ELTO Alumni event in Cambodia
Kolbotra Chhi addresses guests at the ELTO Alumni event
ELTO Alumnus, Mr. Kolbotra Chhi had the honour of making a speech at the New Zealand Alumni Reception at the Cambodiana Hotel,Phnom Penh during the recent visit by the New Zealand Prime Minister the Hon John Key to Cambodia on Tuesday 20 November 2012.
Kolbotra, from the Ministry of Commerce in Cambodia studied in New Zealand on the ELTO Programme in 2011, in Intake 33. In his speech he said how much he had enjoyed his time in New Zealand, including the Rugby World Cup, eating Fish and Chips and particularly the ELTO language programme.
“The whole programme was comprehensive,with workplace visits, field trips, supportive and enthusiastic teachers as well as brilliant and creative teaching methods,” he said.
“Before I attended the ELTO programme, I could not write a proper structured essay and had difficulty with comprehension. After I went through the course, my confidence in all these areas improved significantly.
Kolbotra thanked the New Zealand government for giving him this “life changing opportunity”.
His speech was followed by a speech from John Key who was in Cambodia for the annual East Asia Summit. Key joined leaders from 10 ASEAN countries for talks covering regional political, security and economic issues. He met Cambodia's president in Phnom Penh and also later in Myanmar, met opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. He was the first New Zealand prime minister to visit Myanmar.
