After an arduous 14 hour flight, and 15 hour time difference, Team York House, consisting of Rosa (Grade 9), Rainy (Grade 10) and Fraser (Grade 11), finally arrived at the International Independent Schools’ Public Speaking Championships in Hong Kong.
Chaperoned by Ms. Harrigan, our lively drama teacher, we explored and delved into the culture of Hong Kong. On the first few days, we went shopping, ate delicious Chinese cuisine, and adjusted to the time difference. During this time, Ms. Harrigan suggested we come up with alter egos. Inspired by Beyoncé’s “Sasha Fierce,” Fraser adopted the name “Astrid Fierce,” Rainy came up with the name “Rainstorm,” and finally, after much vacillation, Rosa settled with “Natasha Roscanoff,” inspired by the typo she had received on her competition name tag, “Rosca”, and the fearless Avenger and S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Black Widow.
We then faced three full days of competition at the host school, Renaissance College, which were filled with excitement, fun and anticipation. Old connections were rekindled and new friendships were established with students from Asia, Europe, Australia and North America. During the competition, Rainy had accumulated a surplus of tropical fruit, consisting of dragon fruit, bananas and apples, thus naming the drawer where she kept her fruit: “Rainy’s Fruit Stand.”
After yet another successful year, the York House team did exceptionally well, with Fraser making finals in the Dramatic Monologue category and Rainy narrowly missing the After-Dinner Speech final. It was an amazing experience to travel across multiple time zones to compete at a truly international location, with passionate speakers from around the globe.
Fraser
Grade 11