Days 20 The Weekend begins!

There are so many things to do in Phnom Penh that I am at first at a loss. I decide to visit the infamous Tuol Sleng prison in the morning as I would like to see in person what I have only read about previously. The auto-genocide perpetuated by the Khmer Rouge on the Cambodian people is one of the topics we discuss in the third year class that I teach (World Issues: A Singapore Perspective) in Ngee Ann and I feel that it would be invaluable if I can take back some of my experiences to share with my students. I have to steel myself emotionally for this as a first-hand view of horror no matter how many years removed, can never be less than deeply disturbing.

I decide that I will travel to Tuol Sleng by tuk-tuk (a motorcycle trailer taxi) and am fortunate enough to meet a gentleman of a driver – On Prem -- who becomes my unofficial guide for the day as well.

Tuol Sleng is deeply painful. What was once a school (S-21) became in Pol Pot’s time, a torture centre and prison. I cannot believe the depravity of human beings and what they are capable of subjecting their fellow humans to. I walk through dusty room after room of haunting faces, all victims … men, women, the old and even children … none were spared. The Khmer Rouge were certainly even-handed in their dispensation of horror. One image makes my heart constrict more than the others – the face of the wife of one of Lon Nol’s ministers, infant in arms, staring straight into the camera, all hope drained and resignation etched into every line of her face.


On Prem asks if I want to visit the Choeung Ek Memorial (otherwise known as the Killing Fields) after Tuol Sleng. I think it might be too much all in one day but finally decide that I should complete the circle and see where the victims of Tuol Sleng were so callously buried in mass graves.

The Killing Fields are about 15 km southwest of Phnom Penh and travelling there by tuk-tuk is an experience in itself. The roads outside of the city are not the best. They are largely unpaved and dusty, with pot-holes the size a small animal could disappear into! Kind Prem stops to buy me a face mask so that I can breathe through the choking, lung-impairing clouds of swirling red dust.

Choeung Ek is as distressing as Tuol Sleng. The entire area was an orchard and a Chinese cemetery prior to 1975 and more than 17,000 men, women and children are thought to have been executed here after first having suffered through interrogation, torture and unimaginable deprivation in the S-21 Prison at Tuol Sleng. It seems almost a travesty that the landscape could look so peaceful while steeped in so much blood and anguish. Prem tells me quietly that his own father was a victim of the Khmer Rouge. The Cambodians I have met thus far are like him, stoic in their calm acceptance of their personal tragedies.

Drained, I return to the Imperial Garden for a shower and some quiet reflection time before heading out again. The Missionaries of Charity (the order of nuns established by Mother Teresa of Calcutta) have invited me to visit their home on Monivong Boulevard and Prem has offered to take me there. Monivong Boulevard is a very long avenue and we manage to locate the sisters’ residence only after some searching. Sister Joy and her fellow nuns run an orphanage and school for underprivileged children in Phnom Penh. The sisters welcome me into the home and I am immediately surrounded by a swarm of children who giggle happily, cling to my legs and hug me tightly even though they do not understand a word I say. I stay there for a while to play with the children, after which the sisters give me a lift to the World Vision office some distance away, where I attend mass with the small community of Catholics in Phnom Penh.

I then attempt to walk back to Sisowath Quay but finally concede defeat after walking the length of Mao Tse Toung Boulevard, happily hop onto a moto and ask the driver to take me there. He proceeds to get thoroughly lost and takes me on a hair-raising, heart-stopping, traffic-defying ride through the fast darkening streets of the city. The driver keeps insisting that every other road is Sisowath Quay and exasperated, I finally tell him (in a strained, close-to-a-scream voice) to let me off near the Royal Palace. I wander around the nearby stretch of the riverfront and recover my equilibrium, meet and chat with some friendly fellow visitors, have a nice dinner of hot, steaming pho and lovely Vietnamese coffee (all for US$2.50) before heading back to the hotel. What an experience!

Day 19 The End of My First Week of Teaching!

Today, the students are in a weekend mood and visibly distracted. Ching Liang had established Friday as Movie Day in his part of the course, so I continue in that tradition. We complete Chapter 13: “Getting There” of In Company, which focuses on different modes of transport and in the afternoon, we watch (by popular demand) the epic James Cameron movie – Titanic. I give out worksheets before the students begin viewing and bring them through the rudiments of writing a film review, which they will have to do as writing homework for the weekend.

Day 18 Women Talk!

I was actually quite excited to learn that International Women’s Day would fall within my half of the course ... what a great opportunity to incorporate gender issues and women’s rights (an area always close to my heart!) in class activities.

In the morning, we go through Chapter 12: “The Weather” of In Company and I go through Presentation dos and don’ts with the students aided by a handout that I compiled. I ask the class to put what we have just discussed into practice next Monday. They are to choose any area on their country and give a brief presentation of 1-2 minutes on that topic.

Then comes the afternoon and the fun begins! My entire lesson will focus on Reading/Speaking skills. I have a text focusing on International Women’s Day 2005 and as a warm up, I ask them various questions about the state of women’s rights in Cambodia.

