Helping judge an English competition

I helped judge an English competition this past Saturday evening, along with a Chinese English teacher and my teaching colleague.  The event was put together entirely by the medical students at my university and well done, at that.  There was even song and dance from other students between some of the speeches!  There were numerous students from my classes who competed and a couple of them made it into the final round.  The two possible topics for speeches were: "Now is the moment" and "Prepare the best, Enjoy the most."  (In general, I find the Chinese wording of things into English different from a native speaker's wording.  It has a similar, yet different, translation as it is placed back and forth between languages.)

 

There were 18 contestants, each with a variety of explanations for their chosen topic.  Observing the speech-making and delivery between our two cultures is striking.  The Chinese start almost softly or casually and end with an overly-firm, sometimes yelling approach (especially with the guys), as if the yelling is to affirm and strengthen of their opinion.  If the context of these speeches were presented in the West, I think that they would be considered too personal, but the Chinese don't mind showing their heart on their sleeve, in specific cases.  It was tedious to judge all of the contestants because of the varying ranges of English fluency.

 

There were many pictures taken and I will post them when I have a chance.

 

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Next week I begin lecturing on Euthanasia and the idea of a dying patient from the Western perspective.  I have had the honor of being trusted with some happenstance real-life experiences from a few of the Chinese people whom I have met.  I must say that I am presented with some completely new questions and notions on how to make competent and rational medical decisions with the given Chinese culture here.  Essentially eliminate the Western idea of doctor-patient privilege and add a new and amplified dimension of family burden and resulting suicide (which is as or more taboo in the East than it is in the West).  It's a horrifying mix and I am thrown for a loop.