Seizing Today for Tomorrow

In my last post, I mentioned how busy this month was going to be (and it is - I did not lie to you). I also mentioned that I'd be judging an English speech competition this week (an epic one, obviously). What I didn't mention (and what I did not know) was the topic of this speech competition:

"Seizing Today for Tomorrow"

Seriously? I mean, seriously? Did I NOT just write a post about this very topic?!? That is a serious coincidence people - some may even say it is a sign. Coincidence or sign, let me tell you that yesterday I listened to not one, not two, but FOURTEEN SPEECHES about "seizing today for tomorrow." FOURTEEN SPEECHES telling me about how I need to always take advantage of every moment I get, always seize every opportunity, and always prepare for tomorrow, always be ready for the future.

Yep. Every single one of them telling me about my future...

I get it - I'm not prepared for my future.
Stop rubbing it in.

There was something else I didn't know about the competition beforehand - it turns out, I was not a judge after all. No, I was a designated "question-asker." (Is there an actual name for that? If so, please let me know.) This means after each 3-minute speech (all about the same topic, mind you), my co-question-asker, Adam, and I had to come up with a compelling and intriguing question for the contestant to answer on the spot.

My question-asking station, complete with water, milk, bread, pen and paper,
and of course my sweet name plate. 

Do you know how hard it was not to ask each student the same question, "But what about balancing the two?!? How can I seize today and still prepare for tomorrow?!?" (see my last post if you're confused).  Because every single student talked about how both were important - some emphasized being prepared for tomorrow, some stressed cherishing the present - but none of them spoke about the tricky art of balancing the two.

When I did finally ask one of the students this question (but in a much more professional, less frantic way), she was just as stumped as I was. And, while I felt bad for giving her a tough question (she's actually one of my own students...) I was also relieved that I'm not the only person to struggle answering this question.

Sorry Grace, I wasn't trying to stump you...

Aside from feeling like someone upstairs was trying to tell me something through this competition (though I still don't know exactly what...), it was actually pretty fun!  Adam (my co-question-asker) and I actually attempted to coordinate outfits - turns out my "green" skirt is really more of a teal, oops.

Designated Question-Askers.
Holla'

He and I took turns asking the questions after each speech, the big challenge being to ask a different question to each contestant (which, as I hinted at before, was really difficult when all their speeches were about the same thing). After the first round, the six contestants with the highest scores moved on to round two: impromptu speeches. The six were each given a different topic (thank goodness) and had about 10 minutes to prepare a 2-minute speech. Again, Adam and I had to ask each a relevant question, but this was much easier due to the variation in topics.

The competition hosts, Vivi and Yang.

Finally, the top two contestants made it to round three, where they each had to watch a short video (about topics like global warming and careless driving) and then speak about it for one minute. No questions for this round - woo! The judges (a group of six Chinese professors) then conferred and decided on the winner. The champion ended up being Annie, one of my writing students, who has a history of kicking speech-competition butt. I'd say I'm proud that my student won, but seeing as half the contestants (literally seven of them) were either former or present students of mine, my chances were pretty good.

The panel of judges, hard at work...

My favorite moment of the night? It would probably at the beginning of the competition, when each student gave a brief self-introduction, and another one my students, William (who also happens to be one of my favorites - don't tell), says:

"Hey everyone. I'm William from English class 106. As for this competition, I'm gonna kill it. Thank you."

That's William in the middle.
The fact that he would pose like this with me is proof enough of his awesome-ness.

I kid you not - that is what came out of his mouth! And that is one of the reasons he's one of my favorite students. Other memorable quotes of the afternoon:

"Please welcome the fourteen survivors of the English speech competition."
(What? Did the other ones die?!?)

"Last year, you saw me fail in this competition - it won't happen again!"
(It did.)

"I'm an animation major, but I actually suck at drawing."
(Awesome because most students don't know how to use the word "suck," let alone understand the concept of irony. This kid nailed them both.)

This is Leo.
He may suck at drawing, but he is great at English!

This English speech competition certainly lived up to my expectations. And I loved it especially because after being super frustrated with the topic, I realized that being a part of the speech competition was a perfect example of "seizing today for tomorrow" - I was taking advantage of a unique opportunity, cherishing my time in China, while also gaining experience, knowledge and motivation for my future. BOOM, baby! I may not have this balancing act down all the time, but at least I know it isn't completely impossible...

Me and my student, Essy.
She organized this whole thing. She rocks.
Thank you, Essy, for giving me the chance to seize the day for tomorrow.

And on that note, I bid you all a wonderful night (or day - wherever you are).

ZaiJian, everyone!