Traveling from Vientiane to Broadstairs and back – Letters from England by Souvanh Navong
The London airport. Frankfurt airport , Bangkok airport.
I have been to studying at the Hilderstone colleges for two months .I started from Monday to Friday about listening, speaking, reading and writing. Every morning I get up early .because I do my home work. I feel very happy when to study English and one more time become to a student I want to improve my teaching English so that I have got knowledge many teachers from at Hilderstone the college.
The last month .I get up early in the morning .I have to study in the morning. Than I take many photos from the teacher and sai good bye. From the Hilderstone colleges. After class come to London airport. I am very excited about checking my bag .when I arrive at the airport I don’t know where I go in ? They need the passport. The plan ticket .but know have people work. because I want to scan my bag .I want to know. How many kg? after that I am going to by train about ten minutes than boarding time from London to Frankfurt. I think not easy very exciting the first time came to London in my life. I think very big airport
Checking in at Heathrow Airport
British Airways flight BA912 from London to Frankfurt
From:
Frankfurt airport to Bangkok airport the importance to information. I looking all the time .Now Frankfurt to Bangkok 10:25am going to the number b :61 after that I waiting along Time .until the end they said Frankfurt airport to Bangkok change now you going to number c:45.the time checking make me unhappy and I don’t know how to go by train and bus. I think just go by plane but travelling by bus .by train no have time for eating .
Check-in finished at Frankfurt airport!
Waiting for boarding, starting my article …
…and reading the books we bought
When I arrive Bangkok airport the same time. Make me unhappy again stop plan I am going to the terminal for I migration . I go by bus again. I waited a long time .Bangkok airport to lao airport I in the morning until evening. I am very boring about everything in the airport
The first. Time
The second. Number
The third . bus
The four. Train.
The last thing. I think very important for travelling .Every one must to or can speak English. If I don’t know how to speak English .I think staying in London airport. because London airport is biggest than Bangkok airport
Bangkok airport is bigger than lao airport.
Back in Lao now. The new school year is starting.
Text & photos by S. Navong
From England back to Laos via Karlsruhe – Letters from England by Donekeo Keositthivong & Souvanh Navong
Letter from Donekeo
On Friday 18th August 2017 I flew from England to Germany in the afternoon around 14:10 pm.
Bus from Frankfurt to Karlsruhe
The first thing I arrived I saw my friend Annika and David they pick us to the bus station in to their flat. I went with Annika,Souvun went with David , Noy and Mit went with Christiane who was a teacher in the Lao Tachnic College.
I stayed with Annika.She took care me everything . She cooked sticky rice for me , it the best dinner. The next day in the morning we went to the zoo with the new volunteers teachers who will coming to Lao in September.
Some of our German tandem-teachers (Teams II, III, IV) and some of the new volunteers (Teams V, VI
Hanna (Team V), Souvanh, Anika
Marie (Team VI)
Svenja (Team VI), Hanna
We walked around the zoo. I saw many animals.
Giraffes and Fabian (Team VI), Jana, Anika
Elephant
Polar bear
Me
Souvanh gives a “speech” in the Japanese Garden
David, me, Pauline
About 14:15 we went to the restaurant to have lunch together with all my friends in Germany.
In front of the restaurant
Then Isabel Martin showed us the shop with Asian food and French perfume. It’s nice perfume she brings to Lao for us. We got the smallest bottle,it was the last one, and Annika got small present bottles for us.
Then we went to the hill restaurant.It was so high I stand on the hill and saw the beautiful and I saw Caschle City
Tower on “Turmberg” (tower hill)
Karlsruhe below
Task for Mit: How to eat an ice-cream in a cone
about 20:00 we came home.
On Sunday 20th August 2017 we came back to Lao me , Mit ,Noy and Souvunh. We flew around 11 hour between Frankfurt to Thailand.
Frankfurt Airport
Bangkok Airport
We arrived 07:00am,then we waited around 13:00 We flew to Lao.
Noy’s welcome meal
Thanks for read my atticle.
Good bye
Text by Donekeo Keositthivong
Letter from Souvanh
The last day I come to visit Germany all the team I went to the zoo with the teacher volunteers from university of education I feel very happy we take many photos together and talk about animals than talking about London. 
