I was always myself...
In the life
I have been many things
I was a complicated daughter
For parents and family
half a century ago
When I spoke I didn't shut up
When I defended myself
The consequences didn't matter.
I grew up and was a wife, mother, grandmother, teacher
Injustices have always moved me.
I decided to be a lighthouse and open the range of possibilities.
Of equality between the brothers of the world.
Mirta Liliana Ramírez has been a poet and writer since she was 12 years old. She has been a Cultural Manager for more than 35 years. Creator and Director of the Groups of Writers and Artists: Together for the Letters, Artescritores, MultiArt, JPL world youth, Together for the letters Uzbekistan 1 and 2. She firmly defends that culture is the key to unite all the countries of the world. She works only with his own, free and integrating projects at a world cultural level. She has created the Cultural Movement with Rastrillaje Cultural and Forming the New Cultural Belts at the local level and also from Argentina to the world.
light snowfall tonight
but no accumulation
oatmeal for dinner
—
cups of coffee at
eleven-thirty at night
can’t find my ear drops
—
bus leaves without me
guess I’ll stay home & try out
those detergent sheets
—
bio/graf
J. D. Nelson’s poems have appeared in many publications, worldwide, since 2002. He is the author of eleven print chapbooks and e-books of poetry, including *purgatorio* (wlovolw, 2024). Nelson’s first full-length collection is *in ghostly onehead* (Post-Asemic Press, 2022). Visit his website, MadVerse.com, for more information and links to his published work. His haiku blog is at JDNelson.net. Nelson lives in Boulder, Colorado, USA.
PROBLEMS THAT ARISE IN THE PROCESS OF TEACHING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE AND THEIR SOLUTIONS
Annotation: This article highlights the description of useful options which helps to think in English.
With the development of the period, the need and demand for learning a language have increased so much that nowadays there is a need to know a foreign language in almost every field. In particular, English has become one of the most studied languages in the world. The demand and supply for young personnel who can perfectly learn this language and contemplate in this one are increasing more and more. However, a question arises: “Why is it difficult for us to think in this language?”, “How we can debate, praise and criticize in this language?”. These questions will be answered fully, clearly, and with examples in this article.
Some reasons that prevent us from thinking in English and one of them is the use of bilingual dictionaries. That is, if we want to know the meaning of a word or phrase, we use bilingual dictionaries, from English to native language or from native to English. Many students continue to refer to these translation dictionaries whenever they want to know the meaning of a word because they have been taught the grammar-translation method since kindergarten and school and it has become a habit for them, however, it is very urgent that we should break this mode. Because of big differences between languages in terms of vocabulary, translation, grammar, and structure, we confront with a plenty of obstacles when we want to know how a word in Uzbek is called in English, we may not find this word in dictionaries, or we may find a word used in a completely different meaning in dictionaries. We know that every language has its own and figurative words, and in the process of translation we come across words with completely different meanings from bilingual dictionaries. In addition, it takes a lot of time to think and translate in a conversation – this leads to pauses, hesitations and the inability to speak quickly and fluently.
The reasons mentioned above are known to eradicate our study on foreign language. Even so, there are several methods and specific rules to overcome such misunderstandings and defects. If we follow them strictly, we can soon notice a great revolution, and we can communicate in English fluently and become proficient in meditating on English. To begin with, we should surround ourselves with English. This does not mean going to an English-speaking country, and even we can accomplish this task at our home. For this, we need to do a day of English for 10 minutes every day, and we should regard this time not as study time, but as a fun and interesting process. Later, we can gradually increase this time from 10 minutes to 20, 30, 40 and more minutes. At this time, we can listen to podcasts, listen to the radio or music, read blogs, magazines and books or watch the English movies that we like, and during this time we can do two things. Firstly, we can listen passively. At that moment, we reduce the stress and pressure and it helps us to learn the language deeply. We also get the opportunity to get to know the speech and pronunciation of native speakers and increase our range of vocabulary. The other is that we have the opportunity to repeat the words and phrases we perceive and find out, and this is very beneficial for regulating pronunciation standards.
