JISHOU, HUNAN — This past work week was a short one, by virtue of the Autumn Moon holiday, but nevertheless eventful.

It started not all that auspiciously, however. My lesson plan for the sophomores was sort of a failure, complicated by the poor timing (first morning class after a three-day weekend) and by my overestimation of their speaking and listening skills. I recovered after the first 15 minutes of dead silence from the class, but those 15 minutes were the longest in my life.

Now I know how a comedian who’s bombing feels on stage.

The rest of the week went well. The older students are warming up to exchanging emails with me and several have joined Facebook, where they can practice their English more. As I blogged already, the concert Thursday by the China Philharmonic was excellent. And yesterday, I started a bank account at China Construction Bank with the able assistance of senior English major Ava (her Chinese name is Niannian). All the bank needed was 10 yuan and my passport to start the account, but the application forms were of course in Mandarin Chinese, so I needed a translator.

My pay is directly deposited and the ATMs on campus are bilingual, so in about a week I’ll feel more like I’m at home. And I won’t need to pinch my pennies (or jiao, as the case may be) quite as much.

Friday, I was invited to be a judge for the university English Speaking Contest today. David (not the same David who hired me), who helped arrange the event, had asked me if I would invite the other native English speakers in my department to be judges as well. I had to inform him that, for now, I am the only native English speaker on campus. But I suggested he call the two Americans working at the Jishou Teachers College (the Jishou Normal University) up the road.

Stephanie and Juliann are both fellows in the Princeton-in-Asia program, which places college students and recent college graduates in numerous places around Asia to work. I had learned about the P-i-A presence in Jishou through some alumni communication or another, so I had emailed them earlier this month to advertise my presence here, too.

Both Stephanie (Wesleyan ‘08) and Juliann (Princeton ‘08) agreed to be judges. There were six contestants from several departments in the university, who had to deliver a prepared speech, then extemporize an impromptu speech, and finally field questions from the three “foreign experts.”

The topic for the prepared speech was, somewhat obscurely, “Monopolization or share?” Aside from the awkward wording, we three considered the topic to be rather broad. The contestants, for their part, had different approaches to the question.

Two focused on the economic consequences of monopoly versus free markets. Others focused on the more personal human behaviors of selfishness and generosity, and the “Olympic spirit” that enables Chinese experts to coach overseas yet still be applauded in their native land for their efforts.

The subject matter aside, the English skills of the students were actually very good. I expected the prepared speeches to be well written, but the speakers’ deliveries were poised and had proper inflection. They also spoke off the cuff very well, too, though some of the answers were a little vague.

The top two students advance to a provincial contest, the 14th annual Hunan English Speaking Contest, in the next few months. I’ve offered to help them prepare, since I want my school to win!

Afterward, we three went out for lunch, and shared our stories of coming to China and teaching our students. Then we walked up Renmin Road toward the Jun Hua supermarket, where we all bought a few items.

For some reason, I had never taken this route before, so I was overjoyed to find a guitar shop, selling both acoustic and electric guitars. I need something besides the Internet and movies to keep me occupied, so buying an acoustic is now on the top of my list of things to buy with my first paycheck next week. I should have more time to practice here than I did in the US. We shall see.

Juliann and Stephanie also pointed out the martial arts school, which I had also never walked by. Whether I take that step to fill my spare time remains to be seen. It’s been a looong time since I took tae kwan do lessons, and I know I am out of shape. But it’s a thought.

September 21st, 2008 | Tags: chna, english speaking, jishou, princeton-in-asia | Category: China, Teaching English | Subscribe to comments | Leave a comment | Trackback URL