Jana, Anika, David, me and Donekeo, Rebecca, Svenja, Marie, Hanna
Hanna and Souvanh
I have been to studying at Hilderstone colleges about two months .We walked around the zoo than I saw many animals I interesting because some animals I never saw before the first time in my life I think in lao countries no have Is special for me teacher David is good for take care me I hope in my life I never forget .because pick up me at bus station than go back home cooking for me David is very kind of person .Than we spoke English . 
Jana, Anika, David and Donekeo
After the zoo we went to the city walks around shopping .I just bought one bag to give my small girl. We have lunch together with old team and new team . 
Lunch in the “Stövchen”, a student pub
I think if I have changed I want to improve my teaching English in Germany for two years. Because to teaching in my school.
Thank for you take care of lao teachers I am very happy come to visit Germany and London I saw your office.
Text by Souvanh Navong
Photos by M. Sichampa, D. Keositthivong, P. Inthavong, P. Kern, I. Martin
Farewell to Hilderstone College – an interview & letter from England by Mittaphone Sichampa
18th,August 2017 it was last day for me and for our team to studied at Hilderstone Collage. It was happy day and sad day for me. Happy day is I’m going back to my country to meet family and friends. Sad day is I’m going to leave from Hilderstone Collage. I really miss friends, they are very kind and friendly. Right now i have many friends here. They are from different country such as: Korea, Switzerland, Turkey, Spain, Russia, Japan, Chaina, France, Italy And Germany.These are my class mate picture. We took together thats day i left.
Donekeo, me and my classmates…
…from all around the world
And also teachers at Hilderstone collage they are very nice, kindly and friendly with us. So, I would like to say thank you very much for everything thats you tought and helpped me. I though my English was improve and be better right now but it was sad because it’s time to leave, it’s to shrot time to study here.
Souvanh, Lee Shutler (Director of Studies), Phovang, Donekeo, Samantha (administration), me, Martin (Finance) and Lynne Hoenes (Marketing) from Hilderstone College
Martin, me, Ian Johnson (Principal), Phovang, Johnny (our teacher)
These are pictures we took with principal and he also interview me and Noy about ourself.
Jenny (our teacher)
Tall man – small women
Then he asks us some question such as:
1/ what do you most like about Broadstairs and England?
2/ What is the best way to improve your English?
3/ Why did you decide to come England?
4/ What do you think about Broadstairs and England?
5/ What have you learned about England?
6/ What do you do in your country?
7/ Have you made friends from other country?
8/ What would you say to a student coming from your country to Hilderstone?
Thats all question he asks me and Noy. Now you think what we answer!? Imagine first and then read our answer.
Our answer:
1/ the most thing i like in Broadstairs is walk a long the beach
2/ The best way to improve my English is speaking English with friends and host family
3/ Because I want to improve my English
4/ I think Broadstairs is clean, beautiful town also houses are lovely and safety town. But England is big country, a lot of people and dangerous.
5/ I have learnt about they life, food and culture.
6/ I am primary school teacher.
7/ Yes, I have make friends from other country such as: Korea, Switzerland, Turkey, Spain, Russia, Japan, China, Germany…
8/ I would like to say to other student who will come to Hilderstone such as: Hilderstone Collage is very good teaches are very nice and friendly. Also Course Programme very interesting because they have different activity to do.
If, the next time is longer than this time it would will be good but i very happy and pround to study here. If, i have an opprotunity again I would like to come back to study here again. Thats my hope.
Text & photos by M. Sichampa
My host family – Letters from England by Phovang “Noy” Inthavong
I should say thank you very much again for get me stay in house. I was very happy wben I be came to stay with they . My host me called’s Om ,she is a chef every day in the evening at 5:00 o’clock pm she went to work and morning anther work ,she work Monday to Saturday ,she is friendly and a good kind ,her husband his name’s Mark ,he is a priters every things good thesame his wife. They have a daughter now she has 16 years old she is very pretty and friendly . When I stay with they I was practice speak English and they told me about culfure ,what I can do or I an’t do .
Om, me (Noy), Mark
We were spoke togetber every days ,and take care me very well each foods washed and laundry everything to me . If we had time we went to the shops and drunk tea, coffee together to relax .
