Greetings from China!
The days just keep going by faster and faster! Once and a while I find myself a little homesick, especially with Christmas coming up. It turns out that we have to keep teaching until December 24th. Everyday they tell us something different. I try not to let it bother me.
Today we had a fun class activity. I had my students write either a letter to Santa or a Christmas card to anybody they wanted, and then I collected their papers.
They were all the sweetest things ever. And I thought I'd share a few. Their letters to Santa were so cute, and many of them decided they would write a Christmas card to me. They're very encouraging:
"Dear Santa, You're the most kind-hearted and lovely man, I know. I've been a good kid and behaved well the whole year and next year I'll be, too. I'd like cookies very much. Please give me much, ok? Thanks."
"Dear Santa, I hope you make me happier now. I know Miss Laura is in China. She doesn't go on holidays in America but I wanna you make her happy with us on Christmas."
"Dear Laura, Merry Christmas! I love you very much!"
"To Laura: Merry Christmas! I am very happy that you are teacher. I hope you happy every day live blessedness."
"Dear Miss Laura, The Christmas is around the corner. I'm glad to become your student the first year in the university. I like you very much. This year I learnt a lot of knowledge from you about learn English. Sometimes I was so shy that I couldn't raise my hands. But in your oral English lesson, you give me courage raise my hands. Thank you!"
"To Laura: Marry Christmas! I am very happy that I can make friends with you in the university. You look so beautiful and very mild. I hope smile with forever. I love you my teacher and best wish to you!"
"Dear Laura, Marry Christmas! I love you so much because you are so kind-hearted and you are my first oral English teacher and I can't say any bad words about you! May you a happy year!"
"Dear Laura, I am very glad you can be our teacher. I think you are a excellent woman because we learn very much from you. If you don't believe me, you can ask my classmates after class. I hope on Christmas you will have a good time in China. You know, Santa Claus will remind you wherever you be."
"Dear Miss Laura, I'm very glad that you are our oral English teacher. We are all happy in your class. Thanks for your devotion. The Christmas Day is on the corner, it likes our Spring Festival. Our family should get together for a meal, but you are in China, not America. But I hope you will have a different and wonderful holiday in China, too. Say 'Merry Christmas' ahead!"
And on and on they went. I think that I will indeed have a different and wonderful holiday in China. I guess it will be a great time to make new memories and traditions.
Anyway, I love all my students, and I'm thankful that He has helped me earn their love and respect. It is great to know that maybe I'm really having an impact on their lives.
Have a merry Wednesday!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Christmas in the Chinese classroom
Happy early Merry Christmas!
This week we've been talking about Christmas in class! And I think so far that this week has been the best yet of my teaching experience. I really put a lot of thought and effort into the two separate lessons about Christmas that I'm teaching, which I think helped make the lessons more successful so far. And above all, I know that there are a lot of people thinking about us in the classroom this week.
Christmas is a great opportunity for us to share truth a bit more openly than we can otherwise do here in China. I just am so thankful that my team and I get to be a part of it!
In my classes of freshmen, we have been talking about the true meaning of the holiday, and doing neat activities to learn about it. It amazes me that nearly all 190 of my students have never heard the story of Christmas. When I've shared about it, they see it through new, open eyes. We get to talk about the Son, Bethlehem, the star shining in the East, etc., and they are so excited. I think it has already opened some doors to be able to talk about Him, and more doors may open later because of this week.
Some other fun things happened in my classes during this lesson. I brought a miniature Christmas tree with lights that Mom had mailed me last week. They were fascinated by it and took pictures of it. I even passed it around so they could look at it more closely. I also passed around pictures of our decorated Christmas tree from home, which my sister happened to be standing by. They were much more interested in looking at Andrea than the tree. They thought she was so amazing. :)
My teammate Shannon has also come in a few times to play "Silent Night" on her guitar, because none of them have heard Christmas carols before. I was so excited because of their excitement. They were taking picture forever, and it looked like their eyes were going to fall out of their heads. You can tell I'm maybe a more confident person in China, because I was singing right alongside Shannon. I wrote the words on the board and they later sang with us, too. I don't think it's very often that "Silent Night" is sung in classrooms in communist China. My heart was so glad.
