Back To Teaching?

What? Do I hear a few people scoffing?

I have guilt-tripped myself in to offering “conversational” English classes to Tibetan refugees through the Gu Chu Sum organisation. They request English speakers to come and speak English on a daily basis – which kinda put me off. However I popped into their office last week and with the lack of travellers in town they are desperate. Thus I have been assigned Rinchen, an 18 year old refugee from Lhasa who escaped in 2006. I was introduced to him straight away and an impromptu “lesson” began. We discuss our respective backgrounds and families. He is a nice lad and an enthusiastic learner, and he has been practising English for two years. He attends a school which is four hours away and pays Rp1 per term. Now that really is value for money.

For our first “formal” lesson I tear out a page from Time Magazine on Hugh Hefner . Well hell! What do you share with any 18 year old – let alone an 18 year old Tibetan refugee? My area of teaching expertise is with students aged between 3 and 7! Fortunately, the article amuses him and fills the hour well.

Rinchen informs me that times are changing in Lhasa. Whilst his parents had an arranged marriage like most of their peers, these days most marriages are “love” matches, and it is not unusual for sexual relationships to occur before marriage. He also tell me about a Tibetan writer, Gindun Chumbei, who travelled extensively and shares his sexual experiences with “foreigners”. Unfortunately I have been unable to find anything on this author on Google or Wikepedia. He also seeks my confirmation about an article that he read in The Times of India. Apparently masturbation on a daily basis can fight off cancer. I have no idea, do you?

I have offered two hourly sessions a week y no mas!