Donekeo, Souvanh, Om, me
Some last weekend we cooked lunch together and invited my friends me came to enoy together she cooked very good . They gave to me a warmly for two months that at house and I felt home immediately,
Mit, Om, me
I will miss they and I’ll also take these precious memories with me to Laos thank you again for everthning they’ve done for me I like all the cooking and so much more they are very good host family I really like they hlep me and gave co-operation to me very well
Text by Phovang “Noy” Inthavong
Photos by P. Inthavong & M. Sichampa
An afternoon with Charles Dickens – Letters from England by Mittaphone Sichampa with photos by Isabel Martin
On Sunday afternoon, 30th July 2017 I have an appointment to have lunch at Chinese Restaurant with Professor Isabel Martin, who came from Karlsruhe to visit us and Hilderstone College for a week, and Lao teachers team. She cycled around Thanet in the morning and back to Broadstairs by bike. The place we met to each other was tourist information near the beach. Everybody went on time except one teacher not go on time he is missing that day. After we met, then we went to the Chinese Restaurant but it’s closed. So, we looking for best fish-and-chips-shop-Restaurant around there. Finally we found it and we went inside the restaurant and look at menu. And we order best fish (cod) and chips to takeaway. We waiting about 5-6 minutes then we got it. After that we went back to the place on the beach where we met and ate fish and chip on the bench near the beach it was yummy because I’m hungry. It was over time to had lunch.
Lunch on the bench
The cod is huge and yummy
“Charles Dickens” is everywhere in Broadstairs because the great writer lived many summers there in different houses and wrote some of his novels there, always at a desk overlooking the sea.
Charles Dickens (1812-1870)
Some pubs and hotels are named after him or his novels.
He stayed in “The Albion” Hotel
“Albion” is an old name for England
Dickens’ desk in “Dickens House”
Letter in Dickens’ hand on his writing-board
Dickens window on 1st floor of “Bleak House” with seaview
After finish had lunch we went to visit Charles Dickens House Museum. This lovely house close by the sea has been adapted as a museum to celebrate Charles Dickens association with Broadstairs. It was once the home of Charles Dickens’ friend Miss Mary Pearson Strong on whom he based much of the character of Miss Betsey Trotwood, David Copperfield’s great aunt in his novel David Copperfield. She was the kindly lady who took David in when he fled from his horrible life in London. Dickens visited Miss Mary Strong’s house regularly for afternoon tea.
And this house had two floor. first floor was for his work and second floor was bed room. Inside the house had many thing interesting we spend time to look around this house about two hours.
Former home of Mary Pearson Strong…
… now “Dickens House”
Sitting-room
Our guide in front of sideboard on which the meals were placed
Charles and Catherine Dickens had 10 children
Professor Martin and a guide explained about his work, the “Victorian Age“, and about the many interesting household things in the house.
Household things used in the Dickens House (love letters were hidden in the sewing box)
After that professor Martin took us to black Bleak House for “cream tea“.
Cream Tea
… at Bleak House
Bleak House is also a Dickens novel, but he wrote David Copperfield here, his most famous and favourite novel. We had tea, scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam. One didn’t like the cream and one didn’t like the jam so the others took it, also the waiter was grumpy and got the bill wrong so Prof Martin was really amused and said we were “in (“Dickensian”) character”.
Then we went home and met each other again at theater at 6:30pm. It was very nice and great day. I had ever had before. I’m very happy to spend time with Professor Isabel Martin on thats day.
Text by Mittaphone Sichampa
Photos by Isabel Martin, Mittaphone Sichampa, Donekeo Keositthivong
Shopping in Westwood Cross – Letters from England by Donekeo Keositthivong
On a rainy Saturday in the afternoon 12th August 2017 we took the Loop bus no 8 and I walked in the centre of market it was big market I went to with Isabel Martin, Mittaphone,Phouvang and Souvan
Waiting for the “Loop” bus…
… which runs every 8 minutes…
…around the peninsula of Thanet (which you can also cycle, as you see on this bike map)
Many people they bought everything in Westwood the price quite cheap I like to went there if I would like to go the shopping
Lao-style “neck-check” to see if the trousers fit
“All that glitters…”
Outside
In paper shop we bought birthday cards for Madame Engel and thank you cards for Christian and Lars Engel, also books for children in primary school , some material to teach students then we went upstairs to coffee shop to drank coffee.