We discuss the advantages of being a woman as opposed to being a man in Cambodian society and I ask them if women in their country face discrimination in their careers and in society as a whole. I tell them about women in Singaporean society and ask about the statistics on women in education in Cambodia. In the spirited discussion that follows, Iary and Sokun are well able to shed some light on this area as they are with the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and the others contribute their views enthusiastically as well.

While I am cheered to hear the women in class tell me that they do not feel that there is a glass ceiling in the civil service, the sobering fact remains too that Cambodian women still lag far behind the men when it comes to secondary and tertiary education. Many families both in the more rural areas as well as in Phnom Penh still hold to traditional views about their daughters and do not think they need to acquire too high a level of education. The women of Singapore do not always realize this but we are tremendously fortunate in this respect! The class and I are so engrossed in our exchange of views that I have to end the class when 5 pm comes without completing all the exercises I had planned.

Day 17 International Women’s Day!

Cambodia celebrates International Women’s Day today. What a great idea! The first International Women’s Day was declared in Copenhagen in 1910 to honour the movement for women's rights and to assist in achieving universal suffrage for women, following the declaration by the Socialist Party of America of the first National Woman's Day across the United States in 1909. Today, the event is celebrated around the globe! As in many other countries the world over, we have activities commemorating the event in Singapore but it is not a national holiday. Perhaps our Cambodian friends have the right perspective …

I spend a wonderful morning exploring the Royal Palace and all the beautiful structures within the compound. My erudite guide, Chan Thong, feeds me with many interesting snippets of information as we make our way through the grounds. I am bowled over by the Throne Hall and the Silver Pagoda. I learn that many of the precious figurines of Buddha currently on display in the Silver Pagoda are actually replacements donated by the people of Cambodia and their well-wishers.

The Royal Palace was not spared the ravages of Pol Pot and his cronies and many of the original treasures were looted by the Khmer Rouge. I am usually not too fond of architectural opulence, but the Royal Palace though richly furnished, has a quiet dignity and stately elegance that somehow appeals to me. I am particularly drawn to one of the pavilions – the Chanchhaya or Dancing Pavilion. The roof of this pavilion was ingeniously constructed to allow moonlight to flood the entire pavilion and illuminate the performing dancers during their royal performances! Ethereal images of Apsara dancers bathed in moonlight flood into my mind and I am charmed.

Chan Thong also points out the King’s royal quarters to me, and tells me that King Sihamoni is in residence this morning as the Cambodian flag is raised! I have to admit (rather sheepishly) that I am a little thrilled at hearing this … King Sihamoni cuts a rather dashing figure as King.

After leaving the Royal Palace, I walk over to the distinctive rust-red sandstone building that is the National Museum and spend the rest of the morning wandering enthralled through the centuries of Khmer history in the various galleries. Time stands still in these halls. From there, I make my way down Street 178 (also known as the Artists' Street) with its many art galleries and on to exploring some of the quaint craft stores and bookshops in the riverfront area on Sisowath Quay.

In the afternoon, Chivy and Mariny give me a taste of Khmer hospitality and come to take me to visit Mariny’s family country retreat on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. We sit in the garden and have a picnic of delicious popiah-like Khmer pancakes and chat about life in Singapore and in Cambodia. Mariny’s two adorable and active sons happily run around the compound and as we eat and talk, I learn that her husband, works with the Ministry of Justice and has visited his Singapore counterparts in the legal service before.

Chivy gives me a lift back to the hotel later ... the end of another lovely day!

Day 16 Of Grammar Races and Other Things …

The next day, we go through Chapter 11: “Carry-on Travel” of In Company in the morning. I decide that this will be our lesson pattern for the week, mornings for the text with afternoons reserved for the various interactive activities that I have planned in the key skill areas (Speaking/Listening/Reading/Writing). This afternoon, we focus on Grammar, as this is an area many of them have expressed concern for in their Needs Analysis. I first review the six forms of tenses with the entire class, after which I group students in threes/fours and set them on an exciting “Grammar Race”.

Each group is given 26 sentences (all set in a work/business context) from A to Z and I tell them that they are to act as editors and to either spot the errors and correct them or identify those sentences that do not need any correction. They are given 10 minutes. Then groups exchange sheets and we go through the answers, with one mark awarded for each accurate correction or identification. The group that has the highest score wins!

A lot of lively discussion and debate ensues as we go over the answers and we are able to review quite a number of useful grammar rules. As it turns out, the students do quite well and manage to get at least half of the sentences correct. Two of the groups tie for first place!

English can be such a difficult language to learn at times, given the many exceptions to the rules. My poor students share some of their frustrations with the language with me and I try to encourage them not to lose heart but to continue trying to speak, read and write in English … Language, I tell them, is a living thing and needs to be nurtured … what we do not use, we lose. Their main obstacle is the lack of conversation kakis and they cheer up a little when I encourage them to email or skype Ching Liang or myself to practise their English after the course ends.

We end the day with a round of another activity: “Question Circles”, in which each student takes turns to form and ask questions (in a specified tense, e.g. Present Perfect, Past, etc.) of the next student, who then has to reply correctly before asking his/her own question.