Moreover, we should only turn to account words that we know and have already learned. Sometimes we try to explain or express an idea while speaking, but we don’t acquire knowledge of vocabulary. At this time, we endeavour to find the translation of this word in the dictionary or ask someone for a translation. Maybe it helps us to increase our vocabulary, but it has a defective effect on the fluency of our speech. Therefore, it is preferable to use only words that we acquainted with. Although these words are very elementary, if the speech is carried out fluently without pauses and word searches, we will be successful. If we don’t have enough vocabulary to explain something, we need to look around the word, by this we mean that, we can think of synonyms or alternatives for that word. If we can’t find them either, it’s best to refrain from expressing that thought or idea.
The next point is that we should start learning from small and build it up step by step. It is challenging to ruminate about this non-native language, however, we can initiate this from learning only simple words, after that, we broaden this range by being informed of collocations, phrases, simple and complex sentences. One of the most conventional and predominant ways is looking at a picture and illustrating it. At first, we start by saying only the name of the item, subject, person and event depicted in this picture which we know the translation of. Then, we make phrases with adjectives or pronouns from the ones mentioned above. We make simple sentences from word combinations, and complex sentences from simple sentences. Then we get used to doing this exercise when we walk down the street, do shopping, go to the doctor’s office, wait in queue at the bank. By repeating this actions permanently, we learn to describe, analyze and evaluate the events and cases happening around us. Thus, we rise from the bottom to the top. Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky said that the inner voice, our thinking came from the internalization of the outer voice. The inner voice in our head is the same as when we speak. There is one difference and it is our muscles. We do not make use of our muscles when we think, but we utilize when we speak. That is why, this process of thinking, speaking, thinking, and speaking through practice we can amplify it and help us to think in English.
Another strategy is that we should use English in our daily life. We should keep a diary and when we wake up in the morning, we should write in it our plans for the day, the tasks that we need to do, and at the end of the day, how our day was, what events happened, and what plans we made in our diary. Due to the repetition of such kind of workouts, we learn to use English in everyday life and use it correctly. Of course, there is a huge difference between speaking and writing, and they are separated from each other. But, according to some researches, writing and speaking are connected to each other in some cases. For instance, both of this skills require to meditate, criticize, prove or explain the phenomenon and it is depend on ourselves how to express this. However, we cannot write the way we speak. By taking notes, making some sentences on our diary, we learn to write cohesively and coherently in English without translation and a dictionary. As I highlighted above, we should only use the words we know.
In addition to this, as we know, practice is the most important part of learning language, as well as English. When we practice speaking with our friends, teachers, family members or other people, we will be more aware of events or things that are happening around us. So, we will more likely to think in English in order to make conversation with our partners.
The last option is that we should be monolingual. As I mentioned above, when we search words which we don’t know in bilingual dictionary, we may face some difficulties to find the exact translation or meaning. It is better to use monolingual ones that show the synonyms or definitions. By this, we can focus only on one language, enlarge our range of vocabulary and learn to think in this language.
All in all the discussion in this article has clearly shown some causes which disturb us from learning language completely and properly, and a huge number of options and strategies which help us to think in English, speak fluently and smoothly like native speakers and break up the barriers that we may face. By following these rules, we hope that students, even language learners can adapt to the English environment and live in it!
Divine
I surpassed a gloomy vessel
Half emptied with brimming madness
It poured down over my triumphed choir
I summoned the angels from heaven
Of uttering divine prophecy
In the utmost time
Fall before illusion
Time's coveted monument
It surpassed a breathed life
All enchanting under the divine choir
The spasmodic rhythm
Of Earth awakened madness
It passed a heavy fall
Before I lie awakened with omniscient rhythm
I knew the divine speaks to all.
