The power of English

Several conversations recently have made me freshly aware of the power of English in our global society.  In talking with different friends this week, we learned--

--that it's next to impossible to get a decent-paying job in a good company here if you cannot speak English (even if the job you want has zero English involved!)
--people often have to pass an English test as part of the interview process (again, even if the position or company requires no English)
--part of the all-important gaokao (the test that all high school seniors must take that essentially determines their future) is an English component.  If students do not do well on that part, while they may still be able to go to college, they may not be allowed to choose their major.  So if a kid wants to be an engineer but happens to be terrible at English, he may not be able to pursue that major if he fails the English portion of the exam. Yikes!

All of these facts produced several responses in me--
1.  I am so glad to be a native speaker.
2.  English teaching here meets a very real felt/actual need.
3.  In light of all these facts, English teaching will likely be at least a part of our future here, in that it can be a great way to serve others in our community (like the free english class I gave on the bus) and also a great way to make some money while meeting a real need.

So, on days when I'm frustrated in learning Chinese, I find comfort in having English as my mother tongue!  But that doesn't help me buy the right kind of shoes for Katie....  :)