Rosie asked if I would participate. Not exactly sure what I was agreeing to (it is not always easy to understand accents over the phone), I told her I would love to. Once at the rehearsal, I discovered that they wanted to me to sing on stage! I had to decline since I am a horrible singer. But Rosie and her fellow department members pleaded that I sing, and attempted to assure me that I have a lovely voice. Still refusing, I had to explain that we were confronting a cultural difference.
The Chinese love to sing! Oftentimes, I hear people singing loudly while walking down the street or sitting in a park. Karaoke is extremely popular, whether it is just at KTV or on stage for a large audience. There is no concern about public embarrassment. Both awful and amazing singers will gladly get on stage and sing to their heart's desire. Everyone seems to think they are an excellent singer, or at least show no regard for how they sound. I explained that, in America, people who know they sing badly will generally avoid doing so in public. It is one thing for me to sing drunkenly in front of a few friends verses singing in front of hundreds of strangers!
Some students seemed to understand my dilemma, while others couldn't grasp my unwillingness to sing on stage. After some debate, we decided I would play a game with the audience - charades! I figured I was more comfortable with making an ass of myself intentionally rather than unintentionally while attempting to hopelessly sing in tune.
The students wanted me to act out things related to American culture. At first, I thought it would be simple to pantomime a few celebrities or movies, but I soon realized charades would prove difficult due to the cultural barriers. Eventually, I decided on four things that the students would pick-up and be able to guess: Michael Jackson (who is one of the most popular Western singers), King Kong, Titanic (which is still a very popular movie here) and a cowboy.
Rosie and I on stage. She had to translate my introduction for the audience. I gave the audience a good laugh, especially when I acted out King Kong by pounding my fists on my chest! It was fun! The students who were picked from the audience received a prize if they guessed the answer correctly.
The competition lasted about two hours, which included an opening band and 15 competitors. All the songs were Chinese. I was expecting to hear the Titanic song, as it is really popular and Keith said he went to a competition last fall and at least three students sang it. I was told that while the students usually sing mainstream songs, they didn't for this particular competition. My friend, Erin, competed.
Keith and I were seated in the front row, next to the judges, and were served hot tea throughout the show because we were the 'guests of honor.'
A picture with all the student union members. As you can see, they gave me a bouquet of flowers! All the singers who competed were also given flowers during their performances. The students were pleased with their success. Rosie told me they were the first group to get a foreign teacher to participate, and I was the first foreigner ever on the stage! They were excited to see that all the foreign teachers attended and they made sure to get pictures with all of them in order to document it. Because of this, it is believed that they will have hosted the best singing competition of the semester!
The night was fun! At the end of the show, I even got to present the prize to the winner. Hundreds of students attended, almost filling up the entire auditorium. It is a very popular event! I thought it interesting that their Friday night lights are on a stage, and not a football field or basketball court. There are sports teams, but attending the games is not a favorite college pastime. Proof of how popular karaoke/singing really is here!
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