Excellent teaching material at WH Smith’s!
Birthday card for Mme Engel
Enjoying the moment
around 5:00 we came back to the sea,we walked to the Chinese’s restaurant near the sea the food we’re delicious.
They have Asaian’s food to take care for their customer and the day was birthday’s Noy we celebrated by food in the restaurant we ate about 1 and half hour talked a lot about different customs in Lao England and Germany then we went back home and say good bye.
Time to put away your notebook!
Starters
Happy birthday, Noy!
Souvanh is happy…
… and Donekeo too.
Text by Donekeo Keositthivong
Photos & captions by I. Martin
From Laos to England – 4 teachers go on an 8-week English language course at Hilderstone College, sponsored by AfC
Four Lao English teachers attend an English language course at Hilderstone College, sponsored by the German foundation Angels for Children.
According to Google maps, it is a journey of 11,700 km from the village of Ban Sikeud in Laos to Broadstairs, Kent, England. A journey of two or three connecting flights, approximately 16-17 hours in total – quite a long trip but nothing extraordinary for travellers from Europe or other Western countries. Globalization and a huge range of airlines offering flights to any destination in the world lead to a feeling of a relatively small world – any city in the world can be reached at the latest within two days.
But such thinking only goes for a minority of people in the world – probably only a very small percentage of the world population could afford such a journey or even imagine the distance and cultural differences. If the majority also has an idea, this is probably only from TV or the Internet.
Early in 2016, just before Team I left Laos, the German foundation Angels for Children awarded four Lao English teachers with a scholarship for an eight-week intensive English language and teacher development course at Hilderstone College in England. This incentive had been announced when the pilot project got started in October 2015, to get the teachers interested in making our project their own.
Team II subsequently started preparing the four travellers-to-be for their stay in England, as there were, understandably, many uncertainties, fears, and questions.
On 22 June 2017 Ms Mittaphone Sichampa, Ms Phovang Inthavong, Mr Souvanh Navong, and Ms Donekeo Keositthivong finally embarked on their 11,700 km journey, the journey of their lifetime, as some of them never even travelled outside their own country.
Khamsing Nanthavongdouangsy, Madame Gerlinde Engel (Angels for Children), Donekeo Keositthivong, Phovang Inthavong, Mittaphone Sichampa, Johannes Zeck, Souvanh Navong
Donekeo Keositthivong, Johannes Zeck, Mittaphone Sichampa, Phovang Inthavong, Mittaphone Sichampa, Prof. Dr. Isabel Martin, Souvanh Navong
Arriving at Frankfurt airport on 23 June – tired but happy!
Angels for Children has supported education for children in Laos in two primary and one lower secondary school in the villages of Ban Sikeud and Ban Phang Heng, on the outskirts of the capital Vientiane, since 2003. Over the last two years, the teacher-training programme “Teaching English in Laos” was developed together with Prof. Dr. Isabel Martin (Professor for English language, ELT didactics, and literature, University of Education Karlsruhe, Germany), with the aim of helping Lao teachers to develop and improve their skills and competences, especially Lao English teachers.
The scholarship programme is now a new important pillar of the “teach-the-teacher“ programme: Following Prof. Martin’s recommendation, the foundation chose Hilderstone College for their comprehensive, diversified, and flexible teaching approach, and for their offer of a special teacher development course for international teachers. As Prof. Martin’s outline of a customized programme fitting the needs of the Lao teachers was accepted by the college, and as the college also made a special offer financially, the foundation finally sent the four teacher-students over in June 2017. Two stopovers in Karlsruhe on the weekend before and after the course at Hilderstone College facilitated a smooth transition, and the teachers also had a chance this way to meet many of the project’s former (Teams I-IV) and next volunteers (Teams V-VI) and to visit the University of Education.
First lunch in Karlsruhe
Reunion with ca. 20 former and future volunteers
Lunch picnic in the Castle Gardens (“Schlossgarten”)
Former and future volunteers
The four teachers felt welcome from the beginning both at the college and in their homestay families. Project leader Johannes Zeck from the foundation accompanied the four during their first days in England and Isabel Martin joined them in their sixth week. Besides, they were also visited by three of their former tandem-teachers from the University of Karlsruhe. The course work and programme turned out to be very professional and suitable indeed and kept them very busy.