Before they leave for home, Iary and some of the others tell me that they have found the Grammar Race to be very useful and ask for more of such exercises. Yaay! Nothing makes a teacher feel better than an activity that has left an impact on his or her students.

So ends Day 16! I feel quite energized at the end of the day and as there are no lessons the next day, I decide to do some exploration on my own of the area surrounding the Imperial Garden when I return to the Hotel. 8 March -- International Women’s Day -- is a public holiday in Cambodia. I check out the megamart (Pencil Supercentre) behind the Centre and gleefully discover that there are a myriad of tiny hole-in-the-wall shops inside as well! Shades of Far East Plaza!!! Then I walk over to the fairground at one end of Sisowath Quay and weave my way through the crowds of people thronging the various food stalls before making my way back to the hotel, breathing in all the rich sights, sounds and smells of fascinating Phnom Penh as I amble along.

Day 15 Singapore Day!

Woke up bright and early to get ready for class. Sunrise comes early in Cambodia (Phnom Penh is an hour behind Singapore) and sunlight is already streaming into my room at 6am. Have decided that Julian of Norwich's much-loved saying will be my mantra these two weeks. All will be well ... all manner of all thing(s) will be well.

The driver picks me up as arranged (thanks to Ching Liang!) and I get to the Training Centre on Sothearos Boulevard well before 8.30am. Along the way, we see flames in the distance and I find out later that a fire has broken out in the Wat Botum or Botum Votey Pagoda close to the Centre!!! Wat Botum is one of Phnom Penh’s more famous pagodas. One of the five original pagodas founded by King Ponhea Yat in the 15th century when he abandoned Angkor to establish his new capital at Phnom Penh, the present structure was built by King Sisowath Monivong and dates from 1937. It escaped damage by the Khmer Rouge, but not it appears the inferno. While no one is injured, only a blackened, smouldering shell is left when the flames die down. Sigh.

The students are really welcoming and we soon have a nice rapport going. As we wait for everyone to arrive, we talk about the fire and I go through related vocabulary with them. When class proper starts, I tell them a little about my background and try to place the faces from the photographs I have to the actual people in front of me. I've decided that our first day together will be "Singapore Day"! I am trying to use the ESA technique in my EFL teaching, i.e. Engage the students’ attention first, Study and then Activate.

I introduce them to Singapore food as a warm up to our first activity and let them taste the kueh lapis, pineapple tarts and muruku that I had brought from home. The food is a hit! Voila! Engagement. Then, I lead on to the language of instruction and of describing a process as I ask the class to form groups and work on piecing together a jumbled up recipe. To further reinforce the Singaporean theme, I use a Laksa recipe (courtesy of Mrs Lee’s cookbook)! We focus on the use of imperatives and on the importance of signal words and connectors in effective communication (the Study phase) and finally, the students are asked to practise their newly-acquired knowledge (Activate!) in writing out a simple recipe for a traditional Khmer dish. The students then present to the class and I help them along and suggest corrections to the language structure where necessary. I learn all sorts of interesting facts about making water lily and smoked fish soup, about prohoc or Cambodian “cheese” (not really cheese at all but a kind of pungent fermented fish paste) and about the abundant use of tamarind and fresh herbs in Khmer food!

To round up the morning’s lesson, the class plays a Speaking/Listening board game that I had put together. In groups, they are given counters (I use kuti-kuti!), dice and an A3-sized board with a series of squares detailing various topics that they have to speak on for at least a minute if their counter falls on that square. The class seems to enjoy this activity and one of the students, Chivy, tells me that her English would improve dramatically if she played this game everyday!

After the lunch break, we do Chapter 10: “Hotels” of the In Company textbook. In this chapter, we focus on Speaking/Listening skills and on the strategies used in handling a complaint. I give them an additional exercise on this as I feel that this is a relevant area in their work. Ministry officials like ThengCheang, who works as a legal officer in the Ministry of Justice, often have to respond to complaints from members of the public.

The day ends off on a high note. All has indeed been well.

Day 14 The Adventure continues ...

Well, it's my turn to record our teaching stint in Cambodia! As Ching Liang's adventure ends, mine begins ...

Am posting entries in retrospect as the internet connection at the Imperial Garden has been iffy these past few days. Apart from sporadic access during breaks between lessons at the Centre, today, Thursday, 9 March, was the first day that I was able to get online for any length of time. Access is still painfully slow though. The server in the hotel must be missing Ching Liang! ; )

The flight from Singapore to Phnom Penh was uneventful and I arrived a little past 5pm on Sunday, 5 March. The same could not be said of the check-in at Changi. Sigh. With all the teaching materials that I (the true-blue Singaporean and faithful follower of the scout motto ... ha ha) had prepared for my half of the course, my luggage was way over the limit allowed and came up to a grand total of 35.7 kg!!! Eeep. Promptly discovered to my chagrin that my persuasive powers were not as effective as I had believed. The ground staff were pleasant but unyielding in the face of my feeble attempt at persuading them to waive the excess baggage charge. Oh well. Had reached a state of relative zen in any case. After all the hectic preparations for the trip these past months, I would've gladly paid a small ransom if it meant that all my precious materials were free to travel with me.

