JISHOU, HUNAN — I should have expected it, being the only native English speaker on a large campus, but my first English Corner experience was impressive, to put it mildly.
Picture a group of about 40 or 50 (I was always lousy at estimating crowd sizes, even as a reporter) standing on a green waiting for my arrival. Then, picture these folks encircling me, three or four deep, asking questions about all sorts of things.
Like I said, impressive.
English Corner is an informal club gathering, where Chinese university students go to practice English. While I attended willingly, it’s actually part of my contract to participate in these kinds of things.
Some of those present were my students. (A lot of freshmen … good job, guys!) Many were not. I recognized a couple from the English-speaking contests I helped judge recently, but for the most part they were students (and a few non-students) I had never met.
They were all intensely curious about the US, the circumstances of my arrival, my views of China and the Chinese people, favorite sports and movies, Christmas, and whether I had seen any other parts of China and whether I like Chinese food.
From the kind of questions they had, I could tell that some students have formed their opinions of the US from (gods help us!) TV and movies. One girl asked me if it was normal for college students to wear pajamas to class, and for teachers to conduct class while sitting and eating! She also asked if teachers wear pajamas to class, too.
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