In other news, Jodi, Rachael, and I finally ventured to the China Post bank to get some money out. We brought our bank books, as well as Joelle's and Jonathan's, so we could withdraw money for them since they were busy. I think it's sort of funny that we can just go in and get out money from other people's accounts if we have their bank book. The only "security" feature is that we have to hand our bank books through the window, while remembering the last six numbers of the account. Rachael slid Joelle's bank book under the window, but couldn't remember Joelle's account number, so the lady wouldn't give her any money. Rachael just took the bank book back, and tried again about three minutes later after the rest of us had gone. This time she was successful in getting Joelle's money out for her.
Jodi rode her bike to the bank, so I rode the tiny bike back to our apartment, with Jodi on the back. We actually didn't crash into the side of a building and onto the pavement like last time! The bike is so rickety and old, and it's really difficult to ride with someone side-saddle on the back. It was hard not to scream, because we couldn't stop and we were zig-zagging all across campus. People were in shock as they saw the giant foreigner girl furiously peddling a bicycle twelve sizes too small for her.
Anyway, it's been a great week so far. I hope you're having a great week, also, and remembering the true reason for the season!
(About the pictures: Thanksgiving Day with my team; girl's night on Friday; at English corner with some of my students.)
Saturday, December 6, 2008
It's beginning to feel a little like Christmas
It is a beautifully sunny and extremely cold Saturday. The temperature has been steadily dropping the past few days.
Yesterday I taught, like usual, and worked on Christmas lesson plans for next week. After dinner, several Chinese students and several people on our team hung out in Joelle's room. Christmas music was playing and there were some little desserts. Joelle and several Chinese helped her put up a little artificial tree. Then when there was a power outage, like there is sort of frequently, we gathered around some candles in the dark.
Early this afternoon I ventured out by myself to the other side of town to go to Wal-mart. I got in and out of Wal-mart fine. There were a million super tacky Christmas decorations in Wal-mart. It was like what Christmas would like in a bizarre movie, I think. I kind of cringed. But there was Christmas music playing over the loudspeakers in English! Songs like "Silent Night" played. I was probably the only one in the whole store who could understand, and I enjoyed it. I don't think that song would be playing in China if they really knew what they were singing about--the birth of the Son!
I got on the city bus #231 for the 25 minute ride back to campus. We were immediately ensnared in the most incredible traffic jam you could possibly imagine. We were on a main two-way road, which intersected under a gigantic bridge with traffic coming from all the other directions. Nobody was paying attention to the signal lights, which could have eventually erased the jam. There wasn't even an accident. In the midst of the chaos was a bus and a car, which were entirely encircled. Everyone else was trying to go around them, but all the buses and cars and mopeds just got into a bigger and bigger knot.
I had a nice view of it from the spot where I stood. Our bus got into the thick of that knot in the center, also. Our bus driver was a girl who was maybe 20 years old. I felt bad for her, because she was trying to go around but the jam just got messier with each move. Everyone on the bus was passively watching to see how she'd maneuver the bus next, and her brow just furrowed more and more with each passing second.
So we sat for a while in a gridlock, with taxi drivers yelling, horns honking incessantly, and pedestrians stranded in the midst of it all. For some reason I didn't panic. To me, it looked impossible to get out of the mess that worsened by the minute, but I knew that everything in China will work itself out somehow. By some miracle, we eventually got around it, ever so slowly. I wanted to pat our bus driver on the back. By this point many of the passengers were asleep when I looked back at everyone.
After that, our bus got more crowded, but I had managed to get a seat. Then a teenage kid hobbled onto the bus with crutches. I was surprised when nobody moved to offer him a seat, like they did for middle aged plus people or pregnant women. I was tired from standing during the traffic jam, but something told me to get up for the kid, and it turned out to be the highlight of my day. He gratefully accepted the seat, and the dozen or so people surrounding us smiled so brightly at me. A few people looked down, like they were ashamed that the foreigner with the ridiculously heavy shopping bags had offered her seat before they did. Then people suddenly offered me their seats, but I said, "no, thanks" in Chinese. When people slid by me to get off the bus they just smiled. It was a very small, but pleasant experience. It's often the little thing in everyday living that speak to people the most, rather than huge, momentous events.
Anyway, that's been my day so far! I have to prepare for my Chinese tutoring now. Then tonight I'm going to a "girl's night" for Chinese sisters in Him. It should be great. Happy Saturday!
Yesterday I taught, like usual, and worked on Christmas lesson plans for next week. After dinner, several Chinese students and several people on our team hung out in Joelle's room. Christmas music was playing and there were some little desserts. Joelle and several Chinese helped her put up a little artificial tree. Then when there was a power outage, like there is sort of frequently, we gathered around some candles in the dark.