Relieved to catch sight of Ching Liang's familiar face upon landing at Pochentong International Airport .... can't believe that I am finally in Cambodia! The short car ride to the Imperial Garden gave us some time to share additional details of our students and ensure a smooth handover of the class. Checked into a nice room on the third floor with my small mountain of luggage (hmmn ... it's a walk-up!). My home away from home for the next two weeks has a clear view of the Tonle Bassac and the Mekong ... nice! As all the good guide books say, the city of Phnom Penh is situated at the confluence of the two great rivers, the Tonle Sap (flowing into the Tonle Bassac) and the Mekong.

Jackie came by at 7pm to take us all out for sop chhnang day -- steamboat Khmer style -- somewhere (I think … will have to check the address with Jackie later) near the Singapore Embassy along Preah Norodom Boulevard. What a nice welcome surprise! The food was delicious and my Lenten resolution not to eat meat duly drowns in the rich, mutton broth that we dunk plate after plate of fresh, leafy vegetables (they have tang or here too!), local noodles, eggs and different meats into.

Back to the hotel after dinner. Read through the Needs Analysis forms that the students had filled in for me on Ching Liang's last day to get a better idea of their particular language needs in their respective jobs. Then went through my lesson plans for the next day. Equal parts excitement and "first-class" jitters! Take a deep breath, here goes ...

Day14 : My Last Entry in this Blog

When to the National Museum with Sharon. The musium is amazing with artefacts from 7th century and back. Spent the whole morning at the National Museum. Walked there. Was trailed by a boy and his sister who're begging for some money. It's a hard situation to handle. If you give him and the sister money, then you open the floodgate to all the other beggars to head your way. If you don't, you feel guilty. Either way, you feel bad.

Back to the National Museum. The artefacts are amazing. Each statue is carved from blocks of stone a few tonnes in weight. Gives a preview to the amazing sights that we will be witnessing in Angkor. Just blows the mind away.

After the National Museum, we went to the Phsar (pronounced Pasar!) Tol Tom Poung. Phsar if you haven't guessed also mean market. Tol Tom Poung is also known as the Russian Market. It has a bezillion things. Sha and I had so much fun shopping there.

Went to the Pochengtong airport to pick up Eve. Her flight arrived ahead of schedule at 505pm. She is here safely so no worries! She'd checked into her room. Tomorrow she starts work and it's her show from now on. I'm sure that she will be an excellent teacher!

Anyways, that's all for now. My last entry. It's been fun!

cl (05/02/2006)

Day 13: Eve's Drivers

Hi Eve,

Here are the pictures of your drivers for the next two weeks:

This is one of the cars that will be picking you up and dropping you off at the Imperial Gardens:

The other car is also a Toyota Camry but I don't know the license plate and I didn't take a picture of it.

The driver will pick you up at 0815hrs and drop you off at the front of the Hong Kong Centre. Remember it is left-hand drive so get in on the right side (the side next to the road) so that it is easier to get off. The lunch break is usually from 1130 to 1400 hrs. The driver will pick you up from the Hong Kong Centre at 1145 to send you back to the hotel.

For the afternoon session, the driver will pick you from the hotel at 1345hrs. He will tehn return again to pick you up around 1715hrs after you are done with class.

You can always change the time with the driver according to your needs. Remember the drivers will alternate their duties so don't get stress if you see it's a different one from before.

Day12 : The Lesson (My Last)

Last and final day. My wife, Sharon joined me in class. Tried something new today. Well, actually I improved on the Q&A session that I used yesterday. The new game was called The Hot Seat. Sharon was the in the hot seat. The students have to ask a question in Khmer but before they ask the question, they have to select one of their classmates as the translator. So the question is asked in Khmer and then the translator has to translate the question into English for Sharon to answer. The question can be on any topics be it about our married life, Singaporean society, politics etc. After the translated question is asked, I will then analyse the question and figure out if there are different ways of asking the question in English. Grammatical problems are also dealt with and explained to the class. After that is cleared, Sha would then give her reply. This provided a reward to the class because if they want to find out more, they have to ask more question.

As this was my last day teaching them, one of the students, Phanly invited me and Sharon out for lunch. We were taken to lunch on the otherside of the Tonle Sap/Mekong. Tonle = River. The restaurant is this interesting place that stood out over some marshland. The entire restaurant is built on stilts. Below the restaurant is this marshland with amazing pods of lotus plants and water lilies. The flowers of these plants are huge!

Fridays are traditionally the movie days so we watched Forever Fever to acquaint the students to the Singaporean accent. The class then asked a couple more questions on Singapore and then the class ended.

Felt free and sad at the same time. Cliche though this may be, it's like Shakespeare oft repeated oxymoron: parting is such sweet sorrow.

Well, my term has ended and Eve's wonderful one is about to begin. I am sure with her stronger grasp of grammar, Eve will be a much better teacher and continue to build on the good will that has already been generated.

