Welcome To The Family

Two years ago, I married my wife in the majestic backwaters of Kerala, India. We had a beautiful ceremony and it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Before arriving in India, I was very nervous about visiting my wife’s home and meeting my extended family for the first time. However, my fears were unfounded. Everyone was very loving and happy to welcome me into the family. There was just one problem. I could not communicate with my new aunts, uncles, and cousins very well. They patiently tried to talk with me in english but during large gatherings, it was natural for everyone to speak in their native language of Malayalam.

After this experience, I decided to try learning Malayalam using a language teaching software. Unfortunately, my attempt met with little success because of my severe hearing impairment. Using pre-programmed audio tracks, I often mishear the pronunciation of words and there is no way to get feedback on how to position my tongue and mouth to produce the correct sounds. I felt so unconfident in my Malayalam speaking that I did not stick with the program. Thus, during my second visit to India I again missed out on a lot because I could only converse in english.

After this experience, I was determined to learn Malayalam with the help of a local language tutor. I needed someone who could teach me the language and instruct me in the proper speech pathology. Given my needs, I determined in-person lessons would be the only path forward. These hopes were quickly dashed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Having no success with language programs and no option for in-person tutoring, I feared my dream of conversing with my Amma (how I refer to my mother in-law in Malayalam) over a cup of coffee could not be realized.

Then I happened upon AmazingTalker.com. Through this website, I found several Malayalam tutors. The instructor videos helped me identify a few candidates whom I thought could help and the free trial lesson made it easy to try out. During my first lesson with Manu, she was able to correct my pronunciation. She used a combination of demonstration and drawn graphics to instruct me in the proper tongue and mouth positions for those sounds which I cannot hear. Now I have completed nearly 20 lessons and while I still have a long way to go, I am able to have simple conversations with my Amma and my extended family over video calls. We have conversations like

“Have you eaten dinner?”

“Yes I ate pizza, it was good”

For me this is a tremendous accomplishment because my dreams are now achievable goals. I am looking forward to my next visit to Kerala because I am sure I won’t miss out on any of the experiences or conversations this time around.