<B>English, a worldwide passport</B>

She has travelled the world and has memorable experiences of sharing her passion for teaching English with children and adults. Ann does not intend to leave Mauritius without completing her mission...

When she was in secondary school, the subjects Ann hated most were English and History. She hated reading English books which she found boring. She did not like the pre-1914 history program. Yet Ann went to Exeter University to study history and soon changed to English Literature. Therefore she ended up loving the subjects she hated most in school. Moreover, Ann’s main occupation is teaching, which she never wanted to do.

“I suppose this is the consequence of being partly interested. Maybe you already know something about it. Perhaps, as a child, you emphasise on the negative qualities. I always thought how badly we treated our teachers and I did not want to suffer like them. But, when I started teaching, I liked it a lot.”

Ann’s teaching career started in a difficult London school at an interesting period just after Idi Amin had expelled Asians from Uganda. Hence, there were a lot of multiracial refugees. The experience was so enjoyable that she decided to work overseas using the English language to travel and earn her living. Moreover, she wanted to learn about other cultures.

“When I wanted to go overseas, I used English as a passport. I wanted to find out things for myself. And this is what I like the most about English. It teaches you to learn about yourself.”

First, she wanted to learn about communism. So she went to Bulgaria, China and Russia, where she had different experiences. She worked for the Bulgarian government teaching English to people who would work overseas at a time when communism was strong and communist countries needed to communicate with capitalists. Her life was restricted as she could not communicate with students outside the class.

Ten years later, she went to China, which was beginning to open up its economy. She was training adults as English teachers. Her second year allowed her to see the development of “Shenzen”, a free economic zone. Finally, when she arrived in Russia, communism had just collapsed. “The experience was marvellous. I saw countries develop during an important period when British people could not go to these countries.”

After that, her travelling was far from over. She visited African countries. Her friendliness and communicative skills enabled her to settle down. She is a smiling and open person. Her main hobbies are travelling, reading and painting. But she has discovered another since she arrived: gardening. “Mauritius is a magic place. You can make plants grow even if you don’t have green fingers.”

Ann was born in the late 50s in London. She had a relaxed childhood in the countryside with many lessons outdoors. She attended a traditional secondary school and holds a PhD from Birmingham University. In London in 1994, she married Simon Ingram-Hill, the new director of the British Council in Mauritius.

Ann and her husband live in Tamarin. And she feels incredibly lucky to live there. She is an educational consultant with African countries such as Angola and Mozambique. trying to re-establish peace. She goes there three times a year. Furthermore, she is on the Mauritius Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals panel for school debates.

“I would like to work here. But I am working partly overseas. So I come and go. I want to share my teaching skills… but not yet. I first want to know more about Mauritius.”