My husband, Richard, and I ducked into a supermercado to escape the sun in broiling Santarém, Brazil, in December 2025. The ceiling fan and a guaraná soda did not entirely refresh us, but we enjoyed sitting at a small table, watching the hubbub of local shoppers and staff. We noticed a young woman restocking shelves, wiping down tables, and, while mopping the floor near us, she suddenly said, “I pay you give me English lesson.” I said, “Yes! No pay. Now?” She still had to work, so we agreed to come back at noon.
At precisely noon, her lunch hour, Amy sat with us. I asked her questions about her family, friends, travel, and work. With various prompts, she told us about her large, happy family, going dancing with friends, her one hectic visit to Manaus, and her good prospects for another job. She said her current boss was very demanding, and to prove her point, at exactly 1pm he yelled “Amy!” and pointed to his watch.
We said a hasty goodbye while she rushed to the counter to ring up customers’ purchases.
Amy was talented. She repeated my prompts and new vocabulary, then used the words again in different sentences. She tried new grammatical constructions and tried alternate expressions for the same ideas. She wanted to write down some words, but I told her to concentrate on the sounds of words, not their appearance in print. She had a good memory. I suggested continuing to practice using a language app.
Amy was a good example of a person working hard, trying to improve herself, and having fun. Meeting her was our gain.
Kitty Chen Dean
New York, NY