October 4, 2009
Momosound
It’s not all just about books. The education of a country is not just to pump up the GNP. It’s also about preserving what one has.
Luang Prabang should be like Ubud in Bali. There should be art and music spilling over everything. Unfortunately, most of the artists and musicians left in 1975.
There are musical groups that play for tourists, but their sound has never pulled on my ear, but the other day, I heard something good and it pulled me off the street.
I found a small troupe practicing. They’re still students, but they appear to practice every moment they’ve got. They’re young, but they’ve already learned a large part of the Luang Prabang court music repertoire.
I took them to the radio station and we spent the day recording. We did three hours in the morning, but they didn’t like the sound of one instrument. We recorded again in the afternoon.
These are young artists and their attention to quality gave me goosebumps. They had their ear up to the speakers listening for things I couldn’t hear. They rescued the drum because the sound was drying up in the air-conditioning. They looked at the sine curves on the computer screen and could point out what to take out.
I’ve been preaching quality for all these years. “No, you don’t have to accept this standard. There is something more.” Today, I just sat tight with my hands around my knees and kept my mouth shut.
Luang Prabang should be like Ubud in Bali. There should be art and music spilling over everything. Unfortunately, most of the artists and musicians left in 1975.
There are musical groups that play for tourists, but their sound has never pulled on my ear, but the other day, I heard something good and it pulled me off the street.
I found a small troupe practicing. They’re still students, but they appear to practice every moment they’ve got. They’re young, but they’ve already learned a large part of the Luang Prabang court music repertoire.
I took them to the radio station and we spent the day recording. We did three hours in the morning, but they didn’t like the sound of one instrument. We recorded again in the afternoon.
These are young artists and their attention to quality gave me goosebumps. They had their ear up to the speakers listening for things I couldn’t hear. They rescued the drum because the sound was drying up in the air-conditioning. They looked at the sine curves on the computer screen and could point out what to take out.
I’ve been preaching quality for all these years. “No, you don’t have to accept this standard. There is something more.” Today, I just sat tight with my hands around my knees and kept my mouth shut.
Business English for the universe / Thumbs up
Now, let’s really get down to business. Why stop with the continent? Someone today expressed her frustration with the limits of education saying that the lack of English proficiency cuts people off from accessing international knowledge.
For the book, I’ve interviewed managers in Luang Prabang and asked them three things they need from staff. Sometimes I had to make them stop after number three. Managers moan about the lack of strong human resources.
Actually, nobody even mentioned English. According to one manager,“English and business experience can be picked up, but without a sense of honesty, there’s no go.”
Other popular responses include integrity, motivation, self-direction, initiative, will to communicate and creativity. “Creativity is the international language” is what one manager said.
Thumbs up
This has got to be the most outrageously ambitious project I’ve tackled. I kind of fell into it. Lao sign language is very new and hardly standardized. That means a book is really necessary. It also means there’s almost nothing to work with.
I’ve chased for answers about the proper use of the Lao language like a wild chicken/duck/goose, but imagine trying to get consensus on a hand movement.
The biggest disputes, curiously, were the signs for “Vientiane” and “Lactasoy” (a popular grand of packaged soy milk) This is not because these words are obscure. I’m sure people are saying, “I live in Vientiane” or “Buy me some Lactasoy”. They probably say this more often than, “I want a durian” though signs for fruits and vegetables are the first to fill up such dictionaries,
I gave up on some words like, “confused” and “teapot”. Maybe confused is just a fancy word for “I don’t understand” and is not necessary. I could never be sure if people were signing “teapot” or “tea” or “pour” or “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” so I gave up. Who needs to sign a teapot anyway?
Hey, if anyone out there wants to rescue me from pain and help the entire Lao population of deaf people, please donate $3,000 US to buy the Avatar software. This is a computer program to animate sign language. It would be a breeze to do around 50 signs a day, soon making a substantial dictionary in a month. This is in contrast to the 600 signs I finally collected with a digital camera. It topped off my laptop’s memory and my patience and took around a year.
Actually, nobody even mentioned English. According to one manager,“English and business experience can be picked up, but without a sense of honesty, there’s no go.”
Other popular responses include integrity, motivation, self-direction, initiative, will to communicate and creativity. “Creativity is the international language” is what one manager said.
