communication to relay to us that she was not comfortable and her husband was not there.
We learned a bit about interpreting nonverbal communication in this visit; we stayed for about five minutes, and that was all it took for each of us to realize that our presence was not exactly desirable at the moment. The door to their apartment was locked and Hoy Lin Par asked who was there before opening the door, and then was clearly uncomfortable with us being there without her husband present. Her figure was hunched, her eyes were averted, and she was extremely quiet. When we said we were leaving, her relief was evident through her smile and opening the door for us. This was not insulting at all; Hoy Lin Par is much more introverted and less talkative than her husband, and we completely understood.
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