The Talk in a New Language

Ewan went to a language class every Tuesday evening. The teacher gave them a job last week. "Next Tuesday, you will each give a short talk," she said. "Tell us about your hometown."

Ewan mengikuti kelas bahasa setiap Selasa malam. Minggu lalu gurunya memberi mereka tugas. "Selasa depan, kalian masing-masing akan memberikan pidato singkat," katanya. "Ceritakan kepada kami tentang kampung halaman kalian."

Ewan was afraid. He grew up in a small village by the sea. He did not know many words about it. He put some photos in a folder. They showed boats, a market, a church and his mother's kitchen. He practiced on the bus every day.

Ewan takut. Ia tumbuh di sebuah desa kecil di tepi laut. Ia tidak tahu banyak kata untuk menceritakannya. Ia memasukkan beberapa foto ke dalam map. Foto-foto itu menunjukkan perahu, pasar, gereja, dan dapur ibunya. Ia berlatih di bus setiap hari.

On Tuesday, he stood in front of the class. His hands were cold.

Pada hari Selasa, ia berdiri di depan kelas. Tangannya dingin.

"My hometown is small," he said. "It is… it is near the…" He forgot the word for "sea." Then he forgot the word for "fish." His mind was empty. He looked at the floor.

"Kampung halaman saya kecil," katanya. "Letaknya… letaknya dekat…" Ia lupa kata untuk "laut". Lalu ia lupa kata untuk "ikan". Pikirannya kosong. Ia menunduk menatap lantai.

Then he remembered the photos. He held up the first one. "This is a boat," he said, and he pointed at the water. "The men go out at night."

Lalu ia teringat foto-fotonya. Ia mengangkat foto yang pertama. "Ini perahu," katanya sambil menunjuk ke arah air. "Para lelaki melaut pada malam hari."

He did not know the word "net." He took a marker and drew a net on the board. A woman in the class said, "A net!" Everyone nodded.

Ia tidak tahu kata "jaring". Ia mengambil spidol dan menggambar jaring di papan tulis. Seorang perempuan di kelas berkata, "Jaring!" Semua orang mengangguk.

Ewan showed the photo of the market. He pointed at each thing and said its name. When he did not know a word, he drew it. Or he used his hands.

Ewan menunjukkan foto pasar. Ia menunjuk setiap benda dan menyebut namanya. Kalau tidak tahu suatu kata, ia menggambarnya. Atau ia memakai tangannya.

After five minutes, he stopped. The room was quiet. Then many hands went up.

Setelah lima menit, ia berhenti. Ruangan itu hening. Lalu banyak tangan terangkat.

"What do people eat in your village?" asked a man. "Is the water cold?" asked a girl.

"Apa yang dimakan orang-orang di desamu?" tanya seorang laki-laki. "Apakah airnya dingin?" tanya seorang anak perempuan.

The teacher smiled. "Ewan, we want to see the kitchen photo again."

Sang guru tersenyum. "Ewan, kami ingin melihat foto dapur itu sekali lagi."