Dinner Table Speeches and Yearly Count Downs

One of my first proper debate journeys, meaning the first few in-person tournaments I went to, was in Europe, in Croatia. Also the first time I ever went to the continent of Europe; those early Western tournaments we went to hold a special place in my heart. Seeing the streets decked out in Christmas lights, big fur coats, and each restaurant in a language we didn't understand (with Western cuisine our palates were not used to), we explored the European nights together after my tournaments and had a damn good time eating German sausages and taking photos by monuments. So different from the little Singaporean life we'd known, and so many new sights to view together. 我最早参加的几次正式辩论赛之旅——也就是最初几次亲赴现场的赛事——是在欧洲的克罗地亚进行的。那也是我第一次踏上欧洲大陆；那些早期的西方赛事之旅在我心中占据着特殊的位置。街头张灯结彩，处处洋溢着圣诞气息，人们穿着厚实的大皮草，餐厅里尽是些我们听不懂的语言（供应着口味陌生的西式餐点）——比赛结束后，我们结伴探索欧洲的夜色，吃着美味的德国香肠，在各式纪念碑前合影留念，玩得不亦乐乎。这一切与我们在新加坡熟悉的小天地截然不同，我们共同见证了无数新鲜的景致。