Speaking in class

The main problem for the oral parts of the class, which had given me most fear, is that they involve discussing topics which really aren't remotely interesting. At least not to me. For the last half hour - when all the proper material has run out and we're not sure what to do - it seems that we shall have a time devoted to the constructive bullying of someone. Today it was the meekest girl in the class, who happened to be from Moscow. We all had to ask her questions about Moscow. It is difficult to think of questions to ask about Moscow, particularly if you are having to think of question 20, 19 other questions about Moscow having already been asked by people similarly disinterested in Moscow. The weather was covered early - too early for my liking, since I knew how to ask it. Still, I was quite proud of what I did come up with in the end in my desperation: "Do you hear many other languages on the streets of Moscow?", and "Would you recommend that we all come to visit?". I suspected the man at the far side of the room was merely repeating my first question less imaginatively when he later asked, "Are there many foreigners Moscow?" but I was too polite to point out this duplication. Tomorrow I shall probably steal his question and see how he likes it.

Some people ran out of questions about Moscow quite quickly, and tried to slip in personal questions only mildly Moscow-related, for example: "How long does it take you to get from your house (in Moscow) to the university?". The lowest ebb was reached with the question, "How old are you?", which caught the attention of the teacher since it hadn't used the word Moscow at all (although "How old are you, now that you are not living in Moscow?" would almost certainly have gone unnoticed). Oddly, the age question flustered the answerer more than the other questions about population statistics, climate and economic prospects. We were reprimanded for our divergence from the topic and got back on track for at least a moment, saying Moscow a lot more often again.
[My back-up question was going to be, "So - was it a terrible disappointment for everyone when London got the Olympics?", but I had the nagging fear that Moscow weren't really in for the Olympics and then I would be forced to explain that I thought they were, but since they weren't my question was indeed irrelevant. Even if they had been competing for the Olympics, I feared this would have been forgotten by everyone else.]

There was almost an ugly turn of events when it emerged that at least 2 other students in the class came from Moscow, and they weren't convinced that the answers given were true. Arguments broke out more than once. The male was exposed as having overplayed his hand when he claimed Moscow had the 'largest house in the world', since another pointed out that it wasn't actually built yet. He was also challenged on his assertion that there are 10% poor people, 10% rich people (but not very rich) and no middle class. He refused to be drawn on how this might be, but stuck stoically to his figures.

Eventually it shall be my turn to be tortured by questions about my land, unless the teacher likes me enough not to put me through it or dislikes me enough not to put herself through it. If it does happen, I think I'd prefer the personal questions, since I am at least fairly familiar with me, rather than also having to answer questions about, "Do the youth in your country have a future?" or "What is the industry like where you come from?". I would tend to make the same sort of incredulous, disinterested, leave-me-alone-for-I-don't-know sound to that question regardless of the language being spoken because I don't really have anything to say about it. I've never really thought about these things. Certainly truth shall be the first casualty in anything I will say, although if possible I shall try to avoid saying anything at all. Ideally this shall be possible while still using a satisfactory number of words. Fortunately, there is no-one else from Northern Ireland in the class and I don't think the people from Moscow would challenge me.

But I would appreciate any mind-numbing facts about my country which anyone might be able to offer me.