Awkward Situations #1: Miss Teacher

Hello readers! The awkward situations described in my last post gave me the ideas to start a new column where I'll share some awkward situations I experienced or heard, which I gave the very original and interesting name of "Awkward Situations". My times studying Chinese in a Beijing are a stocked mine of such those situations. To start, 99% of the school population was asian while I was a western average joe. Second, no one except me, and I mean no one had arrived there without knowing how to speak a little chinese, either because they spoke it at home, had private classes, preparation classes, or even bachelor degrees in chinese, the thing is the school expected you to arrive there having some sort of Chinese level. To quote a Kung Fu Panda dialogue...

Shifu: Let us begin.

Po: What? Uh... I don't think I can do all those moves right away.

Shifu: [chuckles] Well, we'll never know unless we try, will we?

Po: Well, maybe we could start out with something more at, you know, my level.

Shifu: And what level is that? ~

Po: Uh... level zero? How about that, level zero?

Shifu: [chuckles] There is no such thing as level zero

Not only I was seen as a big idiot who couldn't talk to no one, but I was still in shock. You see, seven hours before I arrived to the school, I was at Pro Tour Kuala Lumpur watching Marcio Top 4, and receiving my Invitational Trophy. I didn't get a transition period from Pro Magic player to being abandoned in China with people speaking weird languages. Anyway, this is not the awkward situation, this is only the introduction.

After some very painful times of hard work and overcoming many depressions, I learned a little bit of Chinese, which gave me courage enough to try the Chinese proficiency test for Foreigners. It's a test run by the government 3 or 4 times a year, at the same time in several places. They all have the same test, which is treated like a National Security document until 5 seconds of starting time. Grades go from Level 4 to Level 8. If you suck (Level 1, 2 or 3), they don't give you a score in order to don't humiliate you. My goal was of course not to suck, but my roommate had previously taken the test and scoring Level 5 despite being a slacker, altough a chinese speaking slacker.

Given this, I was obviously very happy when the scores came in and I got Level 6. For you Magic players to have a picture, compare the Player's Club levels with the Chinese test levels. Levels 1, 2 and 3 suck, and if when you finally made it you made it as Level 6, that should be able to describe the feeling.

Side Note: At the school there was a young teacher about my age, most of the guys had her in a pedestal as the hottest teacher on the school. She wasn't particularly pretty, altough definitely ok but compared to the rest of the older teachers she clearly shined, in my opinion probably Top 3, because of her younger age. Anyway, after National exams scores went public Miss Teacher, who was never my teacher during my whole stay there, came to congratulate me.

Miss Teacher: Wow Congratulations!

Tiago: Thanks Miss Teacher.

Miss Teacher: I always knew you had it in you.

Tiago: Not really, I kind of got lucky.

Miss Teacher: No, I always admired how you worked so hard and struggled so much.

Tiago: Not that I really had a choice there, you know...

Miss Teacher: But finally it all paid off in the end. I'm so proud of you, I knew you could do it.

Tiago: I'm very flattered, it's a pity Miss Teacher was never assigned to teach at my classes.

Miss Teacher: You must be feeling very happy.

Tiago: I'm feeling Ok yeah.

Miss Teacher: It's not everyday someone gets a Level 8.

Tiago: Uh? I was only Level 6.

(10 seconds of silence)

Miss Teacher: Well... 6 ain't bad either... Oh my, look at the time, I didn't realize it was this late, I should definetely get going, catch up with you later, uhm, Bye!

And that was the last time I saw Miss Teacher.