On the way to London Heathrow!
At Heathrow airport
Additionally, during the weekly weekend trips organized by Hilderstone College, the four teachers were able to dive deeply into the British and Western culture, history, and tradition. Besides their language skills, their self-confidence and problem-solving competence also grew. The four also learned how to apply techniques such as using the Google search effectively to get information, using a navigation system, or (almost) writing documents in WORD and sending them via e-mail. When one does not need those abilities because they are superfluous in one’s environment – how or why should he or she know how to apply them? Maybe one has heard about them but never needed to use them. Of course our four friends knew about Google, Google maps, PCs, and emails –just like we “know about” the best way to kill a chicken, shred a papaya, weave fabrics, harvest rice, or drive the cows home.
In other words, this journey did not only give them the opportunity to join an English language course and travel to British cities on their weekends – it led to the unimaginable experience of being part of an utterly different cultural system of thinking, working, behaving, and acting for a while. How does one address the teacher? Cross at traffic lights? Eat at table? Pay in a supermarket? Eat an ice-cream in a cone?
One can follow this challenging journey on the project blog of Angels for Children and the University of Education Karlsruhe: “Letters from England” is a new series of articles about the experiences of the four teachers in England.
On the pier in Broadstairs – the first time ever that the Lao teachers saw the sea!
We would like to cordially thank Hilderstone College for their excellent offer, their helpfulness, professionalism, and great hospitality – you have contributed a great deal to the journey of a lifetime of these four Lao learners. We look forward to their application of their improved skills in their Lao classrooms, which will contribute to the vision of Ingrid Engel, founder of Angels for Children:
„All children – no matter where they were born – should have the same opportunities. With our family foundation “Angels for Children” we want to help children in Laos to achieve that goal – step by step.“
Text & photos by J. Zeck
A memorable outing to Canterbury – Letters from England by Mittaphone Sichampa with photos by Isabel Martin
On Friday, 4th August I went on a college trip to Canterbury. I walked with my professor Isabel Martin through the streets and we met two Turkish guys from the college who we didn’t know but they were very friendly. They walked with us as Prof. Martin explained about the history, literature and religion of Canterbury, Henry VIII and St. Thomas Becket (12th century), the Pilgrims’ Hospital and the Cathedral, also Sir Geoffrey Chaucer and The Canterbury Tales (14th century). Everything is close and you can walk everywhere.
At first we visited the Westgate Tower (ca. 1397) from which we had a great view over Canterbury. Somewhere in the tower we lost Noy. We had lost Donekeo on our way there.
Westgate Towers, the largest surviving city gate in England
Guildhall across the street
Westgate
Medieval gunloop
Main street and cathedral
River Great Stour
Inside the Tower were many interesting things about the history of the city.
Our Turkish fellow-students
Replicas of helmets
Morion helmet (1580))
Barbute helmet (1460)
Burgonet helmet (1575)
Robert Cushman was imprisoned here
The story behind the “Mayflower” story
Prison cell
Prison door to a cell with a tiny window, through which the prisoners who had been incarcerated for debt could beg to pay back their debts
James (replica), 15 or 16, petty thief, in the City Gaol
Handcuffs used in cells and on flogging posts
Whip and police whistles
Man-trap, commonly used in fields against trespassers
17th c. Book of Common Prayers, used in Westgate
After that, we walked through the Gate which led us into the beautiful old town of Canterbury. I was really impressed by the houses which are really old. In one of them there’s a museum and a library.
Interactive museum – medieval sights, noises, smells -about the Canterbury Tales
Some of the characters
Some of the actors
Next, we went to visit Pilgrim’s hospital (Eastbridge Hospital of St Thomas the Martyr, 1176) in High Street in which a man told us something about the history of the hospital and spoke with prof. Martin about the pilgrims in the Canterbury Tales. He talked very much from which I didn’t understand everything, unfortunately.
The Canterbury Pilgrims Hospital of St Thomas
Entering the Hostel
Sleeping hall
Sleeping hall
Refectory means common dining-room
The Pilgrims’ Refectory
Me and my Turkish fellow-students
Celebrating pilgrimage…
…from Winchester (the first capital of England) to Canterbury
“Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote…”
Crest
Thomas Becket (1119-1170), Archbishop of Canterbury
After the man had finished his speech we walked through the streets to go to the great cathedral.