We'll see but this may be my last entry. If this is the last, good bye for now.

Day11 - The Lesson

Had an interesting session this morning because I tried a different approach to getting the students to speak. I invited them to interogate me on any issues concerning me and Singapore. This is similar to what I did on the first day. Today it worked much more beautifully because the students are much more comfortable with me now so a number of them started ask really good questions ranging from Singapore's favourite foods dishes, to my family, to the socio-economic fabric of Singapore. The bottom line is this. The students are trying their best in constructing sentences in English and speaking up. It is nice. After the break we finished In Company Chapter 8 which has a sub-section on Starbucks. That was nice because we then followed up listening to Rob and Bob podcast which has an episode on Starbucks. Nice alignment.

During the break time I helped Evelyn arrange for her chauffer service for her stay here. The driver will pick her up to and fro the hotel and the training centre every day. Eve, your vehicle number is a maroon Camry license plate 0160. Sometimes it will be a white camry (I am not sure of the license plate) .

In the afternoon, we listened to more Rob and Bob ESl podcast. This time they are talking about festivals and festivities. We also listened to a Voice of America Special English Broadcast on Women's Rights. That was kind of fun.

I went to the airport to pick up Sharon, my wife after class. Yay! She's finally here! Chivy and Mariny drove me to the airport. Sha arrived early. Yippee!!!! Sha, Mariny and Chivy hit it off right away. Chivy gave Sha a whirlwind tour of Phnom Penh and showed us her house acrossed from the Tonle Sap. We went for dinner together and Phany joined us later. Had rip-roaring night.

Tomorrow's the last day. It's kind of sad but it's time for Eve to enjoy the warm friendship and hospitality of the Cambodians!

Day10 : The Lesson

Today's lesson was conducted based on a special request from Phy Sokun. Sokun asked me yesterday just after the morning break if I could conduct a short lesson on writing e-mails. So I did some research on the internet last night on the topic of e-mails for this morning's class. Found a useful powerpoint on the topic of "netiquette" and so I incorporated this for use for this morning's lesson. I was a bit worried about this powerpoint because it was prepared for native speakers but it seems that the class found it useful and informative. That's a relief!

The second half of the morning was fun! As part of the handover process to Evelyn, I made full use of the conveniences of Skype. I skyped Eve and got the students to talk to her. The objective was twofold:

1. To get them to hear Eve's voice so that they won't feel strange meeting her for the first time on Monday and vice versa.
2. To get them to practice having an English conversation on the telephone. This is a good practical lesson from yesterday's lesson on Telephone English.

Afternoon session started with getting the students to practice writing. They each have to write a short email to Eve on what are their expectations of her in terms of lessons. The writing isn't great but I am compiling it for Eve verbatim so she will know their standard. This is also part of the handing over process to her. Emailed her the file just now. In the second half of the afternoon, we continued with the In Company book.


Another Cultural Moment:

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono came round again today to visit the Cambodian King. The motorcade carrying President Susilo was greeted by hundreds of Cambodian primary and secondary school students. They were brought there early in the morning to wait for the Indonesian president. All of them were carrying little Cambodian and Indonesian flags. A number of them were also given A4 size portraits of King Sihamoni and President Susilo.

I guess this is probably not too unusual, what's unusual for me as a Singaporean was, the children were asked to wait by the road side until President Susilo had finished his visit with the King! The students from many schools were standing by the road side for nearly two hours! That way when he return the same way, the VIP can see the students waving their flags and pictures again.

Their role over and done with, all hell breaks loose! :c)

Work Done:
Purdue University's Powerpoint on Netiquette

In Company, Chapter 8

Day9 : The Lesson

This morning's lesson focussed on the English used in phone conversation. The main lessons were from EnglishClub.com again. The lessons included the introduction of common phrases. For their practices, the students were given three telephone scripts with parts left blank for them to fill in. After they had completed this revision, they used the completed scripts to practice mock telephone conversations with each other.

In the afternoon, listened to the Rob and Bob ESL podcast. In this episode, Rob and Bob discussed the use of gerunds and the infinitive. They also describe what a Japanese wedding is like. Again, to revisit the objective of the Rob and Bob show: it was basically used to familiarise the students with the American and British accents as well as key points of English grammar. In the second half of the afternoon session, we worked on In Company Chapter 7. This lesson focussed on the use of "can" and "can't".

Interesting cultural insight: In Phnom Penh, people double park on the road all the time. Usually, the traffic cops don't care too much (as in ignore!) about such traffic transgression. However.... and this is the fun part... If there happens to be a national assembly sitting, then the cops will be extra vigilant. You see, they have to make a big show to the law-makers and VIPs that the drivers are law-abiding.