Thumbs up
This has got to be the most outrageously ambitious project I’ve tackled. I kind of fell into it. Lao sign language is very new and hardly standardized. That means a book is really necessary. It also means there’s almost nothing to work with.
I’ve chased for answers about the proper use of the Lao language like a wild chicken/duck/goose, but imagine trying to get consensus on a hand movement.
The biggest disputes, curiously, were the signs for “Vientiane” and “Lactasoy” (a popular grand of packaged soy milk) This is not because these words are obscure. I’m sure people are saying, “I live in Vientiane” or “Buy me some Lactasoy”. They probably say this more often than, “I want a durian” though signs for fruits and vegetables are the first to fill up such dictionaries,
I gave up on some words like, “confused” and “teapot”. Maybe confused is just a fancy word for “I don’t understand” and is not necessary. I could never be sure if people were signing “teapot” or “tea” or “pour” or “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” so I gave up. Who needs to sign a teapot anyway?
Hey, if anyone out there wants to rescue me from pain and help the entire Lao population of deaf people, please donate $3,000 US to buy the Avatar software. This is a computer program to animate sign language. It would be a breeze to do around 50 signs a day, soon making a substantial dictionary in a month. This is in contrast to the 600 signs I finally collected with a digital camera. It topped off my laptop’s memory and my patience and took around a year.
FabuLao
Yes, another unpatented book title. We’ve printed 5,000 each of part I & Part II and I’m depending on these books to sell. They’re aimed to take the place of the ever popular “Headway” and “Interchange” books so I’ve added to the heading, “Interway your learning, Headchange your life.”
It’s a four-skills book appropriate for the classroom with a story line tying the two books together. An alien visits Luang Prabang. A Lao girl teaches the alien about Lao life. She’s rewarded with a trip to his planet, but finds it too technologically advanced. She does become more diligent and wins a scholarship to Japan, giving her the chance to learn and find ways to help her country. Don’t know yet if she’s a good girl in part III.
It’s a four-skills book appropriate for the classroom with a story line tying the two books together. An alien visits Luang Prabang. A Lao girl teaches the alien about Lao life. She’s rewarded with a trip to his planet, but finds it too technologically advanced. She does become more diligent and wins a scholarship to Japan, giving her the chance to learn and find ways to help her country. Don’t know yet if she’s a good girl in part III.
Writing I & II (III pending)
English speaking guides in Luang Prabang make the best money, but their attitude is dismissive when they say, “I can speak, but I can’t write.”
Maybe the same goes for the Lao language and that’s why there’s virtually nothing to read. Literacy is not just about reading, it’s about writing too.
The 6,00 books that I’ve printed is the biggest gamble. The popularity of grammar may end up being a placebo, but writing is the bitter pill. I tell students they’ll make history if they learn how to write and we’re not just talking about how to cross a “t”.
Maybe the same goes for the Lao language and that’s why there’s virtually nothing to read. Literacy is not just about reading, it’s about writing too.
The 6,00 books that I’ve printed is the biggest gamble. The popularity of grammar may end up being a placebo, but writing is the bitter pill. I tell students they’ll make history if they learn how to write and we’re not just talking about how to cross a “t”.
GrammaWow I & II
People will ask why the “r” is missing in “GrammaWow”. I try to explain that the name of a grammar book has to sound glamorous and wonderful.
Today, someone asked what “wow” means. Hard to explain, but once anyone tries saying it, they will know. “WOW!” they say automatically.
Many people believe that studying grammar will make them fluent, but if they follow the rules, they’ll never be able to say, “Hey, long time, no see.”
The trick is to convince students that the past perfect is not used just to show off one’s knowledge of fancy grammar. We have the past perfect so we can show how deep our regret is: “I wish I hadn’t gone out with him. I wish I hadn’t drunk so much that night. I wish I had followed your advice.”
Today, someone asked what “wow” means. Hard to explain, but once anyone tries saying it, they will know. “WOW!” they say automatically.
Many people believe that studying grammar will make them fluent, but if they follow the rules, they’ll never be able to say, “Hey, long time, no see.”
The trick is to convince students that the past perfect is not used just to show off one’s knowledge of fancy grammar. We have the past perfect so we can show how deep our regret is: “I wish I hadn’t gone out with him. I wish I hadn’t drunk so much that night. I wish I had followed your advice.”
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