FOR THE inaugral group of students participating in the
finishing program at the West Vancouver Finishing School,
the term ‘‘finishing’’ is something of a misnomer.

The young women participating
are at the beginning of a six-month
journey of self-discovery.

The unique school emphasizes
the time-tested standards of
Western culture and explores
Pacific Rim cultures with an em-
phasis on imparting the key savvy
required to successfully do
ousiness in South East Asia.

In addition to evening business
etiquette courses, a weekend public
speaking course and an etiquette
class for teens, the school launched
its full-time finishing program in
September.

Currently working through the
course are an 18-year-old woman
from Bogota, Columbia, a 19-
year-old from Mexico City and a
17-year-old from Saanich on Van-
couver Island. Two young women
from Tokyo, Japan are scheduled
to begin the program in January.

The finishing program is struc-
tured with. the first three months
paying particular attention to per-
sonal development. Courses in-
clude public speaking, etiquette,
self-image and motivation, cuisine
and wine, Pacific Rim culture, in-
ternational history, geography and
English.

The second portion of the
finishing program transfers the
skills acquired into a more
business-oriented approach.
Courses include financial
management, Mandarin language,
computer studies and English.

Mackenzie brings to the school
her first-hand knowledge of South
East Asia, having lived in
Singapore for four years, Hong
Kong for four years and Kuala
Lumpoor, Malaysia for four years.

“While I was in the airline

By MICHAEL BECKER
News Reporter

business, | went to every place
there. While working I would hear
the complaints and frustrations of
business people a lot. | would hear
about the deals that had gone
wrong. Living there ] saw what
people were doing wrong,’ she
said.

Mackenzie gives an example of
how easily one might stumble on
to a cultural booby trap. ‘‘To
stand in somebody’s shadow is the
worst possible thing you could do
in Indonesia. You are standing on
their soul. If you stand on their.
shadow, they will never do
business with you,’’ she said.

Mackenzie discovered through
the abysmal failures she observed
when Western man inet Eastern
man, that no one on our side of
the ocean was addressing the prac-
tical expertise needed when dealing
with foreign cultures.

To address the situation,
Mackenzie has asscmbled a team
of people to pass on the good word
on etiquette.

Diane Thomas specializes in eti-
guette instruction at the school.

Janet Baird brings a broad-
casting background to the school,
teaching public speaking. Sharon
Smith-Swan is the motivation and
communications instructor, and
David Mackenzic, former head-
master of Collingwood School, is
the dean of admissions and teaches
history, geography and English.

Mackenzie teaches Pacific Rim
studies.

Maria Aristizabal travelled all
the way from Bogota, Columbia

PAGE 43

33 - Sunday, Novemh:

French
culture
is focus

¥

he i~
a one sav Ee ENE MAD AY REO RT TA Ling Bel

NEWS photo Mike Wakelleld

WEST VANCOUVER Finishing School director Mai Mackenzie takes time out for a smile during a tutorial
session, Left, Maria Aristizabal, from Bogota, Columbia, and Marisela Ramos, from Mexico City, are among

the first class of students taking in the six-month finishing program offered at the new school.

after her mother heard about the
program from a friend living in
Victoria.

“This is the only school that has
a business basis and culture and
etiquette,’’ she said.

Marisela Ramos, from Mexico
City, has taken time away from
her communications studies at the
Intercultural University in Mexico
City. ‘This is important for my
career — learning about public
speaking, cultures and English.”

For information call 922-8795.