Ultiamte effort

I've been active lately, starting to get my hands dirty in activities outside my main PC project (teaching English). For a while, namely the months of September and October, I was truthfully apprehensive, perhaps nervous of doing... anything. This nervousness, which manifested itself mostly in my subconscious (I think), was due to the ever present language barrier, the seemingly unscalable cultural barrier, and the practical issues of irritated bowels.

I think the change started a some weeks ago when I joined a local gym. Slowly I was a little more involved in things, a little more adventurous. Furthermore, I was tucked away inside my apartment a little less.

This week was a breakthrough. It started when I attempted (and, as far as I can tell, failed) to initiate an English Movie Night event on the campus. I showed interest in extra-curricular activities, and my students were crazy about the idea, which bolstered my confidence. When that fell apart, one of my coworkers here at the university asked what other activities I might like to try with the students, and I mentioned Ultimate Frisbee. Very few people know what frisbee is even when I explain it with the Chinese translation Fei Pan (literally means flying plate, no joke). My coworker, who is not only a great teacher but a great facilitator, organizes all the extra-curricular activities for the English Department students.

Last Friday I played Ultimate Frisbee with a group of about 20 students. I was beyond excited, and the event blew my expectations away. I want to create a competitive Ultimate club on campus, in the style of western (read: American) collegiate intramural sports. I figured that I would start by teaching the students how to throw and catch, and maybe in a few weeks get around to explaining the rules and playing a game. I was wrong. We played a game (seven on seven, full teams!) for about 40 minutes. It was GREAT.

One student stuck out of the bunch. David (we named him that day, and it fits him) has learned the basics of Ultimate in a little under 3 hours. He can throw a forehand, backhand, and fake a throw not two days after first seeing a Frisbee. He's short, so I'm working on his vertical but hes going to be great. Literally, he can throw a forehand 30 yards, flat, fast, and on target. It took me a month or so to be able to do that with coaching in my native language. Watch out Beijing Ultimate, Xingyi University is gonna give you a run for your money.