After Church I walked through Chung-Cheng park again and came across something I've never seen before: teenagers practicing dance routines for the fun of it. OK, I performed in dance teams as a teenager too, but not by choice. It was by obligation. The first group I saw was practicing in front of a building with a glass wall where they could see their reflection. I stepped inside the building with the intend of watching without being too noticeable. Boy, was I in for a surprise! Inside the building a group of girls were eating lunch. They immediately greeted me and asked me to join them. "You must stay" they said. Instead of being discrete, I was the center of attention. Hence the photo below.
We talked, they ate, they danced, they sent me away with a promise to come back an hour later after they rehearsed some more. I did. I think I was distracting them. They were getting ready for a dance competition at their High School. When I came back, they went through their whole routine. It was interesting to observe how they worked problems out among themselves. I wish I could have understood what they were saying in Chinese. I'm sure it would be a lesson in negotiation. Andrew, one of the guys who was less shy about talking in English invited me to dinner with them. OK. Why not? Dinner was at a small restaurant named Taka, about a block from the Church. We caught a ride in a van that shuttles people from the park to the department store. Here we are all squeezed in the van.
Well, almost all. Two more had to catch the next shuttle.
The guys were a little more shy about talking in English, except for Andrew, whose father is also an engineer. But unlike me, they were definately not shy about dancing. They have a good routine. I was a little nervous about getting so much attention from the girls. (This could look bad). So it was comforting that Andrew would talk with me too. He's a skater. While the girls were dancing, he was practicing his skate board moves. He taught me how to position my feet to make quick turns on the skate board. Nice!
We took a bunch of pictures at the restaruant, but most of them turned out blurry. Finally we put the camera down on the table and set the timer. This is the result:
So, in conclusion, thanks to Sophie, Wendy, Jessica, Tracy, Shawna, Peggy, Emily, Andrew, Jason, Vinson and everyone else on the ABCDBravo dance team from Shin Min High School. I had a great time helping you practice your english.
We talked, they ate, they danced, they sent me away with a promise to come back an hour later after they rehearsed some more. I did. I think I was distracting them. They were getting ready for a dance competition at their High School. When I came back, they went through their whole routine. It was interesting to observe how they worked problems out among themselves. I wish I could have understood what they were saying in Chinese. I'm sure it would be a lesson in negotiation. Andrew, one of the guys who was less shy about talking in English invited me to dinner with them. OK. Why not? Dinner was at a small restaurant named Taka, about a block from the Church. We caught a ride in a van that shuttles people from the park to the department store. Here we are all squeezed in the van.
Well, almost all. Two more had to catch the next shuttle.The guys were a little more shy about talking in English, except for Andrew, whose father is also an engineer. But unlike me, they were definately not shy about dancing. They have a good routine. I was a little nervous about getting so much attention from the girls. (This could look bad). So it was comforting that Andrew would talk with me too. He's a skater. While the girls were dancing, he was practicing his skate board moves. He taught me how to position my feet to make quick turns on the skate board. Nice!
We took a bunch of pictures at the restaruant, but most of them turned out blurry. Finally we put the camera down on the table and set the timer. This is the result:
So, in conclusion, thanks to Sophie, Wendy, Jessica, Tracy, Shawna, Peggy, Emily, Andrew, Jason, Vinson and everyone else on the ABCDBravo dance team from Shin Min High School. I had a great time helping you practice your english.
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