Tim and I are continuing to lead worship in the mornings, during this class I think every morning (earlier only once per week). We are both enjoying that time and the routine of it. I know we will want to use our music in Peru, but I am also recognizing that our style of worship music is specifically American. Translating worship music for Peru will not simply be a matter of linguistic translation. Their entire approach to worship music is more communal, whereas ours is markedly individual (me and God). Also, our music tends to be very serious, while theirs is more celebratory. We are both looking forward to learning new styles and approaches, but we also know that we need to play with Peruvians (under their direction) to really get a feel for their music. That will take time and work.
In the afternoons, we are spending 2 hours with a native speaker of another language practicing our techniques for language learning. These native speakers are not trained in any way- their role is mostly to respond as we ask simple questions (How do you say "school"?) and patiently let us practice. I am learning Vietnamese, and Tim is learning Russian. We're both thoroughly enjoying ourselves! We are using some of the learning/teaching techniques I learned about in my short career as a Spanish teacher, but there are many more that seem so obvious and awesome I can't believe I never thought of them. Then again, there's a big difference between a group of 4 missionaries-to-be learning language as a vital professional skill and a class of 30 14-year-olds taking my class because they need it to graduate. I'm not sure some of these techniques would be so useful in public high schools!
