English Conversation Course

Today is the first day of my conversation course at the SYC. Like any good teacher, I conscientiously prepared my lesson plan in advance - put in on my wiki, with YouTube links and all. I checked out the new comp lab (was told I could teach there) a few days ago - no speakers. So nice and early this morning, went to my school to pick up a pair. Then made my way to SYC - and BLACKOUT!!! Murphy strikes again. No choice, had to sweat it out literally and figuratively. The lesson wasn't too bad - now I have to figure out how to make 21 participants converse as much as possible, and to help the quiet ones speak up. Let's see how it works out next week.

Journey to Vietnam

Mr Nhan, Director of Southern Youth Centre invited me to join their Tet celebration last night. It was a 3-hour entertainment gala as an endless stream of seemingly popular Vietnamese singers and performances keep the excited crowd on their toes. Vietnamese love music and this was clearly reflected in the crowd's appetite for the repertoire of songs. But it was the Koreans who stole the show - more off stage than on stage. There was a group of visiting Korean students and their enthusiasm for Vietnamese songs and singers clearly overwhelmed that of the Vietnamese as they rocked, rolled and waved through the concert. The whole show ended with a fireworks display that enthralled the local crowds. A very entertaining night for me.