A WONDERFULLY FESTIVE BEGINNING TO THE NEW YEAR!!

December 22, 2010

I had the morning off so I did three batches of wash and then started working on grades. I had a student send me a personal statement to read so I was working on that when Lin Zhu, my weiban, called me. She said that some of my students were looking for me. The students from my Friday class had invited me to a holiday meal a few weeks back.  I thought they wanted me to be there by noon and it was only 11:30. I was ready so I rushed over to the school and met up with the rest of the class and two other teachers, one was their advisor, and the other one was a beautiful lady who is their Advanced English teacher.

We walked over to the bus stop and the students got us a taxi. We drove to a German restaurant about a mile away and got out. Soon everyone joined us. It was rather strange seeing Chinese men and women dressed up in leiderhosen and traditional German dresses, but it was worked. Ivy, the monitor, told me that the restaurant served barbeque and buffet. I was excited until I realized it was not German food but Chinese food. Sean was my official interpreter for the day.

The students lined up next to the tables and were wishing me a Merry Christmas.

 In the first picture there are the two Chinese teachers.

  

 The boys in the class are together (very small number compared to the girls). The Chinese hold up two fingers because they think the Americans do it--bunny ears.

 Sean watched over me like a mother hen so I couldn’t explore all the savory dishes. I saw the makings for a green salad but my plate was full already. I tried to pick things that looked familiar, but I was not always successful. What I thought were potatoes were crunchy vegetables of some sort. I did get some good food—noodles, rice, vegetables—and sat down to eat. Meanwhile the advisor brought over vegetables and desserts and encouraged me to dig in. Also, the waiters and waitresses would bring around pieces of food on long skewers and plop one on every plate. I had two kinds of mystery meat when I got back from filling up my plate. The teachers told me to put the red sauce and orange powder on my plate to dip the meat in. I did so. I was lucky that it wasn’t too hot.

The students gathered around me and the Chinese teacher took pictures. Sean, on my left, was my interpreter for the day. The students gave me the pink scarf as a present.

I think I ate some sausage, a chicken heart, a slice of beef tail, possibly some chicken. I also had roasted banana, dumplings (to celebrate the new year), some corn (which stuck to my teeth) and lots of cherry tomatoes (for dessert). I also tried a few goodies off the dessert plate. The Chinese don’t use much sugar, so they look sweet but are not. The crème puffs were yummy though.

Then there were the drinks. Sean got me some fruit juice, cold even. Then Kyo brought each of the three teachers a glass of beer. The restaurant brings a three-foot tall container about five inches in diameter full of beer with a spigot near the bottom. I told him four times that I didn’t drink beer, but he left it there anyway and assured me that I would not get drunk on one glass. The Chinese do several toasts during a meal so I was busy clicking glasses and wishing people Happy New Year. When Sean took my juice for a refill, I had to click my beer glass which was now half empty because the foam had disappeared. No, I didn't drink it by mistake. Needless to say, some of the young men were pretty drunk by the end of the meal.

More pictures with the students and the two Chinese teachers.

Next up was the entertainment. Bryan and Emily were the MCs. They welcomed everyone and had all of the students wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in various languages—Japanese, Italian, Spanish, German, French—I think that is all. Next came the singing and dancing. Some of my students are very talented. Of course, I was asked to dance in the aisle with the rest of the girls. I was laughing so hard that my cheeks hurt. It was absolutely hilarious! Also, Lydia gave each of the three teachers a beautiful scarf to wear. My song was “Jingle Bells” because I knew the students would join in. All of the teachers had to give speeches as well. It was unbelievable.

There was a group of students from another university sitting next to us. We were making so much noise that they had to notice. When the students were performing, they would bring over presents—an apple slice and a cherry tomato on a toothpick, for example. Then suddenly two young men came over and brought me some fruit on a stick. I guess it was because I was a foreigner.



As we were leaving the German restaurant, we took a picture beside the Christmas tree. It was Sherry, Sean, Kathy, me and Lydia.

We kept eating because they continued to bring food. I was so full that I could not eat one more bite, but I ate cherry tomatoes to be polite. A good time was had by all. Some needed beer; the rest of us just used holiday cheer. This class will be my all-time favorite because they have so much personality. What a China experience!