In restoration
Canterbury Cathedral
Unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to go inside, so we just looked at the Christ Church Gate, which was also really impressive.
Christ Church Gate
Me, prof. Martin, a fellow-student
Although half the Cathedral was closed for choir practice, my professor Isabel Martin went inside the Cathedral while I walked through the city to do some shopping. I met a good friend from Hilderstone who is from Korea and we spent a bit of time together.
Gothic colour in Canterbury Cathedral
Reconstructed image
What is Gothic?
Cloisters
Cloisters
In the Chapter House
Vault
Arches
List of Archbishops of Canterbury
Font
View to the choir from the nave
Altar
Pulpit
Transept
Below…
St Thomas of Canterbury
Copy of a 15th c. statue (original in Museum of National Antiquities, Stockholm)
…chapel…
…another chapel
Stained glass windows pointing up in an arch
… and underneath
We cannot say who was more impressed on this day – me or my professor. There was a lot to think about on our way home.
Text by M. Sichampa
Photos and captions by I. Martin
Visiting our Lao friends in England – 28-29 July 2017
The three of us are on our way to England to see the four of you!
Friday, 28th of July
Our intention to go to London had only one object: To see if our Lao student-teachers feel well in Broadstairs and to see how they live. Therefore three of us – David, Silja and Anika from Team III – jumped on a plane on the 26th of July to London.
Anika, Silja, David on London Bridge
After two days of sightseeing in London we left the hostel at Camden Market and took the train to Broadstairs. David had organized the tickets and Silja found the way to the right platform. A two-hour train ride in a very crowded train was ahead of us. Crowds on trains to and from London are normal: The so-called “DFL”s (“down-from-London”) commute to London every day, up to two hours each way, because salaries in London may be large, but rents are even larger. Logically, the prices for property in coastal towns have now also rocketed in the last few years.
When we arrived in Broadstairs it was quite cloudy and the train station was surprisingly small. With all our luggage, we walked to Hilderstone College, which was not far: There we were supposed to meet the Lao teachers. You cannot imagine our heartbeats when we walked into the lobby of Hilderstone College – we were so excited to see our Lao friends again after 5 months! It was a breathtaking moment when we saw their faces lighten up when they saw us. At the same time, it felt very unfamiliar to see them in „normal“ clothes and not in their uniforms or Lao sinhs.
Reunited…
… at Hilderstone College
We were introduced to Lynne, Head of Marketing, who had helped them settle when they first arrived, and then walked to Souvanh´s English home. His host family warmly welcomed all of us and from the very first moment we knew that he was in good hands. Well, it was 4 p.m. when we arrived there, and in England this means „tea time“. So we had a typical English cup of tea (black tea with milk), with scones and biscuits on the side. Then Ally, Souvanh´s host mother, took us to her friend Jeanne’s house, where we got a room for the night.
At Souvanh’s host family’s home
We spent the rest of the day walking through the town and along the coast in Broadstairs.
On the pier in Broadstairs
We went to a Chinese restaurant for dinner. In the evening we played pool in The Dolphin Inn, a popular pub, and enjoyed our time together with a few beers.
We were happy to hear that all of the Lao teachers were enjoying their time in England and that they had made new international friends, whom we also got to know in the pub.
Saturday, 29th of July
On the next day, Hilderstone College offered a tour to Cambridge. Very spontaneously, we decided to join our Lao friends. Unfortunately, the college coach was fully booked, so we took an early train from Broadstairs back to London and moved on from there to Cambridge.
Noy, Silja, Mit, Anika, Donekeo
Mit and me (Anika)
We had received a map from the college and were supposed to meet the college crowd at a certain bridge. The Lao teachers waited at the other side of that bridge while the rest of the crowd went on a guided city tour, so we did on our own tour. We walked into the city, were able to deposit our luggage in a camera shop and strolled along a food and street market, where our friends enjoyed buying souvenirs. Along the shopping street there were many street artists like magicians, singers, or dancers, and our Lao ladies were also very taken by the glamorous jewellery shop windows.
On our way back to the coach, we took many pictures in front of the very old buildings and colleges, but this day was not about getting to know the history of the city or visiting touristic sites – rather a day to enjoy that we were back together and that we were all the same on this special weekend: international friends and tourists 😉 ! At the end of the day we waved them goodbye and took the train back to London.
