-^-for posterity-^-

english speaking club.

this is the last one for a few months. the semester is ending and teachers are getting a well deserved break.

tonight we had about 120 students come for games, prizes and lots and lots of yelling. we play games that involve powerpoint or some simple computer program. we play 'box of fortune' which is obviously a smaller version of 'wheel of fortune' except without ms. white, the wheel, pat and the flashing letters. the students pick pieces of paper from a box hoot if they get money, yell of they get a lot of money, moan if they loose their turn and scream if they get bankrupt. by the end, if it's a good game, we have about a hundred students standing, clapping and yelling things in vietnamese.

tonight we had some teachers there from other departments and they also got into the fervour. they started in the back quietly observing and, by the end, were standing in the front translating what i was saying in a high-pitched yelp. i had about three translators tonight; they seemed to be all fighting for the job. i kept giggling.

the end of speaking club always is dramatic. we give the 'necklace of greatness' to whichever group performed the best (they are divided into groups depending on what department they are in). the students sit quietly as i ponder the decision. i wear the necklace of greatness, which is actually a silver knob you would screw into the end of a banister tied onto the end of a piece of black cloth that was ripped from a cape i wore during halloween, and furrow my brow. the time comes for a decision. i exhale slowly and dramatically. i put on my most serious face and, in my lowest, most authoritative tone, announce that economics has won tonight. everyone stands and cheers. they come up, i put the necklace of greatness on them and we all leave happy and tired.