Vocab for week 2 Mod 3 and 4

Reflections on learning a language
I got frustrated when I was learning Malay. I was living in Brunei, so I was highly motivated. I also thought my expectations were realistic. We had a good teacher and I paid careful attention to everything that she said. However, I didn’t seem to make much progress. I think it was because I didn’t actually need to use the language. Most people seemed to understand English enough for me not to need Malay. It was useful on some occasions though eg. at the market. I have learned languages successfully in the past but, in my opinion, you need a good reason for learning if you want to be successful

Christmas
Christmas is a religious holiday that most people in NZ celebrate. Some people go to church on Christmas Day or the night before which is called Christmas Eve. A popular tradition is to give gifts to your friends and family. Many people decorate their homes, often with symbols like stars and bells. Most families have a Christmas tree, which is also hung with decorations.

An operation
My mother needed an operation on her hip last year. She was in a lot of pain and was finding it difficult to walk. I arranged to have some time off work to help her when she came home from the hospital. It took a few weeks before she could walk without her stick. We organised food for her so that she didn’t have to do any cooking until she was better. She is much more comfortable now and can walk without any problem.