February was a quiet month at the House. We conducted two visits as usual, with Rotarians Bill Pierce and Gordana Nardini visiting on Saturday, February 4. I was on vacation, but Bill did an excellent job helping patients. Gordana conducted an English language exchange for all residents with Bill assisting. The topic this time was common household words and everyday actions within a house. The second activity was the ever-popular Bingo game with prizes. Everybody wins! When someone fills out their card, everyone sings a song, and the winner picks out a snack.
For the second visit, I was by myself. I brought my Bingo set just in case, but I ran out of time before I could begin to play. This time I tried a new twist on the English language practice, including writing. We told a story. It was a simple fill-in-the-blank task that every student knows. All the residents already have varying levels of English, so I asked those who knew more to help others. Our Intern, David and a new staff member, Bang, assisted me. The story started with “In”_____(City). I encouraged everyone to choose whatever location they wished and write it in both English and Burmese. They filled in the blanks with great choices. We all had so much fun! We ran over schedule, and it was time for lunch.
