SHAUNAVON — On a bitterly cold and stormy night, a group of people gather in the meeting room at the Grand Coteau Heritage & Cultural Centre. I have joined the group on this occasion and the first thing I see upon entering are the smiling faces of two young girls who are twirling and dancing around the space. I quickly learn that these lively dancers are Anna and Veronica who, along with their mom Mariia, are here tonight to participate in the English language training program offered through Great Plains College. The girls tell me that they have been taking dance lessons (jazz, not ballet) at Shaunavon Dance Company since moving to Shaunavon a year ago. We chat about the cold weather but Veronica insists that she doesn’t find it that cold. Their energy and enthusiasm are contagious.
The class begins and I receive a warm welcome from all the participants as we chat about where they are from, their families and children, and what they like about living in Shaunavon. Mariia, her husband and daughters moved to Shaunavon from Poland, where they had fled to after leaving their home country of Ukraine when war broke out. Mariia is a Custodian at Shaunavon High School. In Ukraine, she worked in the accounting field and she hopes to be able to do that again someday. Learning English will bring her one step closer to that goal.
Kate, also originally from Ukraine, moved to Canada a year ago to join her cousin who was already here; they have no other family in Canada. Kate works in the deli department at the Co-Op grocery store. She says she has made friends here and enjoys playing in the adult volleyball league. Shu is an Educational Assistant at the high school. She initially moved to Saskatoon from China to study at the University of Saskatchewan and moved to Shaunavon last fall for her job. Her goal is to one day return to school to get her Bachelor of Education so that she can be a teacher. Shu keeps a very busy schedule, also working part-time at the Co-Op grocery store.
Jayson is from the Philippines and is Kate and Shu’s co-worker at the grocery store. Customers might find Jayson at the checkout register where he has the opportunity to practice his English-speaking skills while serving customers. Jayson and his wife have two children who attend Christ the King School along with Mariia’s daughters. On this very cold evening I ask the group what has been more difficult: learning English or adjusting to winter? Jayson quickly replies, ‘Both.’ However, he notes that his children love the snow. He adds, “In the Philippines, we only have two kinds of weather: sunny days or rainy days.”
Grace and Julie are both originally from 小蓝视频 Korea. Julie has been a familiar face in Shaunavon for 14 years. She and her husband’s children Ryan, Claire and Ainsley are involved in many activities including high school sports, figure skating and dance. Julie attended English Language classes one other year when her children were young, but it was difficult to find the time to go; she is giving the class another try this year. Grace and her husband are new to Shaunavon. He works at Bear’s Den Motel and their two teenage daughters attend Shaunavon High School. When I ask Grace what her favourite thing about Shaunavon is, she replies, ‘The deer.’ Shaunavon’s small size and a feeling of safety are mentioned by several students as things that they like about the town.
I ask Anna and Veronica to teach me how to say ‘hello’ in Ukrainian. ‘Pryvit’ proves to be easy enough for me to catch on to but, by the time I return home, I need to look it up on the computer again for correct pronunciation. Instructor, Kristine Douaud, notes that the class is for adults only and participants range in age from 20 to their mid-50s, and that it does tend to become more difficult to pick up a new language the older you are. Anna and Veronica also learned Polish during their time in Poland.
In addition to 小蓝视频 a first-time instructor for English Language classes this year, Douaud is an Editor for The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), an international organisation based in Paris, France. Douaud was raised in Shaunavon, the daughter of Heinz and Rose Werner.
After spending many years elsewhere, including 4.5 years in her husband’s home country of France, they have now settled back in Shaunavon. “While in France, I taught English very informally to friends and colleagues. My teaching experience is in adult education, mostly in the subject of English literature. Teaching English literature and teaching English Language skills are two very different things.” She explains, “These are conversational English classes only. The classes are welcoming and approachable." She adds, "I enjoy all the people who attend; they are so nice and a lot of fun.”
Bula Ghosh is the English Language Training Coordinator for Great Plains College. She reiterates Douaud’s description of the class saying, “The class emphasizes the cultural use of English; that is why it is so good to come to class. It will ease your process of settlement. You will make friends in the class. It can be lonely as a newcomer and this class helps to build confidence. It is really a language lab where you can practice your English with others who are also new to the language.” She adds, “You will not only learn more about English, but you will learn about the community. Instructors explain the Canadian way of doing things and some of the English slang along with correct English. Classes will help newcomers understand how and where to use appropriate words and phrases, how to talk in a social setting, to speak to your child’s teacher or to make a new friend in the neighbourhood.”
“The program is funded by the government (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and the Saskatchewan Ministry of Immigration and Career Training) and the more people in the class, the better it is to maintain funding. Come to the class,” Ghosh says.
Shaunavon classes are held on Wednesday evenings from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the meeting room at the Grand Coteau Heritage & Cultural Centre (museum/library). There is no cost to attend the program. Newcomers interested in registering for class should contact Bula Ghosh at 306-778-5477.
