Two nights ago I was invited to a University to speak to an auditorium full of students about Canadian culture - typical adventure. There was a half English/half Chinese conversation on the phone about how they would give me a ride there. At 6:00 I was waiting at the arranged location. No ride. Phone call - could I take a taxi? There were many taxis, all occupied. Eventually I got on the back of a motorcycle. More phone calls - my driver said he knew the destination, but obviously did not. Cold dark ride, weaving in and out of traffic. Every time we drew alongside another motorcycle he would ask directions. Finally we arrived at an unlikely looking building and I paid him too much (must remember to carry change). Wrong building. Luckily there was a helpful security guard who called my contact and then put me in a taxi. Needless to say, all this strained my little Mandarin to the limit.
So I arrived quite late. There were a couple of hundred students watching a young black guy doing some extraordinary Hip-hop moves; turned out he was a student from Zambia. I have become very comfortable talking to Chinese University students. Most of them understand a bit of English and I had my Powerpoint slides for them to look at. The slides have photos of my students, family and BC scenery. Most interesting was the questions they asked. They asked about Canadian immigration policy, guns in the USA, oil, pollution, economics and learning English.
The more I get to know students the more evident it becomes how their education is distorted by the Gaokao (Tests they must take to determine University placement) If you get a high mark you can go to a better university. Talked with a Geography teacher who explained that he has to teach Chinese names for world geography even though the names are useless outside of China (Vancouver is called 'Wen ge hua'). But they need to produce the answer that will give them a mark on the test. Any teacher who doesn't understand the evils of high stakes testing should have a look at the Gaokao.
I'm struggling with my text Toastmasters' speech which is about how I loved Yoyo and then lost her to the sea in Thailand. Luckily I have the help of Sophia who is not only a beautiful young woman who speaks English, but also wise beyond her years. I keep thinking how much I would have fallen in love with her if I were only 20 years younger.
Why do I get these daily flashes of insight, as if the truths of existence were almost within my grasp if I could only succeed in paying attention for more than 30 seconds at a time. On some level. all the sensory input and passing thoughts take place in a context that is entirely unaffected by them, This is not coldness or insensitivity. On the contrary, in the wider context everything is experienced with complete compassion. It is non-attachment that allows the caring to flow. I think I am in Toastmasters not to learn to speak in public, but to learn to listen to others.
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| The variety of types of delicious food amazes me. |
The lady on the right is an instructor of the
Gu zheng (Chinese zither)
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