We thought we would introduce our family to some new foods this week. Since they are vegetarian and haven’t really ventured outside to try new cuisines we though we’d bring over some Chipotle since it’s sort of a neutral flavor similar to South Asian food and  alot of people like. The burrito bowls and chips went over well i think and we had some good conversation as we ate together.

The best part was that the kids finally started talking to us. Even though they just recited their address and names it still more then we got fro the previous weeks when they would just hide when we appeared. Me and Avjit are excited to take them to the holiday party and hope that they enjoy the festive atmosphere.

Thursday was my last family visit with the Burmese family I’ve been working with this semester.  It was surreal to say goodbye- which was added to by the fact that as far as I could tell, none of them understood me when I said I’d be out of the state for a while.

I’ll miss visiting the family, especially the kids.  But like my partner Renee wrote, I’m excited to see how our relationship will progress in the coming months.  If the family stays in Chicago, I’m sure it will be possible for Renee and I to keep in contact with the family so that when next semester starts up, we can visit them as frequently as we have been this semester.

On Thursday I went into the ECAC to do some interview practice with clients–a group of about 7 women. We had a worksheet that went through some of the questions they might be asked. After practicing several times, they interviewed each other for more practice. Their English levels varied, but it worked out very well. The women who felt comfortable helped those who they saw were struggling. Those with more advanced English helped interpret for me so I could better understand what others were having trouble with. It was very interesting how much they were helping each other despite all applying for the same job. It was very apparent they wished for the success of each other just as much as for themselves. I would highly suggest doing interview practice with either the ECAC or when you visit your family because it is a very empowering activity. They are gaining an invaluable skill while also working on employment vocabulary. The employment committee will have an interview packet available to everyone that they can take to work on with their family if this is something you are interested in doing.