LMTs help teach Kosovo citizens

By Staff Sgt. Cody HardingJuly 17, 2013

LMTs help teach Kosovo citizens
1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Staff Sgt. Ariel White, a member of Liaision Monitoring Team Five, Multinational Battlegroup East, writes out some English language questions with the assistance of Gazmen Krivca, an interpreter working with MNBG-East, and Pvt. 1st Class Kevin Garcia... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
LMTs help teach Kosovo citizens
2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Gazmen Krivca helps out members of the Institutions in Kosovo in Shtime during an english language class presented by the Liaison Monitoring Team Five July 11. Pvt. 1st Class Kevin Garcia, a member of LMT-5, said that these classes have been going on... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
LMTs help teach Kosovo citizens
3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Staff Sgt. Ariel White, a member of Liaision Monitoring Team Five, Multinational Battlegroup East, participates in a question and answer session with citizens of Kosovo during an LMT-hosted English Language class inside the Shtime administrative buil... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
LMTs help teach Kosovo citizens
4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Pvt. 1st Class Kevin Garcia, a member of Liaison Monitoring Team Five, works with citizens of Kosovo through a hands-on portion of an English Language Class given by the LMTs in Shtime July 11. The Lessons are aimed at helping foster relations betwee... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

SHTIME, Kosovo - Members of Liaison Monitoring Team Five, Joint Regional Detachment - East, presented a series of English language questions to members of the Shtime administrative building in Shtime July 11.

The English classes, which have been going on for over a month, help bring the people of Kosovo closer to the NATO-led Kosovo Forces mission and its personnel, said U.S. Army Pfc. Kevin Garcia, a member of LMT-5.

"It builds a rapport with people and builds confidence," Garcia, a native of El Monte, Calif., said. "We're not only here to patrol the area. We're here to converse, get to know them, see how they're doing."

The class ran through a series of questions, each one meant to place focus on a series of important words and phrases. The LMT taught the class about who, what, when where, why and how, and then moved on to actions.

According to Gazmen Krivca, an interpreter working with LMT-5, the idea originally came from the mayor of Shtime, who thought it'd be better for his employees to know English when working with their multinational partners.

Through the class, LMT-5 has built a rapport with the people in Shtime.

"We are much closer to them now," said Krivca. "Besides the English class, we can discuss business. They have more freedom to approach us, tell us about their problems. We feel as if we're a part of them now."