Previously published in Children, Churches and Daddies Kitten
"Cream of Wheat," said the young woman with a sigh, closing the menu and addressing her waitress. It was 6 a.m. and Georgia had bustled into the Corner Diner, simply ravenous from a hard night's work. She could have chosen to eat anything. but no, she still had a few pounds to lose, so she would be good. It was very hard, however, and Georgia was in a constant struggle to contain her appetite; she loved to eat.
As if scenting blood, the waitress asked, leaning in, "You want anything to go with that, Hon'?"
Georgia thought hard for a moment, scowled, then said, "Yes! Three eggs, over-easy, bacon, sausage, a breakfast steak and toast." The more she thought of food the more she was compelled to order. Okay, so she wasn't being so good. "And a glass of orange juice, coffee, and a short stack," she added hastily. Then she said, "do you have biscuits and gravy?" The waitress just stared at her. "Half order," said Georgia determinedly.
"Will there be anything else?" asked the waitress sardonically.
"Yes," said Georgia. "Don't forget the hot sauce!"
"Wouldn't wanna do that, Hon'," the other woman assured her, then smiled and
flipped closed her order pad.
Georgia looked past the counter at which she sat and into the kitchen, in the rear
of the restaurant. There she spied what she supposed was the cook, a really tiny
woman with freckles and a red bandana wrapped round her dark hair. She
appeared to be smoking a blunt. Georgia was rather intrigued.
"Order up," snapped the waitress, ringing a bell and slipping order receipts under little spring-loaded hooks in front of he kitchen window. "B & G, hamburger, chiliburger, three over-easy, breakfast steak, short stack, full stack and another
B & G..."
Georgia could see the little cook roll her eyes as the waitress rattled on, then take the reefer from her mouth and next tackle preparing the food. The waitress returned, filling Georgia's coffee cup, said,
"Wanna donut? They're free. These are the old ones. They were fried last night, and we don't charge for them after 6 a.m."
"Sure," replied Georgia, still voraciously hungry. She glanced at the waitress's
name tag, saw "Marj" emblazoned on the plastic. The ageless waitress ducked
her head into a display case and turned up a blueberry donut, served it on a
small plate. "I could get you a fresh one, but then I'd hafta charge you a buck."
"Thanks...Marj." The other woman smiled.
"I'll just check on your order," she said, and then swept back to the kitchen. She returned. "Comin' right up, Hon'."
Georgia had a sudden idea. "Say, Marj," she said, would it be alright if I go back to the kitchen and talk with the cook?"
"Help yourself, Baby, she could probably use the company. Her name's Andrea." Georgia smiled her thanks and slipped off her stool and headed back to the rear. Stealing down a corridor marked by really terrible paintings of children with big eyes, Georgia edged up to a half wall separating the preparation area from the dishwashing area, laid her elbows upon the barrier.
"Hi, Andrea," she said.
"Hey," replied the cook, scarcely looking up. And Georgia could see why: upon
the grill were arrayed sausages, eggs of every type, hash browns, American fries, French toast and her own breakfast steak. Underneath a bacon press were six slices of sizzling, snapping bacon. Georgia licked her lips.
"I'm Georgia," she volunteered.
"Good for you." Andrea continued with the frenzied cooking.
"So...you're the cook, huh?" Turning, the little cook regarded Georgia. Looking steadily at her, she said,
"No, I'm the astrophysicist working this sector of the universe." Georgia blinked, but then Andrea smiled, robbing her words of any offense. She snatched slices of toast from an array of toasters and slathered melted butter across them.
"How can you work so hard when you're stoned?" Georgia asked suddenly.
Andrea lifted the bacon press, flipped the slices of bacon, wiped her spatula
on a wet towel; then she flipped the eggs, rolled up an omelet, plated biscuits and drizzled them with white gravy. Finally she transferred all the cooked meat to a bed of folded paper towels, plated the meat and turned again to face her visitor.
