Present yourself!Practise your English!
It has been a month since I came to Omeida. One month ago, I came here with the hope that I can help others and at the same time make myself grow. And just like what was said in the very beginning, “In Omeida helping others is helping yourself”, I felt this all the time here. Both teachers and students are improving themselves not only in class where there are always intriguing topics going on, but also after class when they have outdoor activities like climbing, rafting, riding, and indoor activities like one-on-one language partner, English corner, monthly dinner and etc. We learn English everywhere and all the time.
Several weeks ago, we had this speech competition at English corner, and even now I can recollect every detail of it. Everyone did a pretty good job in the competition where they expressed and showed who they are. Students are actively involved.
Elvis from level 5 was creative, using a different way to give his speech. Aiden from level 0 had the courage to take part in it and showed us how he had improved himself over the past few weeks. John from level 1 amazed me with his enthusiasm. Lily’s speech was well-structured and very clear. Joe impressed others with his attempts to understand things better. Alan from level 2, although young, had the guts to come on stage. Sunny 1 also challenged herself. Andrew told us his reflection on how different countries and regions reacted differently to the virus. Although this was a sensitive topic for people in the room, he did it appropriately and showed people that he really cared about things.
Darren from level 3 had put real effort in his speech. Elvis from level 3 had tried his best to improve himself. Frank introduced some spots for us to visit in Yangshuo. Jessica tried her best to overcome her difficulties in pronunciation. Ken showed a different side of himself in his speech. Judy and Song showed good attitudes. Sunny 2 showed her sincere thoughts on a mom’s identity. I could felt how sensitive Steve is when he mentioned how this coronavirus affected people mentally. He himself was greatly touched by the topic.
Laura knew exactly how to present herself on the stage. She gave her reflection on how coronavirus affected her life personally, using a casual tone, which showed her optimistic attitude. Peter is always doing great in activities. He impressed people with his contagious smile by which people saw his sincerity. At the end of speech, we also had Odar who gave students compliments and encouragement.
Through the photos of teachers and students, I see that teachers really care about their students’ improvement. They get along really well.
One can really learn English well at Omeida only if he or she is fully immersed himself in the language environment. Giving a speech makes people grow. Although some students, due to their different characters, can find it difficult to express themselves in public, they actually did well in the end, which is something they should be proud of. It is not easy to give a speech in Chinese, not to mention in English. Speaking in English in such occasion accentuates your feeling of mastering this language!