Oh Play Me That Mountain Music

Yesterday, a lady from the English Department called to invite the foreign teachers to a “country/folk music” concert tonight. We weren’t sure which country’s music it was, but we deduced that it might be America. Apparently, the group is famous. I was talking with Mo about it, but for the life of us we could not think of which famous country music group would show up in our little po-dunk town for a concert. We don’t even make it on most of the maps here! I had promised some students that I would be at E.C. Saturday night, so I turned down the invitation.

This afternoon, Abby, my assistant, called me. I was rather surprised since I had just seen her that morning at class and couldn’t think of what she might need that she wouldn’t have mentioned this morning. Turns out, “Little Ten” had called her and asked her to ask me if I wanted to go to the country concert and dinner with him. (Sounds like we are in middle school, right? Except that Little Ten doesn’t speak much English.) Anyway, envisioning how this bizarre “date” might go with not being able to communicate, no translator, and this mystery country music in the background, I turned it down and I needed to keep my promise. Plus, I really did not want to become the new talk of the foreign teachers if they spotted me showing up with a man after I had turned down their invitation.

However, as the evening transpired, I began to think about the fact that I would be the only foreign teacher going to E.C. and how it is not a good idea to walk around town alone by myself at night. I decided to go to the concert and called Abby back to call Little Ten back to tell him that I had changed my mind. Anyway, she finally got in touch with him, but he had already given the tickets away. Apparently, he had gone to his friend’s house to give him the ticket and didn’t take his cell phone when Abby had called. Oh, well!

I invited Abby to go to E.C. with me and she was so excited! We got there a little late because it is quite a ways from the bus stop to the park where the meeting is held. Upon my arrival I was instantly swarmed, mobbed, by locals. I was the ONLY foreigner there. They were hurling questions at me right and left, so quickly that I couldn’t even answer the one before they were asking another and another and another…Patience is not a virtue here. Everyone wanted my sole attention, except there were about 35 of them and only one of me. Everyone was pushing all up on me and surrounding me and I started to panic and felt like I couldn’t breathe. I held my breath, ran out of the circle, and found a spot on the wall to try to put some distance between the group and me. I suggested that they break out into smaller groups and discuss among themselves. Unfortunately, they are not interested in speaking to each other, just me. Fortunately, though, there were a few students from school there who started groups and took some of the pressure off. I don’t think that I’ll be going back to the Saturday E.C. for a while.