One of the methods presented to us for finding people to develop relationships with was to give English lessons. In order to find students we spent time creating flyers and distributing them around the center of Prato and in some neighborhoods. We went to coffee bars and food stands to leave them for people to pick up and we left them on car windows and in mailboxes (not illegal since it counts as an advertisement). We passed out so many flyers and once we got a call. This was very exciting but unfortunately after the first lesson, we never heard from the man again. Some months later while Anto, Ryan, and I were cleaning at the church building, two men walked in asking about the flyers and if they could get English lessons. This got us excited again because we finally got another response and potentially something else to add to our schedule, an opportunity to interact with people outside the church. These men did not show up to their lesson.
During the same time, we got a phone call from another man from Senegal who wanted to meet with someone to practice his English. It started out with Jackson and I meeting with him and later on it switched to Ryan and I. It has been a great experience meeting with Lamine on a weekly basis. He is such a good student and always wanting to learn new things. Lamine is 25 years old and came to live in Italy because the university he was trying to attend in France got a mix up and wouldn't allow him to enter just yet. His family here offered him a place to stay and he has been playing soccer for a team here. He loves sports, rap music, and talking about world issues and philosophy. He, like us, often misses his friends and family back home along with the culture and way of life he left behind.
Each week we spend time talking about how the previous week went, going over some grammar and vocabulary, and reading a story from the bible. He'll ask questions about words he didn't understand, I'll ask some questions to see if he understood the concepts and get his thoughts on what it means, and we'll also work on pronunciation.
Recently we've been meeting with him on Saturdays with the rest of the team just to hang out and let him practice his English more. He doesn't have very many people in Prato who speak English and so he really enjoys this time to be with a group of Americans around his age. We normally always meet at the church building but this past Saturday I decided to take this gathering mobile, so we walked around and treated him out to gelato. During this time he told us that he thinks America is the best and we are good friends and people. This of course made us very happy.
When I leave this place I will really miss getting together for lessons and fun with Lamine. I hope someday he can visit the country he believes is so wonderful and maybe I could see him again.
