Trung, Nhi and Y

Yesterday was a relatively uneventful day, however I did reconnect with Rob, who had hosted the benefit we both had put together in June for the English-language students in Siagon. I met him and a couple of his friends at Bill's Hideaway Lounge in Dallas for a couple of drinks while we sat and watched a cabaret show. I was asked if I would perform a half-hour cabaret set next monday, which I was happy to agree to.  It's a cute space and they have a baby-grand piano. Now I have to come up with something! Anyway, I promised Rob that I would finish posting Nigel Veal's descriptions of all the folks that are being schooled in Siagon as a direct result of this benefit and the generosity of his friends. So here are the final three:

• "Trung. Email has now become an important extension of my teaching at intermediate and advanced level. Over the past few months I have built up a large collection of grammar and reading comprehension exercises. Students also sometimes send me their written work to correct by email. One example is Trung, whom you [Eddie] know well. Although I see him in the park most evenings, it was difficult to find a suitable time and place to give Trung private tuition. Then I discovered that he spends a lot of time during the day logged onto his computer so I asked him if he would like to receive email exercises pitched at his level (which is pre-advanced). He jumped at the opportunity. The first exercise that I sent him was completed and returned withing 5 min. I correct it and sent him a 2nd exercise which was, again, returned immediately. We now exchange emails several times a week. On the rare occasion that he doesn't understand something, he can ask me in the park. I'll also try to find a suitable weekly time slot to give him one-on-one conversational practice. ..........................................................................
• "Nhi is the other student you know who now receives regular private tuition from me. Initially she started to study with Vinh on Saturday evenings but it wasn't ideal because Vinh tended to monopolize the conversation and with Nhi's limited vocabulary, she had difficulty following. So now I teach Vinh on Saturdays and Nhi on Sunday. She comes to my hotel where we study in a quiet corner of the reception area. Nhi is keen (almost impatient) to learn. She realizes that proficiency in English is the key to obtaining a decent job in this city. After studying for an hour or so at my hotel, we go to drink fruit shakes and then relocate to the park for conversational practice and gentle exercise. Usually we complete a walk of 6 or 7 circuits around the perimeter. I am a firm believer in the peripatetic method of teaching prescribed by Aristotle, and Nhi certainly seems to learn a lot this way. Walking also seems to deter other people from joining or interrupting us. ..........................................................................
• "Y (a one-letter name pronounced like a long E) is the new night-time receptionist at my hotel and she has become my late-night student. That is to say, I teach her for an hour around midnight practically every night before I go to bed. Her level is intermediate buy she is trying hard to expand her vocabulary and improve her speaking skills. On her first day in the job, with no suitable books to hand and a long night of boredom ahead, she was pouring over a travel brochure and jotting down the words she didn't understand. She asked me to explain these words, half of which were misprints. As an alternative to the badly-translated brochure, I produced my Vocabulary in Practice text and a story book. Now, every night we do one vocabulary exercise and read one story. I also test her on her new vocabulary from the previous day. Y's nocturnal boredom is temporarily banished, and for me it's quite a pleasant way to end the day."

-- Nigel Veal