Love in any language

Yesterday two ex- students came up to me and greeted me while I was shopping in Carre Four. They asked " Cikgu, how are you? " I looked at them, yes i could recognize definitely they were my ex- students but i couldn't quite place the year I had taught them. So I asked which year they graduated.

While talking, I took a good look at their faces and although I couldn't remember their names, I knew we had worked together closely on some co-curriculum projects. So I asked them again. Blame it on old age and loss in memory or what. Both reminded me " Choir!" Then I remembered " Hey you were the conductor." I said excitedly. The boys replied" Yeah and you brought us to the Cheras school to sing."

And there right there in the middle of Carre Four he broke out happily in song with no embarassment " Je taime, Te amo,... the beginning lines of the song we presented that year " Love in any language." Wow! That was good to have two handsome young men sing "I love you" in foreign languages to me in the middle of Carre Four.

I laughed -- and said after all these years - you still remember the song and the lyrics. My heart brimmed with pleasure when I noted that these two very Malay boys from SMK Padang Tembak remembered not only the tune perfectly but also the French and ( was the 2nd phrase Italian? ) phrases for I love you..

We laughed as we reminisced about the choir costumes - we had red silk bow ties which i told them I still kept because we handmade these for the choir members to wear. We borrowed nice vests and they had looked so good.

When I looked at them, I thought how it seemed like only yesterday when I had last taught them and now they had grown so quickly into handsome young men . Later they reminded me that they were actually brothers and the choir conductor had roped in his younger brother to sing and many other details came flooding in.

And about the song - we had sang the chorus of this song using sign language and we had waved flags of different countries to signify the different languages in the songs.

Now in retrospect I realized the students' best and most nostalgic memories were not about lessons but during co-curriculum events where they had loved and been loved by one another.

If you want to hear the song google for Love in any language by Sandy Patti www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nmi1KYC5Htw

Love in any language is always remembered even after many years!