So the whole morning, I have students running in and out of the classroom to shift their vehicles from the right side to the left side of the road. The instructions changes every ten minutes. It was a riot! The students are remarkably good natured about it. Everyone is laughing about having to shift their cars. It is rather farcical ... to make things worse, apparently Indonesian President Susilo Bambamg Yudhoyono decides to visit in the afternoon. So the wheel turns once more... it is quite an interesting cultural induction! Here's a picture of the Billboard announcing the visit of the Indonesian President:

Work Done:
Telephone English, http://www.englishclub.com/speaking/telephone.htm
Rob and Bob ESL Podcast, Episode 22, Japanese Weddings, Gerunds and Infinitive
In Company, Chapter 7

Day8 : The Lesson

Monday again and back to class! In the morning, we touched on the topic of small talk and the role it occupied in English communication. The students did a couple of exercises on Small Talks that I downloaded from the website English Club. The students also discussed the difference in the dos and don'ts of small talks in Cambodia and other countries like Singapore, US and the UK.

In the afternoon, we listened to another episode of the Rob and Bob ESL Show. This episode's main focus was sports and it's a nice follow-up from the "Bend it like Beckham" movie on Friday. After that, we completed Chapter 6 of the In Company book.

Work Done:
In Company - Chapter 6
EnglishClub.com - Speaking - Small Talk module (http://www.englishclub.com/speaking/small-talk.htm)

Day7 : Three Markets and a Billion Things....

Sunday and no class. In the morning I trawl the web for some ESL activities for next week's lessons. Went out to explore the various markets in Phnom Penh with Radiah the trainer for the IT course that is going on concurrently with the language course. Radiah is a Singapore trainer from ITE. She has been training for MFA over the last year or so in countries such as Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.

Anyways, we went to the Russian Market or Phsar (pronounced Pasar!), the Central Market, and Phsar Olympic. Each is unique.

The Russian market is an amazing hub of activities. It's like the old Tiong Bahru crossed with Chatuchak market. You can get factory seconds and oodles of souvenirs and kelong dvds etc... The Central Market sells mostly jewellry, watches and clothings. It is situated within this amazing art-deco structure that was built in the 30s. Absolutely gorgeous despite it looking rather rundown. This mart is more oriented to tourists and this is visible through the larger number of beggars. Felt very bad ignoring them but what could you do? To give one would have opened the floodgates. The Olympic Market is kind of like the old People's Park. It caters purely to a Cambodian clientele. You can buy local fashion, food, and household utensils here.

That's all for today. Will go prepare for tomorrow's class.

cheers
cl

Day6 : Rest Day and Sightseeing Day!

The students were half and hour late! It was so funny because one of them actually gave me an order to be on time! It really cracks me up because I am usually the person who is late for everything in Singapore but I actually came down from my room 5 minutes before 9am the appointed time.

Anyways, Chivy, Mariny and Phany finally showed up at around 0930hrs which was cool because I'd actually thought that they weren't going to show or that I made the silly mistake of thinking it was 9am when they meant 9pm. But anyways, it was really nice that they took the time out to show me around.

Found out more about the students. Chivy is very young but has already been to like all the SEA coutnries because she was on the Ship for SEA programme. She was in Singapore in 2000. Mariny comes from an upper-crust family and owns luxurious homes and a number of cars! Phany is a Chinese Cambodian who's grandpa doesn't speak anything except for Teochiew! He is a revelation because he is very quiet in class but today he really opened up and showed his true self! He is really funny and very game in trying to communicate in English. I learnt so much more about three of them. Here's the tour route!

The first stop was the Royal Palace. That was very nice.

I like it much better than the Royal Palace in Bangkok. he amazing thing is that the King actually lived in a closed off compound within the areas that are open to the public.

NOTE: Eve, do wear a shirty/blouse with sleeves or you have to rent a T-shirt! That's what happened to poor Mariny! She had to rent a crappy t-shirt for 1000 reil or US$0.25! :c)

The next stop was the National Museum. It is a fantastic place as the religious artefacts are absolutely amazing because they date all the way back to the 6th century. I have totally forgotten my DGE Hall History of SEA! I found out that the Khmer empire once stretched all the way to Perak! Absolutely mind boggling! I guess that's why the culture resembled the Thai culture so much. The empire owned Thailand for awhile. Ab fab!

Chivy, Mariny and Phany treated me to a sumptious lunch at a Cambodian restaurant. The food is interesting. It draws influences from Vietnamese, French and Thai cuisines. Tasted gorgeous!

After lunch is more sombre. They took me to the Toul Sleng Museum. It is horrific what humans can do to their fellow humans. It is sad. Mariny told me that she lost her grandma to Khmer Rouge. Luckily though, all three of them were born in the 80s and didn't have to witness the horrors of the killing fields.

Puts things in perspective. The Cambodians that I have met so far has been nothing but amazing. So full of warmth and happiness. It boggles my mind that the beastly Pol Pot came out of this country.

Mariny's child called at around 4pm so we had to finish off the sightseeing. Mariny and Chivy dropped me off at the hotel. A nice day!

Pictures of the Imperial Garden Hotel

Hi Eve,

I will tell Jackie about you wish to switch to the Imperial Garden Hotel next week. Anyways, the place is very nice and clean. The room is way smaller but nice and cosy. The nice thing is the ethernet link broadband. The view is also way better than at the Himawari. Here are some of the pictures.

