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Fluent in Mandarin
Chinese, Lawrence's special interest in linguistics urged him to learn
Russian, French, Japanese and Tibetan with varying degrees of success. Out of
his sheer love for the French language, he worked as a French-English
tour guide for China
International Travel Service, Inc. in between his teaching duties while he
was a full-time University lecturer in English. This
"extra-curricular" job helped him deepen his understanding of
traditional Chinese culture in many ways - he was once meandering in the
myths of Bhuddism and the 14th century
craftsmanship of religious sculptures in the well-preserved niches in
historical sites, especially those in Northwest China. He was also
overjoyed by his Tibetan EFL students' (trainee-teachers and personnel for
the hospitality industry) enthusiasm to teach him Tibetan, a language
beautiful in its orthography and phonology. He also has had a very strong
memory of the happy times he has spent as a Language Specialist at The University of
Tibet in Lhasa, the capital city of Xizang (Tibet) Autonomous Region, China. |
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