Early this afternoon I ventured out by myself to the other side of town to go to Wal-mart. I got in and out of Wal-mart fine. There were a million super tacky Christmas decorations in Wal-mart. It was like what Christmas would like in a bizarre movie, I think. I kind of cringed. But there was Christmas music playing over the loudspeakers in English! Songs like "Silent Night" played. I was probably the only one in the whole store who could understand, and I enjoyed it. I don't think that song would be playing in China if they really knew what they were singing about--the birth of the Son!
I got on the city bus #231 for the 25 minute ride back to campus. We were immediately ensnared in the most incredible traffic jam you could possibly imagine. We were on a main two-way road, which intersected under a gigantic bridge with traffic coming from all the other directions. Nobody was paying attention to the signal lights, which could have eventually erased the jam. There wasn't even an accident. In the midst of the chaos was a bus and a car, which were entirely encircled. Everyone else was trying to go around them, but all the buses and cars and mopeds just got into a bigger and bigger knot.
I had a nice view of it from the spot where I stood. Our bus got into the thick of that knot in the center, also. Our bus driver was a girl who was maybe 20 years old. I felt bad for her, because she was trying to go around but the jam just got messier with each move. Everyone on the bus was passively watching to see how she'd maneuver the bus next, and her brow just furrowed more and more with each passing second.
So we sat for a while in a gridlock, with taxi drivers yelling, horns honking incessantly, and pedestrians stranded in the midst of it all. For some reason I didn't panic. To me, it looked impossible to get out of the mess that worsened by the minute, but I knew that everything in China will work itself out somehow. By some miracle, we eventually got around it, ever so slowly. I wanted to pat our bus driver on the back. By this point many of the passengers were asleep when I looked back at everyone.
After that, our bus got more crowded, but I had managed to get a seat. Then a teenage kid hobbled onto the bus with crutches. I was surprised when nobody moved to offer him a seat, like they did for middle aged plus people or pregnant women. I was tired from standing during the traffic jam, but something told me to get up for the kid, and it turned out to be the highlight of my day. He gratefully accepted the seat, and the dozen or so people surrounding us smiled so brightly at me. A few people looked down, like they were ashamed that the foreigner with the ridiculously heavy shopping bags had offered her seat before they did. Then people suddenly offered me their seats, but I said, "no, thanks" in Chinese. When people slid by me to get off the bus they just smiled. It was a very small, but pleasant experience. It's often the little thing in everyday living that speak to people the most, rather than huge, momentous events.
Anyway, that's been my day so far! I have to prepare for my Chinese tutoring now. Then tonight I'm going to a "girl's night" for Chinese sisters in Him. It should be great. Happy Saturday!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Winter has arrived
Today was frigid for Nanchang! The wind is gusting at about a million miles an hour. The classrooms were even chillier and draftier than usual.
This morning I had a great class. My student I wrote about yesterday ended up getting 3rd in the speech competition! I was so proud of her.
In the office I worked on preparing my Christmas lessons for next week. I'm so excited for them, because I think they will be fun and interesting. We are going to sing some Christmas carols, I'll read them the story "Twas the Night Before Christmas," and I am allowed to talk about the true meaning of Christmas!
At noon I went out to lunch with my favorite student, the one I'm always talking about who is homesick. She is so precious. We ate at a crowded restaurant. When we first walked in, there was choking smoke from the kitchen that shrouded everyone in a hazy cloud. We requested to sit somewhere else, so they took us to the far back, where we could sit all by ourselves. I was very grateful not to be choking, but I was more grateful that I could talk to her without thousands of other Chinese around. It's hard to get any space in this country.
We ordered some good food, and we chatted for about an hour. She is the one who found out I was a believer. Because of this, she contacted a random aunt who happens to live in this city and who happens to go to Chinese fellowship. The aunt took her to fellowship and my student also got her very own copy of the Word, which is sometimes difficult to get in China. So we had some good conversations about that, although her English is somewhat limited.
Then we walked to class together, because I was teaching her class this afternoon. That class was also wonderful, and they are probably my favorite class to teach. In addition, it's my smallest class with about 37 students, so I feel that I can talk with them a lot more easily.
Afterwards, several of my students braved the cold, wind, and mist to go with me to English corner. They definitely all get "A"s for the semester! Now I never want to leave English corner because I love talking to my students about so many things we don't or can't talk about in the classroom.
I think I have won a very dear place in their hearts, and they have done the same thing in my heart!
