Ilene and I got co-opted the by the state the last two Sunday mornings to be the guest judges at an English speech-making contest at the Culture Labor Palace. A frustrating aspect of it was that the participants had to submit drafts in advance for approval from the director. One consequence of that was a tendency to blandness in the arguments in the first round. (Though no blander than the average U.S. freshman essay, which suffer other cultural pressures.) Also, I found myself censoring my follow up questions for fear of leading people into territory that would embarrass them.Apart from that, it was fun and very impressive. We had 15 participants the first week and 7 finalists today. It was open to all, and it was mostly girls and young women from 14 y.o.a. to late twenties. In the end, the winner was the youngest, mostly because her pronunciation most resembled the foreign cable television programs she is growing up with.
Despite the free-speech restrictions, the finalists all showed themselves to be very thoughtful analysts of their country--anxious about the future without being fearful of change, with a refreshing sense of personal responsibility. Ilene and I both left with the impression that if these women get an opportunity to use their talents, they're going to kick butt.
The fan favorite was the 15-year-old girl in her school uniform--her nicest outfit, I think--and the best part for me was seeing how proudly her father claimed her afterward when he introduced himself to us. It was obvious that he had rehearsed saying in English, "This is my daughter."
At the end, Ilene and I were expected to give some advice, which was humbling considering that I usually flub speeches in my native tongue. And it was no fun picking only one winner to get the prize--1 million dong, which will cover a semester of college tuition here and will cover a movie and popcorn and soda for four back home.
[Note for other travelers: Connecting with this English conversation group was the smartest thing we did to meet people and learn more about Vietnam. I strongly recommend volunteering to go be the guest native-speaker at one. You'll leave with invitations to all kinds of real-life experiences for as long as you're in town. If you're interested, leave a comment here, and I'll suggest someone you can contact.]
-Robert
