Mr Ulrik

Ulrik and 'his' English class
After only a day at the school, I was asked to teach a small class of four intermediate English students. Later in the week, another teacher (Mr Sal) had to stay home due to pain in the neck (literally ... it wasn't the students being a pain in the neck), and with typical Cambodian organization, the caretaker(!), Mr Ny, asked me five minutes before class if I could possibly step in. Sure ... no problem. Lee came with me for support, but having 30 students -- all very much at the beginner level -- stare at me in eager anticipation, is surely one of the most scary things I have ever done. It’s right up there with dancing for a boatload of Indonesians ...

Considering the circumstance, the lesson went as well as it could. With absolutely no Khmer, it certainly wasn’t easy. I did manage to lead them in practicing some question words (what, where, when, etc.), which they had learned the day before. All credit, however, goes to the students for not giving up on my floundering ‘teaching’, and staying for the duration.

For more photos, see our Alysha Chan School photo album.