This is the main theme of my Wednesday morning class. Actually the class is called "oral expression" and the idea is to learn to express ourselves in French. I had a similar class last semester (though under a different name), and although sometimes a bit scary, it was very helpful. We were just starting to get to the point where we could talk about likes and dislikes and opinions, and we would talk about things like, "What were your first impressions of France?" As the semester went on, we discussed somewhat more complex questions, like, "Tell your classmates why they should visit your home town." These might sound like simple topics, but it was harder than it sounds! When learning to speak another language, concrete things are easiest to talk about, like the weather or where you are from. Likes and dislikes are usually more abstract and complex, and are therefore harder. But with practice, I think we did get at least a bit better at expressing our opinions.
This semester my oral expression class is moving beyond just describing what we think about a topic: we will also be learning how to argue for or against a position. Since this is just the second week, we have just started learning about how to do this, and haven't had much practice in it yet. Before the semester is over, I'll have to take my turn in giving a presentation before the class (and although I'm sure the experience will be good for me, I am glad all the same that we are doing them in alphabetical order, which means I'm not first on the list).
Today, however, we spent most of our time giving our opinions on some topics from the news, though not expanding too much on it yet. The first topic was to discuss a short extract from an old news article that the teacher had copied for us. When we had finished talking about that, the teacher asked if anyone had a particular news topic that they wanted to discuss. And the first topic that was suggested was ... the debate over homosexual marriage! Thankfully, our short discussion did not turn into a heated debate, but it was certainly an interesting way to start off the semester. I did have the chance to express my opinion (or maybe I should say, God's opinion, as given in His Word), which I did as concisely as I could, trying to be kind as well as truthful. Interestingly, I was the only one in the class who was not supportive of homosexual marriage, even though most of the students were from a country where it is illegal. At any rate, at least the topic gave me a chance to share with the class that I am a Christian, though it wasn't the way I'd planned! One never knows what sorts of opportunities the Lord may bring our way!
Please keep praying that the Lord will help me to be a good testimony to my classmates and professors.
Interesting.
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