We can proudly say that the Lao teachers did a fantastic job of studying and living in a foreign country. We are very happy that we were able to partake in their experience and got to know some of the people they are surrounded with during this very memorable stay. It was an amazing trip for us, too, and we enjoyed every minute with our Lao friends. Now we look forward to receiving them once more in Karlsruhe on their way back home.
Text by A. Broghammer
Photos by A. Broghammer, D. Schrep, S. Schäfer and anon. passers-by
Friends from Germany visiting – Letters from England by Souvanh Navong
On Friday is special day David, Anika and Silja come to visit me at Hilderstone colleges 28th of July than we was walking around the Broadstairs and talk about at school we are going to learn English I think not enough for studying I need more or coutinuous the teacher is good teaching some teacher speaking is very fast.
Silja, Anika and me
Silja, David and me
Silja, David, Anika and me
After that my family look forward guesthouse for David we are can’t find the room is now in Broadstairs so busy many people come to visiting and very expensive. I think one night about £70 than my family had a good friend can find room is cheaper David in evening we just looking for thai Four Two restaurant but we can’t find .go back to the Broadstairs again I saw the China restaurant we go to the look the manu is okay on expensive and we eaten food together after have dinner we went to the dolphins pub .We are playing the pool. We make two teams drink beer
Lunch in a Chinese restaurant
David, Silja, Anika, Mittaphone, Noy, Donekeo and me at the beach in Broadstairs
The next day we went to Cambridge together but David went to by train I get up in the morning about at 6 am than I was walking from my family to school is very far for me I went to the Cambridge we walked together around the streets visit the old university is very interesting this city but I don’t know how many university I just known one than we take photos with lao teachers and Germany teachers together after that we bought something in the market but I bought key I need to put on my car had name is London. We spent one day for travelling than we go back to visit the bridge setting and talking in English.
David and me in Cambridge
Mittaphone, Donekeo and me in Cambridge
And good bye
Text by S. Navong
Photos by David Schrep, Anika Broghammer, Silja Schäfer and anon. passers-by
My host family in England – Letters from England by Donekeo Keositthivong
I lived in Mrs Keen’house since 25thJune until 18th August 2017
Karenkeen is a housekeeping manager at the University of Kent and she lives with her husband Andy,who is a painter and decorator. They have a son Robson who is studying at a local University and lives at homes.They don’t have any pets.They interests include:reading,TV,computer games,bird watching and sport.
Every they got up early about 06:30am they were kindness.They cooked dinner for me ,washed my clothes, they did everything look like their daughter.When we had dinner we took about everything in English.They would like to taught me know more English.When I have a trip on Saturday Mrs Keen she prepared a food for me. I love their food.The first time I quite didn’t like.
Sometime I helped her to cook dinner and help work house with her. I stayed with them 5 weeks and we had new student lived with us.He was Mark.He came from German.
I were very happy to know them I never thought before I live here and studied in Hildeston College.I wanna says:Thanks them for gave knowledge about people in England , tought me know about manner and everything I never forget.
I love them love England Thank a lot to read my atticle
Text and photos by D. Keositthivong
Four Lao teachers visit Karlsruhe for the first time – reunion weekend 23-25 June 2017
On their way to their eight-week language course at Hilderstone College in England, a weekend stopover in Germany had been arranged for the four Lao teachers “Keo” (Donekeo), “Mit” (Mittaphone), “Noy” (Phovang), and Souvanh, to visit us, their former tandem-teachers, in Karlsruhe. We certainly wanted to help cushion the transition and make their first days as agreeable as possible. “We” in this case meant us volunteers from Team I, Team II, Team III, Team IV, Johannes Zeck, and Prof. Martin.
It was an exciting weekend for us but even more exiting for the Lao teachers. For three of them, it was the first time that they had ever got on a plane and left Laos. And then it was not only the first time they had secured a visa and were able to visit another country, but then it was another country in Europe straightaway, one that is so enormously different from Laos!