These are the pictures from the Imperial Garden's website:

http://www.imperialgarden-hotel.com/



The two front and riverside view of the Imperial Gardens. The front view:



The poolside:



Below are the shots I'd taken of my room:



And here is the view from the balcony:



A very good deal compared to the Himawari!

Day5 : The Lesson

Today went alright again. And so the pendulum swings. The morning session was lively because they really liked the exercises in In Company. The In Company chapter today touched on business lunches and etiquette. I also gave themn a chance to ask me about the way things are done in Singapore and how it compared to Cambodia. We also listened the podcast series, Rob and Bob ESL Show. Today the class and I listened to Rob and Bob talk about Tag Questions and how they are used.

The afternoon session today is a light affair. I deliberately planned it to be light on Friday as most are on weekend TGIF mood. We watched Bend it Like Beckham dvd. The class watched it with subtitles on. The objectives of watching the dvd are as follow:

1. Familiarised the students with the various accents of spoken English which in the case of this movie are the British, Irish and Indian accents.
2. Watching the movie with subtitles helped the students to match the words to what they hear. This also train their reading skills.
3. After the movie, the students were given a homework to write about how they will feel if their daughters decide to make a living being a professional footballer (this was the theme of Bend It Like Beckham). So the movie also allows the students a chance to practice their writing.

End of the week. Next week is the start of my second and last week here.

Work Done:
In Company, Chapter5
Internet Resources used: Podcast-Rob and Bob Learning English Show.

Day4 : The Lesson

The morning lesson featuring the podcast programme of The Rob and Bob Show didn't manage to get as much of the students' attention as I'd hoped. Some of them provided feedback that they have difficulty catching the accents and the pace of speech of the two ESL teachers (one British and the other an American) in the podcast. However, the students did enjoyed hearing the different English accents and learning about the differences between American and British English. So there are some bright spots even though I felt the session can be considered a minor failure. Have to try another approach.

The second half of the morning lesson for the students was working on Worksheet 2 on Kampong Days. That went alright. But the students are finding it tough-going in Kampong Days. They find the vocabulary in the book too difficult. But they appear to be able to get the answers right.

In the afternoon we did Chapter 4 of the In Company book. Some of them finished very fast while others are struggling. One student also asked me if I can shift the reading to the morning. Turns out that while they enjoyed the reading activity, they find it a tad too dreary in the afternoon.

So it appeared that I had been rather off when I thought they liked the activity. So embarassing. So a switcheroo it'll be. I must also go google for more interactive ESL class activities for the afternoons for next week. More research and web-hunting tonight....

Work Done:
In Company, Chapter4
Kampong Days, Chapter 3, Worksheet 2
Internet Resources used: Podcast-Rob and Bob Learning English Show.

Day3 : The Lesson

Looks like the lessons each day are now settled into a nice pattern. I will use internet resources for the morning lessons and use the In Company and Kampong Days books for the afternoon session. This morning I used the 5 Minute English Lesson website to teach the class about the use of intonation. It looks like most if not all of the students are more interested in spoken, conversational English so they feel particularly energised when they are doing reading and listening to pronunciation lessons. So Eve, stick to getting them to read properly and speak confidently would win you many friends! I finished off the morning by getting them to do Worksheet 1 of Kampong Days that Michael so kindly provided us with!

In the afternoon, we did Chapter 3 of InCompany and then finished off by getting the students to take turns to read Kampong Days chapter 3.

Work Done:
In Company, Chapter 3.
Kampong Days, Chapter 2 + Worksheet 1

Day2 : The Lesson

With the computer sound problem resolved, I introduced the students to one of the more interesting interactive websites for learner of English:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/

We spent the morning going through the pronunciation section of the BBC website. There is a good flash-based phonetic chart that you can refer to in the BBC site.
I got the students to listen to the various sounds of the phonetic alphabet and got them to practice along. This got their attention and they seem to enjoy this quite a bit. Here is the website’s url:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/multimedia/pron/chart/chart.shtml


You may want to google for a bunch of multimedia ESL sites so that you can use them for Cambodia. Let me know if you are doing this because I can leave behind the cables for your use. But please make sure you collect them back for me as they cost me a bundle when I had them made.

I can even train one of the students to get them to set up for you! :c) I think they are definitely warming up to me now! So let me know if you will be using the computer!

After the break, I introduced the students to because many of them complained that they do not have anyone to practice their English. So I showed them how Skype can open up a whole world of English speakers to them free of charge is they ever wanted anyone to speak to in English. All they need is a set of headphones with microphone. A number of them are actually quite excited and said that they will try this weekend. Told them to Skype me and have a cyber conversation!

The afternoon session went as well as the morning session as well. We went through Chapter 2 of the In Company book. So Eve, we are on track at one chapter per day.

After the afternoon break, I got the students to read the first chapter of Michael's Kampong Days book. That seemed to be a roaring success. I got the whole class to read out loud and I helped to correct their mis-pronunciation as they go along. They rather enjoyed that!

