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David has a desk and computer shoved into a corner of the
office of the Center for Natural Resources and Environmental Management (called
“Soon NREM” in Thai). It is functional
if not very aesthetic. The support staff
is great, especially Ms. “Shrimp” (“gung” is really her nickname); they help
with everything with “how do I send a fax back to Oakland?”
to “where is the Personnel Division located so I can get my paperwork
completed?”
David has 10 Masters degree students in both of his
classes. Four come from Laos
(2 men and 2 women); one woman from Cambodia;
one man from Korea;
two women from Vietnam,
and a married couple from Indonesia. Each is very interesting in his/her own
way. Most have several years of work
experience in forestry or landfill management or environmental impact
assessment. Except for Mr. Lee from Korea,
their English language capabilities remain a challenge. David is teaching slowly and carefully, and
he makes great use of Janet’s advice from her many years at Flowery
School dealing with
English-language learners. So far,
feedback from the students (through Ms. “Shrimp”, for example) has been
good. They find the readings hard but
the approach to environmental policies and programs very interesting and potentially
useful. |
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