International students build more than language skills

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Don Nelson
  • Air Force Print News
LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  In today’s world of international relations, building coalitions is important. For a group of international military students here, the term “building” recently took on a much different meaning.

Rather than building a geopolitical relationship with their fellow students from other countries, these military leaders traded their English books for tool belts to build a Habitat for Humanity house in San Antonio.

Thirty-six students from the Defense Language Institute English Language Center here volunteered their time to help construct a home for a young family in need. Representing 20 countries, these students set aside their bookwork to go out and experience American culture firsthand by doing community service.

The Habitat for Humanity project builds low-cost homes for families unable to afford decent housing. The center teamed up with the Lackland Bank of America branch to work on the home-building project.

A chief mission of the center is to provide English-language training to international military students. A secondary emphasis of the school is the informational program mission where projects like Habitat for Humanity fit in.

“Our secondary mission is to provide students with an awareness of our American society and culture, free enterprise and basic human rights,” said Richard Nicewonger, the center’s informational program manager.

An integral part of the mission focusing on projects like this is the American Members of International Goodwill to Others program. The program is designed to help international students meet Americans in a two-way learning and sharing experience.

The Habitat project fit very well with the complimentary missions of the school.

“We can give them a briefing, show them some pretty slides about community service programs like Habitat for Humanity,” said Col. Michael J. Nichols, center commandant. “However, what better way for these students to learn about civic organizations than literally hands-on from the mud up.”

Providing cross-cultural experiences is the ultimate goal of the informational program. Projects that allow for international students to work closely with Americans are very valuable to the program, according to Nicewonger.

“Our sweat together dissolved all barriers between cultures, languages, colors, and religions.” said Egyptian army 1st Lt. Karim Abou-Sena. “We were all together working for a certain purpose to finish a certain task.”

Another facet of the informational program is to immerse the students in an English-speaking environment that they can not get in a classroom. The Habitat project gave the students a practical chance to use of the language skills they are learning.

“It exposes them to English in a little different form with native English speakers,” said Nichols. “They also have a chance to learn a vocabulary that they have not had a chance to practice with.”

Finding environments for the students to speak English is an important aspect of the training the school provides. The informational program activities try to create these opportunities.

“This was my first chance to use what I learned practically,” said Czech Republic army Lt. Col. Jaromir Mares “I think the six hours we were working and speaking was maybe more useful than six hours in a classroom.”

While the school teaches the students a more formal style of English, there are still some parts of the language that are hard to teach unless student can experience them.

“Getting into contact with real native (speaking) Americans (where) some are speaking in slang and using idioms that I have not heard before gave me the opportunity to hear more, practice more, and speak more,” said Abou-Sena.

The school solicited volunteers for three work sessions at the house located on Miracle Lane in San Antonio. The response from the students was so great that some actually had to be turned away, Nicewonger said.

Language skills were not the only things being built; the students worked on every part of the house construction from roof work to laying tile. Some of the students had building experience in their home country and brought some of their ideas to the project.

“For me the only time that I really come together and work as a group is when I am with my family,” said Namibia army Corporal Julia Gebhardt. “So this time here I felt like I was with my family. It reminds me of home.”

Not only did students participate in the project, center staff worked on the job site along side their students as well.

“(Students) need a break to get out of the classroom,” said Antonio Martins, an instructor. “They need to know that their experience here is greater than DLI and they can take this experience back home and relate it to their fellow countrymen.”

The project started in April and was completed on June 6 when Habitat for Humanity dedicated the home during a ceremony that many of the students attended. The house was then turned over to the new owner, Aida Hernandez and her 11-year-old daughter, Ariana.