"The real question," she said, "should be: 'how could I not be stoned and still
work in this shit hole?' " She crossed her skinny arms and smacked the bell with
the blade of her spatula. "Order up!" she snapped out. Marj appeared at the window, retrieved the food, said,
"It's slow right now; take a few minutes if you want, Hon'," she gestured with her head to Georgia, "with your new friend." Food in hand, Marj withdrew. Georgia furrowed her brow.
"What'd she mean?" Andrea laughed raucously.
"Marj thinks I'm a crazy lesbian and eager to take down any fresh meat that comes within trolling distance."
"Are you, a lesbian, I mean?"
"Why, you interested?" Georgia shook her self, said,
"No. No, of course not!"
"Why of course not?" Andrea came back. "You ever been with a woman?"
"No."
"Ever been with a man?"
"Yes. Of course."
"How many?" asked Andrea.
"Five!" said Georgia defiantly. This gave Andrea pause.
"Five. Well, you been around some. Five men, huh?" Georgia blushed.
"Well, no. Two, actually. I did it once with my prom date and then four times with another bo...man."
"How old are you, Kitten?"
"My next birthday, I'll be nineteen," said the girl, smiling a little. "Why, how
old are you?"
"Aww, that would be telling," Andrea replied. Georgia sulked a bit. Andrea laid the blade of the spatula on the grill, said, "C'mon, let's get high."
"You're already high," the other girl pointed out. Andrea waved that off and led the way to a storeroom, piled high with stacks of flour, sugar, potatoes, onions and all the rest.
Georgia examined her new friend: she was small, even pixieish, and swarthy of complexion, like she might have some Hispanic blood, she thought. Her work clothes weren't much: overalls and a white thermal shirt underneath and the tiniest shoes that Georgia had ever seen. She wore rectangular spectacles upon the bridge of her nose. Her hair was pretty, cut short. The two girls found a spot on which to perch, on an enormous bag of oatmeal. Andrea busied herself rolling a new joint. She was quite an expert at it, thought Georgia. Her fingers moved so fast. Completing her task, she handed the cigarette to her companion. Georgia examined it as if uncertain what to do with it.
"Light it, Kitten," said the little cook. "You got fire?"
"Uh...no, I don't smoke, usually."
"Here, come here." Andrea scooted close till their legs were touching and flicked her lighter. Lighting the joint, she flicked the lighter shut with a loud snap. Georgia took an enormous toke, instantly began coughing spasmotically. Andrea pounded her on the back. "Jeez, lightweight!" Georgia, still coughing, nodded.
"I am. I'm sorry."
"You ever been high?" Andrea asked. Georgia nodded.
"Just once. That was here, tonight." Andrea twisted her lips wryly and shook her head. She took the joint, inhaled with gusto, held the smoke inside, then released it contentedly.
"Doesn't your boss care if you smoke grass on-the-clock?" asked Georgia. Andrea shook her head.
"Marj? Nothin' she can do about it." replied the little cook.
"How come?"
"My step-dad owns this joint and, since he's balling the manager, neither of them have anything to say about it. So long as I keep my mouth shut, things are copasetic."
"What about your mom?"
"What about her?"
"Don't you feel guilty, her not knowing?"
"Hell, she's screwing at least two other guys herself," she exclaimed with a frown.
"You have a weird family." offered Georgia.
"Tell me about it." She waited a beat. "Say, Georgia, do you date anyone now?" Georgia shook her head.
“No, I was seeing this guy, Devon, but..." Andrea interjected,
"You mean, 'Mr. four-times?' " Georgia nodded..
"Yes. He told me he wanted to 'see other people' and that I was ‘smothering him.' "
"What a turd! Gets you in the sack and then he dumps you." She huffed.
"Do you...think you might be interested in....a girl?" Georgia’s head snapped up.
