Jules CP-6

For our conversation meeting last Sunday, I decided to give Jamal a taste of what I do with my spare time. So, I picked him up bright and early and took him to this farm that I've been volunteering at in Monticello. I had mentioned the farm a couple of weeks ago at our second conversation meeting, and he had expressed an interest in joining me because his mom grew up on a farm and his dad used to work for the Ministry of Agriculture in Afghanistan. Actually, Jamal began his studies in Integrated Pest Management before switching over to Journalism, so working in the garden was right up his alley.

It was really fun to introduce him to the vocabulary of gardens and farming: compost, wheelbarrow, shovel, mulch, and so on. As Lori mentioned, he was unfamiliar with the names of some herbs, but once he smelled parsley, cilantro, and basil, he knew exactly what they were. What a great way to remember a word-- by smell! He also remarked at how glad he was to hear different accents-- Patrick the farmer has got quite the Southern Twang going on so I'm sure it was a bit of a challenge, but being able to comprehend different accents is certainly a great skill to develop. Jamal said he had a wonderful time out at Pat's farm so I hope he joins me again next week!