This morning I had a great class. My student I wrote about yesterday ended up getting 3rd in the speech competition! I was so proud of her.
In the office I worked on preparing my Christmas lessons for next week. I'm so excited for them, because I think they will be fun and interesting. We are going to sing some Christmas carols, I'll read them the story "Twas the Night Before Christmas," and I am allowed to talk about the true meaning of Christmas!
At noon I went out to lunch with my favorite student, the one I'm always talking about who is homesick. She is so precious. We ate at a crowded restaurant. When we first walked in, there was choking smoke from the kitchen that shrouded everyone in a hazy cloud. We requested to sit somewhere else, so they took us to the far back, where we could sit all by ourselves. I was very grateful not to be choking, but I was more grateful that I could talk to her without thousands of other Chinese around. It's hard to get any space in this country.
We ordered some good food, and we chatted for about an hour. She is the one who found out I was a believer. Because of this, she contacted a random aunt who happens to live in this city and who happens to go to Chinese fellowship. The aunt took her to fellowship and my student also got her very own copy of the Word, which is sometimes difficult to get in China. So we had some good conversations about that, although her English is somewhat limited.
Then we walked to class together, because I was teaching her class this afternoon. That class was also wonderful, and they are probably my favorite class to teach. In addition, it's my smallest class with about 37 students, so I feel that I can talk with them a lot more easily.
Afterwards, several of my students braved the cold, wind, and mist to go with me to English corner. They definitely all get "A"s for the semester! Now I never want to leave English corner because I love talking to my students about so many things we don't or can't talk about in the classroom.
I think I have won a very dear place in their hearts, and they have done the same thing in my heart!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
So many packages!
Happy Wednesday everybody! I'm sitting at the desk in my room watching a few colored lights blink on my very miniature CHRISTMAS TREE! Today a package from Mom came for me, and one of the things she had so lovingly packed in there was a tiny tree with battery operated lights! I'm so content and happy.
So when it was time to go home from new campus at about 4:45 today, there were four packages piled into the van. We were all so excited and we were looking at them, reading the names: "Jodi, Laura, Laura, and.... Laura!" Three packages were for me! It was so wonderful. I had to conscript some of my teammates to help me carry them up all the stairs. I think I will award them with some chocolate that arrived in my packages!
At lunch time I walked to a restaurant with two of my students. My students always insist on paying for me, even when I obviously have more money and I'm the one that's supposed to be taking them out to lunch. We sit there and argue back and forth, but they usually win. I told them if they come to old campus, where I live, I'm definitely paying. They agreed.
One of the students I ate with has very good English for being a 17 year-old freshman. She is one of the 12 finalists in a speech competition that will be held tonight. The topic is as generic as it gets in China: "love." She wanted to practice it, so she stood up in the restaurant and recited this 2 minute-long speech, emphatically declaring what she believed love meant. I really don't remember what she said, but she had wonderful expressions and good pronunciation. And what better place to give a speech than in a little Chinese restaurant?
After lunch, I went with them to visit their dorms. They are much more spartan and cramped than American dorms, but they are still a lot nicer than other dorms I've seen (or lived in) in China. There were only 4 girls in this small room, instead of 6 or 8, and they all had their own desks. They didn't have any heat, much like most of Nanchang, and mosquito netting surrounded their beds.
In class today we practiced "introducing yourself in a business setting." We talked about eye contact, good posture, and firm handshakes. It was probably one of the best lessons ever! We did a lot of role playing. I also shook everybody's hands and had them practice with each other. Most of them had dead fish handshakes, or they would continue shaking each other's hands for about 2 minutes. My students bring me so much joy in such unexpected ways!
Overall, today was much better than yesterday. I have had to talk to the Father a lot lately, and I know I am loved unconditionally! Some days I get a little discouraged that I'm not a better teacher, friend, teammate, etc. But all I have to do is try my best, love others, let the Father love me, and to live a life that reflects the truth.
Now I'm off to a team meeting. I love you all!
So when it was time to go home from new campus at about 4:45 today, there were four packages piled into the van. We were all so excited and we were looking at them, reading the names: "Jodi, Laura, Laura, and.... Laura!" Three packages were for me! It was so wonderful. I had to conscript some of my teammates to help me carry them up all the stairs. I think I will award them with some chocolate that arrived in my packages!