"You mean you? Is that a proposition?" she asked, dumfounded. Andrea said nothing. They passed the joint back and forth several times.
"Why, Andrea, are you lonely?" asked Georgia with genuine concern.
"Well, yeah, sometimes." She paused a moment. "I just don’t meet many guys that you know, you can trust, you know what I mean?" Andrea seemed subdued now.
"Have you had bad experiences with boys?" Andrea nodded. "What happened?" asked Georgia.
"Give me another hit off that reefer," said Andrea, then, "It was a member of my own freakin’ family, Georgia." The other girl’s eyes opened wide.
"Who? You mean your brother, or your uncle, or..."
"My father," she cut her off. "My own freakin’ father."
"What happened?"
"When he lived with us he used to drink, at night. My mom would get pissed and go off and leave him. And he would...come into my bedroom and...”"
"No! Your own father! I’m so sorry, Andrea." Georgia put her arm around the other girl’s neck, pulled her close. Andrea began to quietly weep. "What happened?" Georgia wanted to know.
"He hurt me. He really hurt me, then said if I told, he would kill my little sister. I was afraid."
"How long did this go on?"
"Almost a year." Tears leaked out of Andrea's eyes and disappeared into the fabric of her blue overalls.
"How did it end?" asked Georgia.
"I told my mom and she didn’t believe me at first, and then she actually caught him in the act" She threw up her hands, blew out a breath. "Nuclear explosion."
"And they got a divorce?" Andrea nodded. "Then your mom met your step-dad?" Georgia prompted.
"Uh-huh. He was my mother’s divorce attorney and they ‘fell in love,' whatever that's supposed to mean."
"How long ago did all this happen? How old were you?" Andrea took a shuddering breath.
"tt happened nearly five years ago; I was fourteen," she said.
"You’ve had a lot to deal with," observed Georgia and hugged her again. She glanced back toward the kitchen. "Don’t you have to get back to work?"
"No," said the little cook. “"I just prep and the a.m. cook comes on; he was a little late this morning. And then this afternoon I'll help clean up and prep for the evening cook; leaves most of my day free."
"So what do you do all day, when you're not setting up for the cooks?"
"Hang around and get high."
"Do you see any boys?" Georgia asked. Andrea shook her head.
"No, I guess I have a problem trusting after what happened with my dad." She stared at her hands in her lap. “Sometimes it gets hard, Georgia, not having anyone to...touch you.”
"Do you really...like girls," asked Georgia. Andrea frowned, shook her head no.
"I don't like them, that way," she explained. "It's just that girls are a whole lot less scary than boys, you know? I mean, I've got a cousin who's gay and hey, he's my cousin, I love him. I'm not against gays or lesbians. But, it's just not who I am." Georgia nodded her understanding.
"That's how I feel, too. Not all males are human garbage, Andrea." The little cook sniffed.
"They’re not?" she asked uncertainly.
"No. The men...boys, I’ve known haven’t been all that bad. Not monsters, not like your dad. The really bad ones are somewhat rare, I think. You’ll find someone."
"I will?”"
"Certainly. You’re cute!”" The other girl grinned shyly.
"Have you made any girlfriends?" Georgia asked.
"Just one. That was here, tonight..." Both girls smiled.
"I won't be your lover, Andrea, but I'll be your girlfriend; your BFF! Deal?"
"Deal." They sat in companionable silence for a few moments.
"Does your step-father hate you because you’re blackmailing him over Marj and everything?" Andres smiled bashfully.
"No, I made up all that stuff about Mom and Dad cheating on each other."
"Why?" asked Georgia, baffled. Andrea shrugged.
"I don’t know; to make myself seem more interesting?" She smiled some more. She asked, "are you going to keep your arm around me for the rest of the morning?"
Georgia arched her brows.
"For just as long as you want.”" Andrea leaned in and kissed Georgia almost impossibly softly on the lips.
"Thank you, Kitten."
