Community Integration

What I have learned in the Process of Integrating.

Food is a very important avenue for community integration.  People are proud of their food and have many stories to go along with the food. People also have many different conversations while eating dinner.  Most of the conversations are about one's day or something that is going to happen in the near future.  One of the simplest things that I learn while eating is adjectives (maalat-salty, maahang-spicy, masarap-delicious, etc) that I can use at a different time.

Travel is another way of practicing language. It forces you to use it.  Besides using it to buy tickets or pay for fare many strangers start conversations with me beginning with 'where are you going?" and it takes off from there.  Personal appearance and items purchased at a store also grab people's attention on the jeepneys and their curiosity and I again have an opportunity to practice language in that manner.

 I practice language in my community through a part time "job" I have.  Like I am the tindera at my families Sari-Sari store and practice language with the locals. I learn by listening so I will listen to conversations to get the tones and words and see how they are used in conversation. It is impossible to to avoid conversation so you are forced into it using the language. 


Most people who study foreign languages are aware that some words, expressions or experiences are not easily translated into language, so one must understand the local language to understand the intent behind the saying because its meaning will get lost in translation because it does not mean the same thing.