So he made a life-changing decision: He gave up his promising career in Norway and started over in a small school at the bank of the Qinghai Lake called the Ethnic Boarding School of Gonghe County of Hainan Autonomous Prefecture.

The school has 100 primary students and consists of a two-storey building, two rows of one-storey houses and a small playground.

Although he could hardly understand the dialect of Amdo Tibetan at first, his flair for languages enabled him to teach in fluent Tibetan within two years.

Today the 36-year-old Norwegian is the headmaster of the boarding school.

"Konou is a friend we should always remember. He has contributed a lot to the local education," said Zhaxi Gya, a Tibetan teacher there.

Konou's enthusiasm for teaching brought many changes to the locals' lives. Many of them who hardly cared about their children's schooling began to realize the importance of education.

Most of Konou's students can speak fluent English. Many of them are top students of English after entering high school.

Konou's influence goes beyond classroom experiences. He managed to pool enough money to construct the two-storey building.

And recently, he donated 6,500 yuan (US$785) to help 21 students who would have otherwise dropped out because they are too poor to pay tuition.

"The greatest joy for me is to see these children in my class again," Konou said.

After years of effort, conditions at the boarding school are improving gradually. The once poorly equipped classrooms have been moved to the brick houses.

And an American is teaching there alongside Konou.

Zhaxi Gya, a Tibetan teacher there, said the faculty hopes that the boarding school will become an avant guard of English school in Qinghai. Now the Tibetan teachers are studying English from their English colleagues.

Konou said he hopes to stay at the boarding school and, if possible, marry a Tibetan girl and settle down there.

(China Daily March 29, 2002)