Illustrations: Peter C. Espina

With so much competition to find a job, students are discovering they have to be assertive to get noticed. And in order to conquer the fear of stepping forward, some are thinking of interesting exercises in mustering up courage among strangers.

Begging for attention

In a strange exercise in how to approach strangers, Zheng Yu, a chemical technology majored junior at Shenyang University, Liaoning Province decided to use his winter holiday to hit the streets and beg for money.

Under the guise that he had lost his wallet and needed 24 yuan for a train ticket back home to Dandong, Zheng wandered Shenyang's Taiyuan Shopping Street for a few hours striking up conversations with strangers.

Among the four people he hit up for cash, a middle-aged man who refused him outright while a kind-looking woman suggested he find a policeman. However, a girl in her 20s brushed off Zheng, telling him, "I already got a boyfriend."

Finally, a young lady agreed to give Zheng 10 yuan, but turned her back on him after he tried to get more out of her. However, before she left, he made sure to give her back the cash and let her in on his "exercise in courage."

"At least one person was willing to give me 10 yuan. I am glad I make the first step and what matters is that I did it," he said.

Wedding crashers

In a similar yet less successful exercise in courage, Chen Ziyu, and her classmate Lin Li decided to try their hand at crashing a wedding for a free meal.

Chen and Lin, both English seniors at Nanchang-based Jiangxi Normal University, read a posted flyer in front of a restaurant near campus announcing a wedding feast to be held there two days later. Inspired by stories online about people feasting for free at weddings, they decided to see if they were brave enough and give it a shot.

On the day of wedding, the pair headed back to the restaurant, hesitating for a few minutes before they went to the packed room and found a few empty seats at one of the less crowded tables.

However they chickened out after 15 minutes, claiming they were too nervous to eat and afraid of being caught.

"I can't imagine that I could be that bold," Chen said.

Source: Global Times/Agencies