The good thing about being neutral is...

I just had of the most intense group work I ever had in my life. It involved two very opinionated people from two of the most powerful nations of the world: France and the United States. And then there was me, a humble Filipino stuck in between.

The task involved coming up with a thirty minute activity for students of French as a Second Language. We defined our make-believe class calmly until we started discussing concrete elements in our instructions. It was as simple as determining which situation calls for a more formal and informal way of addressing people. We were all aware of the fact that relationships in different countries differ but that one uniting factor is being polite. In which situation, though?

And that was when I found myself trembling from within, trying to pacify my groupmates who were very passionate about what they each had to say. I’m toning down the tension that was there, though.In the end of course, with me having to agree, disagree or compromising between the two who kept on rebutting the argument of the other, we came up with our piece.

We make one hell of a group.