TEACHING WITHOUT BARRIERS

I come from a clan of migrants. Domestic migrants, that is. My parents were both from Rosario, Batangas, Philippines (and so are a dozen and one tiyos, tiyas, and primos/ primas of mine who also moved from the Tagalog province to Bicol). When my parents got married, they settled down in Sorsogon and started family there. As such, I was born and raised in Gubat, Sorsogon, about 373++ kilometers from Manila, the Philippines' capital city. I went to Gubat North Central School and Gubat National High School where I had my elementary and secondary education, respectively. I grew up in a trilingual family, speaking Bicol, Filipino and English, as needed. All these, I reckon, are the main reasons why I am who I am now.

I graduated in 1992 with a degree in AB-BSE in English, English Language Track (ELT), from the Philippine Normal University-Manila. It is an American-founded public research university, the first institution of higher learning in the country, that is now funded and operated as the National Center for Teacher Education in the country. I also obtained a Certificate in Speech and Drama from my Alma Mater.

I finished my MA in English Language and Literature Teaching at the Ateneo de Manila University, a Jesuit institution, in Quezon City, Philippines in 2006. In the same year, I received my Postgraduate Diploma in TESOL from SEAMEO Regional English Language Center (RELC)- Singapore.

In October 2018, I obtained my PhD in Multicultural Studies from the Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia (RILCA), Mahidol University, Thailand, specializing in migration studies and linguistic anthropology. My PhD research explored the migratory experience of Filipino educators within Thailand‘s English language education landscape.

At present, I work as Asst. Professor, having served for three consecutive terms (6 years) as well as Chair of the Humanities and Language Division of Mahidol University International College in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand.

A published writer, I continue to work on various topics for different audiences. I share as well my research findings in conferences and academic gatherings in Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Europe. Other than publishing academic research, I have also written for The Diplomat, Rappler, Asia Times and The Jakarta Post.

I have also received major awards and recognitions a number of times for my work and other causes.

Wife to writer/ editor George T. Amurao, whose investigative work as a journalist earned him a major award, I am a proud mother of three amazing children, Paulo, Isabelle & Sophia. We all live in Bangkok, Thailand.

Lizl to my closest friends and family, I live by this tenet: 

plant a tree, 

have children, 

write a book.

Mabuhay!