It’s been a somewhat quiet week leading into 2024.

The Suntisouk (Peace) Language and Vocational Center staff have been off for a much needed holiday from December 23 – January 3.

The current director, Angie, and I have been meeting every morning, in the quiet of one of the Center’s classrooms, to help me gain a better understanding of what I’m stepping into. 

We’ve discussed current classes, outreach programs, tasks of staff, GMF (Global Mission Fellow) supervising duties, workings of the Center, budgets, day-to-day happenings, difficulties, challenges, hoped-for goals . . . . It’s been a lot for me to wrap my head around. How very grateful I am to Angie for giving me the time I need to truly get my feet on the ground. After all, this is only ending Week 3 for me. Still so many little bits and pieces that I’m trying to figure out. It will happen but just will take time.

Learning Numbers

Some success stories this week: I am learning my numbers in Laos. This is a must when going shopping. I can ask, “How much?” but when someone replies, it’s a mystery to me what is being said, especially when working with numbers that are thousands, tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands. Gracious! It sounds like a ridiculous amount of money when I buy a bread bun for 6,000 Kip (30 cents) or a bottle of lotion for 83,000 Kip ($4) or a motor-bike helmet for 450,000 Kip ($21.50). 

The bills I am starting to figure out. I no longer have to fan them out in front of sellers and have them grab what’s needed. Bless their hearts, they are so honest and don’t label me a simple-minded, ignorant foreigner that deserves to be cheated or taken advantage of. The Laos people, at least the ones I have encountered , are very kind, tolerant and trustworthy.

With numbers so large, I feel like a billionaire when in actuality, I’m nowhere near that.

A Perfect Ending to 2023

I can’t help but share this with you as a closing off to 2023.

If you’ve followed my past entries, you will know about my former Chinese student from 1992, “Nancy” Ouyang. She spoke not a stitch of English when she entered the Amity Foundation-sponsored English training program for adults, which lasted for 1 year. I was her teacher and so was Jean Crouch-Smith, a former British headmistress of a private school who felt a need to do something different in life. China in 1992 was certainly different!

Moving on: Nancy was one of my greatest success stories. Her drive to learn English well, and continue to improve, eventually led her into the hotel industry. She’s had positions in China in the Four Seasons Hotel chain as well as one of China’s biggest and best, the 5-star rated Shangri-la. She is currently the manager in Guangzhou for yet another famous international hotel.

We have stayed in touch over the years, sharing our lives and adventures as we progressed into our careers and different stages of life. 

Three years ago, she asked via WeChat (our means of communication) if I could help her Hong Kong Chinese friend’s young son with a recitation contest.  He had a poem to memorize and then had to perform it. His English name was Horace (Kok Cheek Lun), and at that time, he was 10.

My help was to record the poem first, listen to him read it himself, correct his pronunciation and finally give him hints of interpretation. We did this via recordings and video posts.

 That first try in 2021, Horace was placed into the lowest prize categories.

The second try in 2022, at age 11, he had a tad better result by being categorized into the 3rd prize group arena.

In 2023, at age 12, I was sent the next chosen recitation poem for this year’s contest, “An Old Plot of Land,” by Clive Webster. Here it is below. 

Horace’s Greatest Obstacle

As you can see, challenging vocabulary as well as so many possibilities of interpretation which had always been Horace’s greatest difficulty.  His ability to recite the words was fine but to give meaning and emotion to the poem itself dogged him for 2 previous years. 

After our usual back and forth with recordings, including me once again guiding him on how to interpret and examples of interpretation, it was left up to him once again to find his own voice to the piece.

The Outcome at Age 12? First Prize!

Below you’ll find the judge’s remarks on his scoring sheet. What an accomplishment!

A Mother and Son’s Proud Moment

It’s been such a joy to be able to help this young man succeed in his language endeavors. I credit my own mother, whose MA was in Speech and Drama, with having influenced and advised me enough that I could be of assistance to Horace on his journey to a win. 

I close off this last entry in 2023 with a picture of Horace and his mom. What a remarkable way to end this year: new beginnings for me in Laos and a final well-deserved, longed-for successful accomplishment for Horace.

Horace and Mom