Of course, my favorite topic (and I think that I am not alone in this!) for these chance encounters and initial meetings is the weather. I can elongate a simple comment about rain, snow, wind, sun for a good chunk of time. After all, even my family enjoys this kind of banter. My grandmother used to write me about the weather in her letters (and I refer to a lengthy paragraph or two, not a single sentence). When I talk to my father on the phone, we spend the initial minutes (or sometimes the entire conversation!) discussing temperatures, forecasts, and such.
I begin most of my classes with some sort of commentary on the weather. My students, in tune with the predisposition of English speakers to talk about the weather as a form of "meaningless" small talk, don't always understand it or willingly participate. However, I am genuinely interested in the conversation, even if I have already had the same exchange several times in the day. I find it comforting and a good way to warm up to my audience. After all, there is nothing threatening about a short weather-related exchange. The banter is predictable and patterned, but I am not patronizing my students or new acquaintances with meaningless chatter. Perhaps it is a bit strange, but I enjoy these conversations and find them genuinely interesting... And why not when the weather can be so fascinating?
Last week, I wrote you about the sunshine and fall colors. In the last seven days the world has shifted. November came and it didn't rain. Rather, I awoke to our our first skiff of snow on Thursday morning. Chilly temperatures aside, I am quite taken with the icicles and frosty feel of everything. With the darker days and time change, it just feels right. The Estonian word for snow is "lumi." An appropriate name for something that lights up its surroundings, I think. Click below to get a feeling for the changes outside my window as lumi sadab or snow falls!
1 comment:
Excuse me, but I wanted to point out a couple of things. First of all, lumi-nating is simply not a word. If you had checked a dictionary (preferably Webster's of course), you would see that the CORRECT spelling is ILLUMINATING. Sheesh, you call yourself an English teacher? You really should just give up, come back to California, and live with me. Oh, and by the way, since when is your name spelled Dzen? Everyone knows it starts with a J. :-P Love you and miss you lots!
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