Spouses learn English – and more

  • Published
  • By Sonic Johnson
  • 14th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs chief
COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  Two Columbus Air Force Base spouses began taking English language courses and ended up as Hostesses at Rosewood for the 2010 Pilgrimage.

Kamila Jedrzejczak, wife of Polish air force student pilot Capt. Krzysziof Jedrzejczak is from Poland where she was a dentist. He husband is at Columbus AFB in T-38 training and will go on to fly F-16s with the Polish air force.

Seonkyoug Longest, spouse of Tech. Sgt. Jacob Longest, 14th Medical Operations Squadron, signed up for free English class at the Greater Columbus Learning Center to help the Korean native improve her English.

As part of the course, they took several field trips in the local area, and one of them was to Rosewood antebellum home, owned by DeWitt and Gracie Hicks. After the tour, Mrs. Hicks invited the ladies to participate as hostesses during the Columbus Spring Pilgrimage, an opportunity to meet many new people and practice their conversational English.

During the Pilgrimage, not only did Jedrzejczak get to practice her English, but a group from Poland toured the Rosewood and where quite surprised to find a hostess that could converse in their native language.

The Greater Columbus Learning Center is home for English for Speakers of Other Languages and provides English proficiency instruction for students from other countries and the general public. GCLC is the only local program serving ESOL free of charge and may be contacted at 329-7691.

"These ladies are really enjoying the whole experience," said Linda Bounds ESOL instructor. " Not only do the learn English, a little local culture, but can also prepare and take the Test for English Language as a Foreign Language exam." Passing the exam allows a student to enroll in higher education institutions.