The English Contest

We walk out of the hotel at 6:25 AM and are hit with a blast of heat and humidity thicker than a hot towel. Down the street is a bus and we join a gaggle of English teachers and Brits who also teach at the university. Our drive to the English Contest is fairly short, and we are on campus by 7. Immediately we go to the student dining hall where we find breakfast laid out – hard boiled eggs, fried breads, salad, steamed buns, rice cereal. Those of us who need coffee made sure that happened before we left!

Gathering in a classroom in this very large foreign language primary school, we are all given red covered certificates in honor of our participation. Then we are dispersed to classrooms all over the building in teams of three – two westerners and one Chinese English teacher. There are three different kinds of presentation.

Situation conversations put a picture on the screen for the contestant who looks at the picture and then tells a story about it. The judges ask a few questions. In “walk through the dictionary” the contestant is given eight words on the screen and 30 seconds to think. Then they try to tell a story using all the words. No questions from the judges. Finally, in other classrooms students give a brief power point on an assigned topic and the judges ask two or three questions. Students range from grade three to grade nine.

Ability is all over the map.

Students enter each classroom alone, directed by two college age Chinese assistants. Some students give a fluent presentation, but can’t answer any questions. A few freeze into stark terror when they come into the room. And others, regardless of age, give a good presentation and are able to engage in back and forth conversation with the judges. Pronunciation varies, but is fairly good. Imagine north American students of primary age doing this in Chinese for a contest!!

Lunch is held in a faculty dining room and is a delightful spread. The afternoon is a replica of the morning – there are hundreds of young people at this contest from all over China. Mid-afternoon the heavens open in a torrential storm that does a little to clear the air, but also leaves the courtyards and walkways flooded in several inches of water. We all wrap about 5 PM and then the fun begins.

Dinner was to be served in the faculty dining room again, but it is across campus. There is six inches of water between us and that building. Much discussion goes back and forth on whether we can get there, or the dining staff can get dinner to us. By now it’s 6 PM. Little groups of judges, Chinese and foreign cluster all over the room and chat. We’re weary, but we can’t leave because we don’t have a bus.

Finally, about six-thirty, I tell our host that the “foreigners” are very tired and quite willing to go home without supper. Yogurt and granola in our rooms sounds really inviting by now. We move into the wide hallway where there’s a little bit of breeze. But, alas, a phone call to the bus driver yields the information that the bus is struggling to get through floods to the campus.

Just about then, the dining staff arrive with food containers stacked in big milk crates, covered in plastic, and on rolling carts. Food never looked so good. We all troop back into the classroom, now air conditioned, and are handed plates of hot food. Wrapping our long legs around primary school desks, we fall to with our chopsticks. The wait staff come around with fruit, extra kabobs, and rice. Our plates have at least ten different kinds of dishes on them so even the most picky can find sustenance. A hush falls over the room as we enjoy dinner.

Just as we are finishing, word comes that the bus has made it to campus. We hand over our plates, grab umbrellas and wade across the courtyard to find the bus on the street. By now those who sat with their own friends in the morning are mixed up all over the bus, and even though we’re weary, conversations are stimulating.

Our hotel is less than inviting but when the bus pulls up out front, we all breathe a sigh of relief that we are finally HOME. It is 8:30 PM and everyone has classes in just 12 hours.

Why did we do this contest? For many reasons. For the team it is a unique opportunity to see a different part of teaching English in China. Our participants today were charming children and young teens, the best and brightest of this country. For the contest organizers, our teachers were like a gift from above – 18 native speakers of English.

For the Kingdom, the reasons go deeper. The professor who invited us gained huge “face” by providing 18 foreign teachers. We call him “Pong” and our friendship goes deeper each year. At supper, over our picnic meal, we laid a bargain on him. We said, “All 18 of the team missed going to fellowship on this Sunday morning, so in payment you should go with us next week.”

He responded with a “Yes, I will; that would be an adventure!”

Finally, for the longer term, we are exploring ways to increase the involvement of this program in Chinese education. Where better to be “seen” than at the National English Contest!