Happy December Everyone,

There are plenty of Christmas greetings, Santa Clauses of all shapes and sizes, holiday songs, and sparkling decorations all around, but no feeling of Christmas like we have in America. I have asked my students about it, and they told me they do not celebrate it in China, but there are plenty of things to buy in the stores. I have decided that Christmas without Christ is like a balloon without air. No life, no meaning. And I am not just talking about the religious part. They cannot duplicate the magic of the season.

Yet somehow I am struggling to get in the spirit of the holiday. I guess it is my attitude. The Phillippis found the Christmas decorations in their apartment last week when the power went out (a frequent occurrence the past few weeks) and they needed a candle, so we divided up the stuff leftover from other teachers. I put up a few things under duress. Ruth Ann was mortified when she found out that I do not decorate my house for Christmas. The only thing I really wanted was the little picture of the Nativity scene. The rest is all fluff in my opinion. I did put out my two leftover strings of garland, two small trees, a Santa Claus doll, and a snowman in the doorway. It is enough.

A few of you have asked for my address so you could send me a card. Trust me the mail situation is complicated and unreliable. Yes, packages and letters do get through, but an email card will be great because that is all that you will get from me. One of the teachers spent 1000 yuan sending trinkets home for her grandkids. What a waste! I will bring my presents home with me when I come in July. Don’t people celebrate Christmas in July?



This is a picture of Maggie, one of my students, and me at a cafe eating New York Cheesecake. She took me out for a Chinese Thanksgiving dinner and for dessert here. We played the Monkey game on the table.

I have had some real trauma this weekend. I was merrily going on my way creating lesson plans and thinking that school would be over the end of December. Then I got a rude awakening—I found out that I was supposed to give a final in my Newspaper Reading class. There is no final in the Academic Writing class because the paper is the final. I had used the syllabus from another teacher for the Newspaper Reading class and he had not listed a final, so I just used his format. Then Friday night I find out I have to create a final by next Friday. We have read almost 30 articles this semester. I could have been working on the final all along had I known. Anyway, that is not the worst part.

The next email tells me that I must teach the first week in January then the students study for a week and I give the final the week of January 17^th. WHAT! First of all, I am supposed to fly to Shenzhen on the 19^th and then onto Hong Kong for a three-day conference with the BYU teachers. This is mandatory meeting according to our BYU bosses. Second of all, the contract I signed stated that the first semester finals were over as of January 12^th and the winter break started the 13^th. That was the schedule I was going by. I was in a complete dither! Not to mention all of the other teachers are finished with their classes and finals by the end of December. Jealousy factor kicks in.

SO I decided to get mad. Like that is going to fix anything. I quickly emailed my weiban (translation: foreign teacher helper person), Lin Zhu, and explained the situation. I told her I was confused (furious was too strong a word) about the schedule. Saving face is VERY big here and I was trying to get my way without anyone losing face—including my own. I also sent a copy to the professor at the Translation Department. Then I went to bed last night trying to sleep and not worry about missing the Hong Kong trip.

After church I sat down at the computer and downloaded my next Sunday School lesson. Afterwards I checked my email. I had an email from my weiban and from the professor. I was SO nervous. Well, it pays to worry about things because then they don’t happen. The professor said that she was not aware of the schedule and would make sure the final was scheduled before the 13^th. Lin Zhu also said that she would take care of the problem. I gave a BIG sigh of relief. It will be interesting to see what happens next. I hope there is no back lash. Things could be rough for me if I make waves. 

Notice the beautiful trees. Then notice the water pipe running through the tree. In preparation for the new construction, they dug up the underground water pipe and put it up and over the road. I can't wait for the cold weather to come and have the pipes freeze and we have no water. Life is one grand adventure here in China!

I am the proud owner of a new hot plate. The apartment comes with a propane burner, which I have been using it since I got here. However, lately I have noticed that the burner does not always light up when I turn on the gas and then gas fumes spread out into the kitchen. I use the fan but the fumes are still very strong. I do not want someone to find my dead body in a kitchen in China with oatmeal bubbling away on the burner. Then when I turn the burner off after it has been on low, the flames raise up really high. I am surprised that my bangs and eyebrows have not been singed off.

Unfortunately I bought one of the hot plates made in China. I have used it five times and now it is not working. My luck is not very good this week. Maybe next time.

This is the field on our campus where they are digging 24/7. We counted eight trucks hauling out dirt. Luckily everything is now covered with dirt and it gets in the air and on our feet. I think they are building an underground garage for all the new cars on the road. That's progress, as they say!

Please send any holiday tips for getting in the Christmas spirit. I forgot to bring my DVD of The Christmas Carol. I hope that it is on my kindle. I must read that every year. Just in case, you watch it for me or better yet read it. I love the message of that book. Ah! I know what is missing. Bah Humbug!


Laundry day at the dorms across the street from our campus.