So my language training is in full flow, and we've started out with basic words and phrases and some grammatical rules. However, the two things you need for learning a language, natural aptitude and memory, are two talents I distinctly lack! Thankfully our teacher, Dara, is an absolute genius. He taught himself English by reading a dictionary in a refugee camp in Thailand during the Khmer Rouge period, speaks Ka'Mai, English, Spanish, French, Thai, Vietnamese and who knows what else. It is fair to say that more than a couple of the female volunteers have developed a crush on him! Dara is a brilliant teacher and has a knack of honing in on those words/phrases that you struggle with, pushing you (subtly but firmly) to nail it. We are learning about 30 new words a day,
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