When I left you I was but the learner. Now I am the master!

Well I may not be the master quite yet but I must be getting close. This past week my friend and fellow teacher in the English department named Sophie and I were discussing the the speech competition that several students I know are competing in. The conversation went something like this:

Me: Too bad the competition is in Qinhuangdao and on a school day. I would have loved to hear all the students speeches.
Sophie: We are having a practice on Sunday, perhaps you would like to come watch and ask them questions.
Me: Uh sure, what kind of questions would that be?
Sophie: After their speeches you give them a question about it. You will be great!

I have been hearing this phrase passed my way a lot lately. Apparently the Chinese have a lot of confidence in my ability to do just about anything (except order food at restaurants, they have caught onto that one). With this kind of affirmation how could I do anything but accept. Sounds great right? I'll get to hear a few of my friends give speeches, maybe meet a few more that are in the competition, mingle with the English department, what could go wrong?

The week passes normally (a relative term) and on Sunday I get my first inkling that I could have gotten a little more than I bargained for. Sophie calls me and tells me she will pick me up early so that I can join the other teachers and faculty for dinner (Clue #1). Next she says I should go ahead and dress nice (Clue #2). We get to dinner and I find myself among the entire English department faculty and administration at a dinner where fish is served (Clue #3 - fish is expensive and reserved for more special occasions). At this point I am a little unsure exactly what this "practice" I am attending constitutes. During dinner I realize that all the dishes added to the table are seeming to come my way first, puzzled, I turn to my friend Nick and ask him the reason. "Ahh" he says, "You are the honored guest. You are Question Master for the evening (Big Clue #4)." After seeing my confusion he briefly explains that I am the one and only questioner to all the students competing in the speech contest and that this evening is their formal practice before the full scale competition next weekend.

I began to sweat and not just because of the spicy kung pao chicken I had been eating (well maybe a little but that was some awesome chicken). After dinner, I apprehensively walked with the other teachers into the neighboring building and enter a large classroom filled with well over a hundred students, teachers, and faculty. As the competition began I learned that my task was to listen to 2 speeches from each competing student, one impromptu on an random topic, and one prepared speech. After each speech I was to ask a poignant question regarding their speech t0 challenge them.

Albeit a month ago I might've been sweating bullets at this point and looking for the nearest unbarred window but I have started to learn a few things in China and that when you relax, things tend to work out alright. Part of this is due to the fact that most foreigners are so fascinating to the Chinese that they could care less how stupid the nonsensical redundant question I just asked him or her was. In reality, it all played out fine. For the most part I was able to have fun asking questions to the students I knew and perform adequately even when I could barely understand what the point of that 3 minute speech about 1 + 1 = harmony nonsense was about. I'm learning that part of the excitement about living in a place like China is that you never know what is around the next corner, or kind of crazy event the next seemingly casual conversation could draw you into!

Anyway China is still way better than Japan. I hear they do this to all the foreign teachers there!