December 1 - Checking in

I've just learned that my last day of classes for the semester will be on December 24. My parents are considering coming to see me here during the Christmas break, so finishing on Christmas Eve will be perfect. I've still got to give my students a final exam though, which will take place in the following two weeks or so. Either way, after I finish marking exams, I'll be off until the end of February. In China, they don't do one long four month summer break like they do in Canada. Instead, they split the breaks into two month periods with one half in January and February and the other in August and September. I'm not sure how the students can handle the heat of June and July, but apparently they cope. Also, June and July is the rainy season in China, so I guess that helps too. It's not much fun to be on break if it's always raining.

I've started playing basketball. Only played a couple of times so far, but it's fun. My utter lack of defensive skills makes up for my dominating height, but I hold my own offensively, picking up a few points here and there. The students that I played with are very enthusiastic players and a couple of them have great shot accuracy. I hope I can pick my game up a bit.

I was the judge for a second English speaking competition yesterday. This time, it was a debating contest (no matter how much the hostess of the competition insisted on calling it "debation", I'll stick with "debating"). This contest was pretty interesting. It's the first time I have seen people here truly letting loose. It's a little bit frightening, but also a little bit comical at the same time.

The contest started predictably enough. Most Chinese people appear to be inexperienced at public speaking, so I wasn't surprised at the errors they were making. The opening statements of the first debate (there were two debates) were long-winded, too fast and spoken in imprecise and unclear English. Then the whole tone of the debate took a sharp turn in a different direction as the actual debate heated up. The debaters were given a back and forth question and answer period and they took the opportunity to just rip into each other. We're not talking debate here. Debating requires careful and logical arguments. This was fast-paced "I'm right and you are wrong" followed by multiple ad hominem attacks. It got really ugly. I couldn't help but feel that this is what happens when Chinese people finally get the chance to let off steam in their normally tightly controlled world. There was even actual foot-stamping. I had always thought that this was a metaphor for petulance, but there it was being acted out right in front of me: a pout, crossed arms and stamping feet.

The second debate was worse. The second debate devolved into an outright shouting match, with no order whatsoever. Everyone laughed at the end when the hostess said the debating contest was not only about the competition but also about making new friends. Is my impression accurate or is this normal for the semi-finals of a debating contest? It's the first debate I've attended, so I'm a little bit ignorant.

I got a new coat today. I think it looks great. I bargained it down to half price too. This is maybe not the best picture, but it's all I've got for now. Let me know what you think.