I had my first tutoring session with Djamila last week. The day we were planning to meet was Eid, so instead of meeting at CIES as planned she invited me over to her home. When I got there, she was already preparing a meal, so I joined her in the kitchen and we talked as we peeled and cut vegetables, stirred pots and cooked rice. It was so much fun that I ended up staying 2 1/2 hours to make the meal and eat it with her. I met her brother and roommates, who are all from Burkina Faso also. We talked about our families and backgrounds. She played some African music for me. Since this was just the first session, I didn't do too many formal teaching activities. Through our conversation, I assessed her level and skills, and did a bit of error correction as well. She asked specifically that I help her prepare for the TOEFL and maybe also help with preparing her application to FSU. For our next session, I will focus on that using some TOEFL prep books. I learned a lot from her during this session, as she taught me how to make a traditional Burkina Faso dish and I got to listen to her music. I am really excited about tutoring her, and already had such a good time at the first session. I will be able to help her hone English skills, but I am looking forward to learning more about her culture and traditions at the same time.
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