Last Friday was an exciting day, there was a new student in class today. He had just moved to the US and was from a country in Africa. I got the chance to sit down and talk with him; which went more smoothly than I thought. At his school in Africa he had been taught English, so he was able to carry a simple conversation. We first started off talking about where we were form and when he found out I was from a suburb of Chicago, he tried to describe the big buildings, but could not remember the word "Building". He started to move is hands far apart from each other and I wasn't understanding what he was saying. I started to notice that he was getting frustrated that there was a problem communicating what he wanted to say. He then took a paper and pen and drew the Sears Tower. It was then that I realized what he was saying and he smiled and we both laughed about it.
I felt bad for him when he couldn't think of the words he needed to carry on the conversations with me, his classmates, and teachers. His face would show an angry emotion and he got frustrated with himself like it was his fault that he couldn't carry on a conversation with others. I felt bad, I just wanted to say "Its okay, everyone in this room went through what you're going through now." I was glad that there were two boys in the class that were form the same country as him and knew his native language. I think it made him feel more comfortable and more willing to hang out with the boys. I hope that he eventually gets through the communication barriers, but he seems to be getting along with his classmates better and better everyday.
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