My two days as a judge...
No, not in a "court of law." I was asked to be a judge in a high school debate competition. My sole qualification? I'm a native English speaker. I'd never watched a debate or been in a debate, and I'd certainly never judged one. My school didn't even have a debate team. This did not seem to matter.
On the first day of the debate, I showed up right at 9am when I was asked to be there. I think the opening ceremony actually began around 9:30, which is pretty good really. The opening ceremony consisted of speeches by four different people, a reading from the 'Quran, prayers, performances by students, a group of elementary aged girls doing a traditional welcome dance, and a group of six high school students performing a song which was played with mostly home-made instruments. The last part of the ceremony was the introduction of the other two judges and me. The girl who introduced me I had just met once before, and she introduced me as her "dear friend!"
When the competition started, it was about 11am. By this time, I had been served fruit, water, a midmorning snack, and more water. They also served lunch and a midafternoon snack. All this was repeated on day two. I don't understand how they stay so thin!
The two days reminded me just how deeply ingrained religion is in the society. We took breaks to allow everyone to pray at each appointed time. There was a room attached to the back of the building for the women to pray in while the men went to the mosque. Almost every student in the debate and every speaker who gave a speech began with the Arabic greeting Muslims give one another, and the crowd answered back with the appropriate Arabic phrase. These are very proudly devout people!
The debate itself was fairly interesting, and I had a hard time not pulling for anyone in particular. The fun part was getting to know people during breaks. I made friends with the other two judges and some of the teachers. I even gave one teacher a ride home on my motorbike at the end of the second day, and she invited me in for tea. This turned into a three hour visit and an invitation to come back. She's going to teach me how to make a local dessert, kolah.
Over and over, I am impressed by the friendliness of the people, and also by their devotion. I am so glad to be working here, and I hope I can become part of the lives of my new friends.
On the first day of the debate, I showed up right at 9am when I was asked to be there. I think the opening ceremony actually began around 9:30, which is pretty good really. The opening ceremony consisted of speeches by four different people, a reading from the 'Quran, prayers, performances by students, a group of elementary aged girls doing a traditional welcome dance, and a group of six high school students performing a song which was played with mostly home-made instruments. The last part of the ceremony was the introduction of the other two judges and me. The girl who introduced me I had just met once before, and she introduced me as her "dear friend!"
When the competition started, it was about 11am. By this time, I had been served fruit, water, a midmorning snack, and more water. They also served lunch and a midafternoon snack. All this was repeated on day two. I don't understand how they stay so thin!
The two days reminded me just how deeply ingrained religion is in the society. We took breaks to allow everyone to pray at each appointed time. There was a room attached to the back of the building for the women to pray in while the men went to the mosque. Almost every student in the debate and every speaker who gave a speech began with the Arabic greeting Muslims give one another, and the crowd answered back with the appropriate Arabic phrase. These are very proudly devout people!
The debate itself was fairly interesting, and I had a hard time not pulling for anyone in particular. The fun part was getting to know people during breaks. I made friends with the other two judges and some of the teachers. I even gave one teacher a ride home on my motorbike at the end of the second day, and she invited me in for tea. This turned into a three hour visit and an invitation to come back. She's going to teach me how to make a local dessert, kolah.
Over and over, I am impressed by the friendliness of the people, and also by their devotion. I am so glad to be working here, and I hope I can become part of the lives of my new friends.
posted by Sissatravels at 30.3.07
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