sofasurfers

And suddenly, I heard those words: “Fleur, we would like you to make a
speech.” It was “Luther”, one of the Chinese regulars. A speech?!
What about?! How very 39 Steps, I thought to myself. “Yes, yes, please
stand – yes, stand here, that’s right. Thank you very much. Ladies and
gentlemen, we are very lucky today…” Ah, how I would have howled
with hysteria had anyone I knew – even Number 11 – been witness to
this. Thank God – or thank couchsurfing – I had a readymade story. And
so I gabbled on about couchsurfing through Russia, Mongolia and China
for as few seconds as I could get away with, and quickly took my bow
and sat down. Only to be surrounded by as many as could fit round a
table all asking me questions. “Excuse me, may I ask a question
please” - that kind of thing. Actually it was extremely interesting –
I heard the truth about China’s only children (”They are too
dominant,” says one of the few older ones with a brother. “They are
selfish,” says another…”Tsk, be careful what you say,” says an
overly made-up female teacher). And I heard so, so much more besides,
but the shaggy dog is growing … Many had excellent English, many
self-taught – although when I explained, for the nth time, that I was
going to couchsurf in Bahrain on my stopover to London, and one said,
“Ah yes, the bank in Asia the British man bring down,” I didn’t have
the heart to set him straight.