english class

the group has deemed lunch time "english class" and we have quite the following. it is so rewarding for me to see the more shy among us begin to gain confidence, each engaging in their own way. in the first days i was here, they looked physically ill when i approached them about something. faces went pale, and panic seeped through their pores like the summer heat had spontaneously showed up. now, they are quietly testing themselves ... most often, pulling me aside to ask questions without an audience. i think my attempts at mandarin have a way of making others feel pretty good about themselves. that, and running around w/ no pants.

i asked hedy to teach me about some communities that nike has within a chinese web portal. little did i know, she would prepare 3 pages of english notes for our meeting. she was so nervous ... i keep telling her that she knows more than she thinks, and that i like practicing with her. today she came to me and told me that she feels she will learn more in a month of practicing with me, than she will in a year of the english classes she takes at night. she said, "it is just that i am sad when i have a feeling in my heart first, and i cannot say it to you." visions of my time in costa rica flood back, and i'm sure my heart has felt the same way.

the topic today was american slang. i told them that one easy way to sound more fluent is to use 'yeah' every now and then instead of 'yes.' they asked about the difference between cool and awesome. and if cool was another word for fashionable, why do people say it in business meetings? also, why do people say one word and mean something else (sarcasm)?

i've noticed that when they are listening on the phone, they make a noise like 'mmph.' it is quick and abrupt. a symphony of 'mmphs' around the office has a pattern that reminds me of "bohemian rhapsody" by queen. i fight daily urges to stand up on my desk and cue in the next section.

i told them they can replace 'mmph' w/ 'uh-huh,' when listening in english.

we talked about the presidential election, the war, bush (officially breaking cultural training rule #1) ... i was a little uncomfortable being their only voice on the subject. then i got over it. now when asked about american politics, they say "dude, vote obama .. he is AWESOME. clinton is so 1998."

by the end of lunch, it didn't matter what i said, the response was ... "uh-huh, COOL!" followed by uncontrollable laughter.

tomorrow, they say, i'm going to learn more mandarin. right, and YOU'RE going to learn how to blow your breakfast up in the office microwave. pants are optional.