Those who can...

…yes, teach.

I found my school exam certificates the other day. I really had no idea what I was doing aged only 16 (French was on my actual birthday) or 18 (a bit more revision but still ‘could do better’). If there’s one thing my teenage self never dreamed she would do, it was that she might one day be dispensing educational advice.

Stranger things happen at sea, and here’s me in May 2017 getting my three-year guiding pin at The Peranakan Museum in Singapore. When I moved to Singapore I had trained to be a docent (guide) in this fascinating museum with a small group. The tuition enabled us to take visitors on an hour-long wander through the pretty rooms and gave me a new respect for all things nyonya. Next year we taught the new recruits, and the whole experience gave me such confidence that when I returned to London I began giving blog talks to anyone interested in the art of writing online diaries or features.

Back to the stage: I was always terrified of getting a speaking part, which is so ironic because now I love getting in front of a roomful of people and talking for as long as they’ll let me. Revision anarchy delayed some of my achievements, but it didn’t stop others from happening in the end.

For more details on spending some time in my ‘classroom’, drop me a line.