On Friday, 23rd June, they arrived at Frankfurt Airport at 6 a.m. in the morning and got picked up by Johannes Zeck, who drove them to Karlsruhe. On the way to Karlsruhe, the Laotians were amazed by the German highway and how fast one could drive on them. However, this was only the first major difference the Lao teachers experienced. Another observation made on their arrival was how clean and unbroken everything was. For us who had never been to Laos or even Southeast Asia before, during the first days in Laos we were equally overwhelmed by the many new and foreign impressions we were confronted with every minute of the day. Our Lao teachers must have felt the same during the two days they spent with us in Karlsruhe. It is an exhilirating and exhausting experience.
Tired and excited: The Lao guests arrive at Frankfurt Airport
After arriving in Karlsruhe and being officially welcomed by the Chancellor of the University of Education, Ms Ursula Wöll, the Laotians were given a guided tour of the University of Education by Prof. Martin. They were stunned by the resources we have here, like the Library, the English Lending Library, the Centre for Self-Directed Language Learning, or the huge learning kitchen which is part of the Home Economics Department, where Heike Müller welcomed the visitors for an afternoon coffee break. Heike also surprised us with a little rallye app game on our mobiles that made us explore a few locations on and near the campus, to find out about the origins of our food and drinks.
Welcoming committee for the Laotians
Official welcome at the University of Education in Karlsruhe
Marvelling at the many books in Prof. Martin’s Lending Library
Playing a rallye app game on and around the campus
Heike Müller shows us the kitchen
To finish off their first day in Germany, we invited them to a restaurant and explained the unknown food on the menu. Many former and future volunteers joined the dinner, and we were happy to also welcome Stephanie Schädlich and Heike Müller, who had significantly contributed to our project before as well. Very tired from the long journey and the countless new impressions of the first day, the Lao guests finally went home with their hosts to get some rest and sleep because the next day awaited them with many activities.
Many volunteers joined the first dinner with the Lao guests
Saturday, their second day in Germany, started with a guided tour of a central part of Karlsruhe by Daniel Wensauer-Sieber, the nephew of Madame Engel who had first established the contact between Christian Engel and Prof. Martin back in 2015. He is not only an expert on the city history and illuminated the background to many buildings in town for us in the most interesting manner, but also actively supports our work as a member of the AfC foundation council, as does his wife Elke with her expertise and counseling. One more personal part of the 2-hour tour was a visit to the Catholic church St. Stephan, where we showed our visitors the tradition of lighting candles and then where to place them. Here they were able to take private time off to breathe and collect themselves in the serene surroundings, and then, to our great surprise, they started asking the church guardian questions, all by themselves. Being regular visitors to their temples at home, they seemed invigorated by this place of meditation and fortification.
A city tour with Daniel Wensauer-Sieber
Picnic in the park
View over Karlsruhe from the top of the castle
To finish off the tour around the inner city of Karlsruhe, we climbed up the tower of the castle and enjoyed the view of the city from above, towards the Black Forest in the west, and then watched a film about Charles III William of Baden-Durlach, the founder of the city, in the tower visitors’ centre. Mit and Souvanh then signed the guest book of the castle museum, and here are the videos to show you what a Lao thanksgiving looks like for real. (Editor’s note: We cannot ever hope to learn to write as well in Lao as our Lao partners have learnt to write in English over the past two years. Hats off! Chapeau!)
In excellent summer weather, we proceeded to have a picnic in the park in front of the Karlsruhe Castle. Again, many of the former tandem-teachers joined and brought plenty of food so that the Lao guest could taste many different kinds of our food. Delightfully, Ms Beate Pinisch, who was to give a talk on “How to work with your Lao partners” only two weeks later in our seminar (and spent 20 years of her life in Laos), joined us for some time and took the chance to chat in Lao with our guests, who perhaps used this opportunity to clarify a few things they had not understood before. (We would not know.)
The two days passed very quickly and were loaded with many experiences. An article in the local newspaper reported on some of them the following week. We celebrated the last night of the Laotians’ first visit in Germany with a barbecue on the outskirts of town before they took off to the airport again on Sunday morning with “John” (Johannes), who escorted them to their language course at Hilderstone College in England.
We were happy to be able to give back some of the abundant hospitality we experienced in Laos and we are excited to see the four Lao teachers again on their way back home from England to Laos in August and to welcome them to Karlsruhe one more time.
Text by R. Dengler & I. Martin
Photos and video by I. Martin & R. Dengler
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