Hey thanx Shawna and KeeN for leaving the comments! It's really nice to hear from you guys! Shawna, how's the EFNAK thing going? Sorry I'm not there to help.

Day2 : Technical Problem Resolved!

Problem

One of the major problems when I got to the centre was the prospect of not being able to use my laptop for any multimedia presentations such as using interactive websites set up for the teaching of English as a foreign language. In the playing of any DVDs, the laptop is a better option than the TV because the projector has a larger image than the centre’s 29” television set.

However, the CSTC isn’t equipped like our classroom in NP. It doesn’t have an integrated sound system for us to plug in our computers. This means that the laptop won’t be an effective tool since the students can’t hear the sound output from its little speakers.

Solution:

The short answer is that I found a way to output the sound to the CSTC’s 29” stereo TV from my laptop’s headphone jack. This way, the TV set becomes a giant speaker for my computer! :c) (back in showbiz!)

I was lucky that I brought along the audio cables from my radio days. Here is the spool of extension cables (Cable 1) that are 10m long:

This is a mini-plug to RCA adapter wire (Cable 2). This is the cable that I use to connect to the TV’s stereo input.

Hi Eve, if you wish to use your computer, you will need to follow these steps:

Step1: Plug in the Cable 1 into the headphone jack of your laptop. The headphone jack is the one that is coded GREEN.

Step2: Connect Cable 2 to Cable 1.

Step3: Connect the other end of Cable 2 (the ones coded Red and White) to the Video2/3’s Audio Inputs (the Red and White ones) at the back of the TV.

Step4: Switch on both the TV and the DVD player.

Step5: Select the Video2 channel on the TV set. Leave the DVD player on and now the TV set becomes the world’s biggest computer speaker! :c)

Here's how you connect your PC to the projector. The connection is at the back of your laptop:

I had also briefed Jackie on how to connect the sound cable to your computer so he should be able to help you.

Day1 : The Lesson

Hi Eve,

The morning portion wasn't too bad as it was mostly activities and registration matters. I took pictures of them so that you will know what your future students look like. Their ages range from mid 20s to over-40. After the picture taking, their first exercise is to circulate the room and interview each other in English. They were given three guide questions:

1. What's your occupation?
2. What's your hobby?
3. Where's the farthest that you've ever travelled?

That takes us up to about 0930hrs. There is usually a break for tea at around 0930 or 1000hrs. Today the CSTC staff informed me that the tea-break is ready. But in the afternoon, they didn't inform me. So it looks like you will have to check the time and set your tea break. Just make sure you have a peep to see if the refreshment are there first.

Back from the break, I gave them a de-brief on the first activity. Got them to share on how they felt etc... Most said that they felt awkward and stifled but it seemed to get easier as they spoke to more classmates in English. Told them that's the essence of this course is to really force them to speak in English so they will get more used to it...

Next assignment was a written assignment where the students describe themselves on paper. That is something I have to go through tonight.

Afternoon didn't go as well. Used the Macmillan book and it seemed a bit too simple for some of the participants. In fact, I thought that I lost some of them. I will keep you posted on how this book perform. If it doesn't shape up to be challenging for them then maybe you might want to consider alternatives. Strange, most of them didn't do too well in the screening test but it seems that there are a few who are quite confident. There are those who couldn't do the book's exercises of course.

Anyways, that's all for today.

Day1 : The Classroom and Equipment

Hi Eve,

This is what the classroom looks like on the inside. It is a large space with chairs that you can easily moved around. Here are some shots of the classroom.



If you are using your laptop, Jackie can bring in a portable projector but the problem is that you have no sound. So if you intend to play anything with your laptop, do borrow a set of external speaker from someone or see if IS has a copy. Here is a shot of my laptop and the projector. The projector is a tiny thing that is partially hidden by the screen of the laptop.



You will need to play your CD. The trouble is, they do not have a CD player! So you will need to play your CD from the DVD player and have the sound of the CD come out through the TV. It is really cumbersome and hard to control the pauses etc. Here is a shot of the TV and the dvd player.



The player you see at the bottom of the rack is a cassette player. Of course when all things failed, there is always the trusty old whyteboard! :c) Just joking...

Day1: Direction to the Centre and Classroom

Work up at 6am. I got up earlier because I am nervous about the class. Bathed and this is how I looked prior to leaving the Himawari at around 0740hrs.



Eve, you can take a cab to work or you can walk. I chose to walk and it took me slightly more than 5 minutes to get to the Hong Kong Centre which incidentally look like this:



If you came by car, they will most likely drop you off at the front of the building (see pics). The Cambodian-Singapore Training Centre (CSTC) is on the 2nd floor which in Cambodian parlance meant the 3rd! First floor is called Ground Flr like the good old days in Singapore. Take the lift to the 2nd Flr and this is what you will see:



You head towards the spiral staircase and turn right and follow the sign:



This is the door to CSTC which incidentally is locked till about nearly 2pm because that is when the lunch time ends.



Go through this set of glass-door and our classroom is the first room on our left. It is also used as a function room when there is any talk organised by the embassy.

Here's what your hotel look like in the day time.



and next door is the Cambodiana