Karaoke - bringing people together
So last Thursday was our office's karaoke night. In case you haven't heard, karaoke is a lot different in China than in the U.S. First off, karaoke, or KTV as they call it here, is done only in the company of friends. You bring a group and rent a room with a screen, a computer, a big table and a big leather couch. Our room was perfectly sized for the ten people we brought along. You have control over the system and waiters go room to room serving food and drinks. It's kinda cool not being in a smoky bar with a bunch of miserable singers trying to belt out "Don't Stop Believin" (like I normally do), but it's also a little intimidating being in front of such a small group.
So we're there and we're singing and the four Chinese people are singing Chinese songs, the five Americans are singing... actually, no, they aren't singing... and David, our Scottish representative, is singing the Carpenters (they're a big deal in China). It's kinda like an eighth-grade dance in the way it's all separated so I decide to roll out some "Philadelphia Freedom" to break the ice. I like to sing that song in my car, and it always seems to sound better there...
Anyway, we get some food and a couple of beers (drinking is not a big part of KTV) and the Americans loosen up and we're having a good time when we're informed that there are judges involved in this whole affair to pick the best singers from our group. Apparently our whole company, which is pretty big, is having this "Chinese Idol" competition and each department will send one or two representatives to the next round of the competition. Ok... So our two interns from App State team up with Suzi, a UNC alumna, to sing a pretty, um, unique version of "Sexy Back." Joh teams up with a Chinese staff member to sing a traditional Chinese song, and I, well I don't just sing, but perform the "Stray Cat Strut," complete with me walking right by with my tail in the air.
Needless to say, I have advanced to the next round. David's version of "Jambalaya" was good enough for him to advance too, but he'll be heading back to the U.K. unfortunately and will miss the big day. So much for our plans of a duet...
It's good that I had this opportunity to hone my karaoke skills, because I had to rely on them again over the weekend. Our company took us on a retreat to a town called Huangloo -- or, at least, there's a temple there called Huangloo -- and put us up in a pretty sweet hotel that had a bowling alley, a pool, billiards, table tennis, and, of course, KTV. At the end of the night, the select few who hadn't gone to bed yet went to the KTV room to check the scene, and received a standing ovation upon entering. It was pretty crazy. The room was being rented by a bunch of Chinese rail workers, and they all had been drinking. Aside from that, I didn't know much about them. But they definitely liked to drink.
They also definitely liked the Carpenters. I know this because David requested "Yesterday Once More" on karaoke, then promptly disappeared. The workers handed me the mic and ushered me to the center of the room, where I "sang" the song as best I could while taking a few intermittent breaks to yell "DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVVIIIIIIID." He finally came back and took over and I returned to a crowd that seemed much more happy than my performance deserved. Great time, even though it was tough to communicate. People would come up to me and say "Where are you from?" I'd say "United States. Where are you from?" then they'd smile... and nod... and leave. Not because they didn't like the U.S., but because that's all they knew how to say in English. Most of our communication consisted solely of clinking beer bottles...
You know, I've been fortunate enough to travel a good amount in my 20's and I have to say that experiences like that are the best part of travel. I've seen sights and I can honestly say that there are few sightseeing expeditions I've been on that were any more satisfying than just looking at postcards. Normandy is the only example I can think of... It's experiences like singing karaoke in Huangloo with a bunch of railway workers or watching your friend challenge a 12-year-old Turkish kid to a dance competition in Cappadocia that make travel worthwhile. When you go overseas, experiencing the culture easily trumps anything you can take in with your eyes.
I'm a little behind, so I'll try to add more stories soon.
So we're there and we're singing and the four Chinese people are singing Chinese songs, the five Americans are singing... actually, no, they aren't singing... and David, our Scottish representative, is singing the Carpenters (they're a big deal in China). It's kinda like an eighth-grade dance in the way it's all separated so I decide to roll out some "Philadelphia Freedom" to break the ice. I like to sing that song in my car, and it always seems to sound better there...
Anyway, we get some food and a couple of beers (drinking is not a big part of KTV) and the Americans loosen up and we're having a good time when we're informed that there are judges involved in this whole affair to pick the best singers from our group. Apparently our whole company, which is pretty big, is having this "Chinese Idol" competition and each department will send one or two representatives to the next round of the competition. Ok... So our two interns from App State team up with Suzi, a UNC alumna, to sing a pretty, um, unique version of "Sexy Back." Joh teams up with a Chinese staff member to sing a traditional Chinese song, and I, well I don't just sing, but perform the "Stray Cat Strut," complete with me walking right by with my tail in the air.
Needless to say, I have advanced to the next round. David's version of "Jambalaya" was good enough for him to advance too, but he'll be heading back to the U.K. unfortunately and will miss the big day. So much for our plans of a duet...
It's good that I had this opportunity to hone my karaoke skills, because I had to rely on them again over the weekend. Our company took us on a retreat to a town called Huangloo -- or, at least, there's a temple there called Huangloo -- and put us up in a pretty sweet hotel that had a bowling alley, a pool, billiards, table tennis, and, of course, KTV. At the end of the night, the select few who hadn't gone to bed yet went to the KTV room to check the scene, and received a standing ovation upon entering. It was pretty crazy. The room was being rented by a bunch of Chinese rail workers, and they all had been drinking. Aside from that, I didn't know much about them. But they definitely liked to drink.
They also definitely liked the Carpenters. I know this because David requested "Yesterday Once More" on karaoke, then promptly disappeared. The workers handed me the mic and ushered me to the center of the room, where I "sang" the song as best I could while taking a few intermittent breaks to yell "DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVVIIIIIIID." He finally came back and took over and I returned to a crowd that seemed much more happy than my performance deserved. Great time, even though it was tough to communicate. People would come up to me and say "Where are you from?" I'd say "United States. Where are you from?" then they'd smile... and nod... and leave. Not because they didn't like the U.S., but because that's all they knew how to say in English. Most of our communication consisted solely of clinking beer bottles...
You know, I've been fortunate enough to travel a good amount in my 20's and I have to say that experiences like that are the best part of travel. I've seen sights and I can honestly say that there are few sightseeing expeditions I've been on that were any more satisfying than just looking at postcards. Normandy is the only example I can think of... It's experiences like singing karaoke in Huangloo with a bunch of railway workers or watching your friend challenge a 12-year-old Turkish kid to a dance competition in Cappadocia that make travel worthwhile. When you go overseas, experiencing the culture easily trumps anything you can take in with your eyes.
I'm a little behind, so I'll try to add more stories soon.
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