This may have been the strangest lesson I've ever given. It took over 3 hours, so I believe it counts as two meetings. Correct me if that is incorrect, Ramin. This session had little to do with English or grammar, and was a cultural lesson. I met with my very African tutee Michel, and we discussed the international language.....of love. He wanted to know proper etiquette for dating American girls, what to do, what to say, ideas for activities (I guess that's what they're called). As a self-proclaimed expert in this field, I imparted to Michel all that I knew (not much) on the subject. Michel says that women are crazy in the Ivory Coast, so I guess that much is the same. Where to begin?
First, he wanted to know how to get a girls phone number, or even less, talk to you and acknowledge your existence. The venue in question was a bar, because, let's face it, where else do you get so many women packed into a confined a place? I said "a good start would be to introduce yourself, and offer to buy her a drink. If that doesn't work, or she doesn't drink, ask her why. Keep asking her questions and get her to talk about herself. Eventually, she may get curious and ask you a few things."
"If she is on the dance floor," I said, "Some people find it a good strategy to just walk up and start dancing behind her. Sometimes this works. Sometimes this gets you thrown out of the club." Michel thought this was hilarious, and that he would give it a try anyway. Hey, you never know if you don't try. "However," I warned him, "A point of prudence is to make sure she's not with somebody else already. You don't want to get in a fight with somebody over a girl you don't even know." "This is sound advice," he said. "I will be careful."
Next, we did a little role-playing. This helped Michel with his speaking as well as his confidence. "First," I said, "You're going to pretend you are on a date. I will be the girl, and you will be you." Michel burst out laughing. "I can't," he said. "You are not a girl. How can I pretend?" I replied "You have to be able to talk to anyone. Even a complete stranger. Until you have that courage, you can never be successful." He relented.
The following conversation was so silly that neither one of us could keep a straight face. Some of it was clean, some of it was not. But just like life, impromptu and unexpected situations can arise. "You have to be ready."
UNTIL NEXT TIME, THIS HAS BEEN THE LOVE GURU.
This is always a popular topic! You can actually use his "interest" in relationships as motivation to read, listen, write and speak. There are a lot of interesting articles, advice columns, ways to practice writing a love letter/email. Channel this energy into some language learning ;)
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