At lunch time I walked to a restaurant with two of my students. My students always insist on paying for me, even when I obviously have more money and I'm the one that's supposed to be taking them out to lunch. We sit there and argue back and forth, but they usually win. I told them if they come to old campus, where I live, I'm definitely paying. They agreed.
One of the students I ate with has very good English for being a 17 year-old freshman. She is one of the 12 finalists in a speech competition that will be held tonight. The topic is as generic as it gets in China: "love." She wanted to practice it, so she stood up in the restaurant and recited this 2 minute-long speech, emphatically declaring what she believed love meant. I really don't remember what she said, but she had wonderful expressions and good pronunciation. And what better place to give a speech than in a little Chinese restaurant?
After lunch, I went with them to visit their dorms. They are much more spartan and cramped than American dorms, but they are still a lot nicer than other dorms I've seen (or lived in) in China. There were only 4 girls in this small room, instead of 6 or 8, and they all had their own desks. They didn't have any heat, much like most of Nanchang, and mosquito netting surrounded their beds.
In class today we practiced "introducing yourself in a business setting." We talked about eye contact, good posture, and firm handshakes. It was probably one of the best lessons ever! We did a lot of role playing. I also shook everybody's hands and had them practice with each other. Most of them had dead fish handshakes, or they would continue shaking each other's hands for about 2 minutes. My students bring me so much joy in such unexpected ways!
Overall, today was much better than yesterday. I have had to talk to the Father a lot lately, and I know I am loved unconditionally! Some days I get a little discouraged that I'm not a better teacher, friend, teammate, etc. But all I have to do is try my best, love others, let the Father love me, and to live a life that reflects the truth.
Now I'm off to a team meeting. I love you all!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Just a day in the life of a teacher
Where have the past few months gone? In just 2.5 weeks, we're supposed to be giving our finals! Our finals need to be finished by December 20th. However, we have to stay around until January 2nd, when we are participating in our university's extravagant performance.
The past week, with the exception of maybe Friday and Saturday, has been really difficult for me and I don't know why. Everything has been a constant struggle--interactions with my students, teammates, etc. And all of a sudden it truly feels like winter has set in and there's no escape. I don't think I would mind so much about winter, if there was heat in the buildings. Sitting in the freezing office yesterday morning almost made me cry, because I was just so cold and miserable. It would have helped if I had worn several more layers of clothes, but I'm still adjusting to this whole existence of living without heat. :)
Today I had two classes in a row and we talked about job interviews, which they all seemed interested in. Learning about that subject's very practical for them. I also brought some candy for my difficult class in an effort of trying to motivate them to speak more. It didn't seem to matter! I could have placed a million dollars on the podium up front and they wouldn't have spoken.
Between classes Jodi and I saw another Chinese English teacher who came to our Thanksgiving party. He was also waiting for his class to start, so he showed us the "teacher's lounge." I felt very hesitant to go into the lounge. All of the other teachers in there were about 43 years old and looked like real teachers in their suits and collared shirts. I'm just a 22-year old kid without much experience, yet they also call me a teacher. I never thought I'd ever sit in a teacher's lounge. But I did. We sat in these huge, velvety, light purple chairs, but it wasn't very relaxing.
In my next class, my wild class, Jodi came in for a few minutes. She's Chinese-American so people often think that she's from China. Jodi sat at the back of my class, looking like she was observing, sometimes like other random students do. I pretended I didn't know her. When my students were discussing in very halted English what they thought they'd be doing in 10 years, I had Jodi tell us her answer. She answered in her very fluent, American-accented English for a while. The whole class was abuzz with amazement. Then I told my students the real story. It was pretty fun.
And a photographer also came in with his fancy camera on a tripod to take pictures of me teaching, because they are taking pictures to commemorate the university's 15th anniversary. I'm sure a picture of me doing something very teacherly and American will appear in a brochure somewhere...
Now it's time to go to the supermarket. I also have to figure out how to withdraw money from the China Postal Savings bank. Have a great Tuesday!
The past week, with the exception of maybe Friday and Saturday, has been really difficult for me and I don't know why. Everything has been a constant struggle--interactions with my students, teammates, etc. And all of a sudden it truly feels like winter has set in and there's no escape. I don't think I would mind so much about winter, if there was heat in the buildings. Sitting in the freezing office yesterday morning almost made me cry, because I was just so cold and miserable. It would have helped if I had worn several more layers of clothes, but I'm still adjusting to this whole existence of living without heat. :)
Today I had two classes in a row and we talked about job interviews, which they all seemed interested in. Learning about that subject's very practical for them. I also brought some candy for my difficult class in an effort of trying to motivate them to speak more. It didn't seem to matter! I could have placed a million dollars on the podium up front and they wouldn't have spoken.
