The Future of China is in Good Hands							BACK TO DATE PAGE
				I had the pleasure the other day of addressing about 100 high school students at one of the premier public schools here in Qingdao.  I was there at the invitation of their English teacher and really enjoyed myself.  We spent two hours together with a short break in the middle when I had the opportunity to meet the other English teachers as well.
	I had absolutely no prepared text because I felt that, if I couldn't speak extemporaneously until the cows came home about being an American in China or a foreign language enthusiast, I had no business being there in the first place. It was exhilarating to enter the classroom and be met with rousing applause.  There was excitement in the air, and I was really surprised after it was all over by how tired I felt.  I had drained myself emotionally in the course of those two hours and had not even realized it in the heat of the moment. The students' command of English was impressive, and I realized why when I met their teachers.  We are so spoiled as native English speakers by the fact that the rest of the educated world speaks our language. The students and I went wherever questions and answers led us, and we touched on everything from "culture shock" and "couch potato" to a pretty heavy sales pitch about the benefits of foreign language study as well as an explanation of my personal approach to language learning.
		I hope I'll be invited back.					BACK TO DATE PAGE