Between classes Jodi and I saw another Chinese English teacher who came to our Thanksgiving party. He was also waiting for his class to start, so he showed us the "teacher's lounge." I felt very hesitant to go into the lounge. All of the other teachers in there were about 43 years old and looked like real teachers in their suits and collared shirts. I'm just a 22-year old kid without much experience, yet they also call me a teacher. I never thought I'd ever sit in a teacher's lounge. But I did. We sat in these huge, velvety, light purple chairs, but it wasn't very relaxing.
In my next class, my wild class, Jodi came in for a few minutes. She's Chinese-American so people often think that she's from China. Jodi sat at the back of my class, looking like she was observing, sometimes like other random students do. I pretended I didn't know her. When my students were discussing in very halted English what they thought they'd be doing in 10 years, I had Jodi tell us her answer. She answered in her very fluent, American-accented English for a while. The whole class was abuzz with amazement. Then I told my students the real story. It was pretty fun.
And a photographer also came in with his fancy camera on a tripod to take pictures of me teaching, because they are taking pictures to commemorate the university's 15th anniversary. I'm sure a picture of me doing something very teacherly and American will appear in a brochure somewhere...
Now it's time to go to the supermarket. I also have to figure out how to withdraw money from the China Postal Savings bank. Have a great Tuesday!
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Thanksgiving(s)
It is early Sunday afternoon and this is the first time in a couple of days I've been able to sit down and write a blog entry. We've been celebrating Thanksgiving for a million days straight now. And it was so wonderful.
On Friday, we didn't have to teach. In our contract, our team gets one day off for Thanksgiving. According to the university, that day doesn't have to be on the actual Thanksgiving day, of course.
On Friday evening we all cooked numerous American dishes for a big Thanksgiving feast in Joelle's apartment. We invited the people from the Foreign Affairs Office, other Chinese English teachers, and the other foreign teachers from Japan and the Philippines.
It was one of the best meals ever. We all did really well cooking good food with very limited resources. It was about as traditional Thanksgiving could get, even though we didn't have turkey or meat. And our guests loved it! They were taking pictures the whole time, and they were enthralled by everything--even the little paper napkins from America that said "Happy Thanksgiving!" They took some home as souvenirs. It was just a very pleasant evening and we got to serve them in a special way.
Then on Saturday at noon, we went to another university in the city for our international fellowship's all-day Thanksgiving celebration. We gathered in the "Foreign Experts" building on campus for lunch and dinner. In between the amazing meals, for which we all brought food, we played Frisbee, football, cards, etc. There were about 60 people there. The countries represented were America, China, Mexico, Germany, Indonesia, the Philippines, India, Nigeria, West Africa, and South Korea. So we ate food from a lot of different places. There was also good conversation, and I even got to use my very rusty German.
So that is about all we've been doing this weekend--cooking, riding on the city buses, eating, and hanging out with cool people.
I hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving!
On Friday, we didn't have to teach. In our contract, our team gets one day off for Thanksgiving. According to the university, that day doesn't have to be on the actual Thanksgiving day, of course.
On Friday evening we all cooked numerous American dishes for a big Thanksgiving feast in Joelle's apartment. We invited the people from the Foreign Affairs Office, other Chinese English teachers, and the other foreign teachers from Japan and the Philippines.
It was one of the best meals ever. We all did really well cooking good food with very limited resources. It was about as traditional Thanksgiving could get, even though we didn't have turkey or meat. And our guests loved it! They were taking pictures the whole time, and they were enthralled by everything--even the little paper napkins from America that said "Happy Thanksgiving!" They took some home as souvenirs. It was just a very pleasant evening and we got to serve them in a special way.
Then on Saturday at noon, we went to another university in the city for our international fellowship's all-day Thanksgiving celebration. We gathered in the "Foreign Experts" building on campus for lunch and dinner. In between the amazing meals, for which we all brought food, we played Frisbee, football, cards, etc. There were about 60 people there. The countries represented were America, China, Mexico, Germany, Indonesia, the Philippines, India, Nigeria, West Africa, and South Korea. So we ate food from a lot of different places. There was also good conversation, and I even got to use my very rusty German.
So that is about all we've been doing this weekend--cooking, riding on the city buses, eating, and hanging out with cool people.
I hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving!
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