Four Performances and a Television Debut!

Here is a relatively abridged and belated version of our Christmas week but it was fun and I am finally getting time to write so here it is!

During Christmas and New years the foreign teachers from No. 42 Middle School had 4 different performances. The first was at a holiday party put on by the city government for all foreigners working in Shijiazhuang. I never knew there were so many foreigners in this city! It was a lovely evening with a buffet dinner and many different performances including Beijing opera, kung fu, singing, dancing, and poetry! Jordan, Sam, Laura, Amanda, and I sang an a capella version of the 12 Days of Christmas complete with picture props we had drawn! The evening was a blast just spending time with my fellow foreign teachers and Chinese co-workers from the foreign affairs office.

The 42 Crew

Later that week our boss Mr. Dong wanted us to perform at another event on Christmas Eve. This was for a broadcasting company that was launching a brand new website. Our school is apparently friends with this company. So we agreed since we were promised dinner and the chance to win prizes! This time we were the only foreigners at the party. There ended up not being an dinner for us but they did have good snacks and wine. This was also the event where we were on television. Kinda cool! After the performance we left quickly because we were all starving. But by this time it was 10 o'clock and most restaurants were closed so we ended up eating KFC on Christmas Eve mmm! It was still fun though

All dressed up for the Christmas party!

A little culture lesson. On Christmas Eve in China you give your friends and teachers apples! This symbolizes safety and peace. It is a very neat tradition and fun to see all of the apples in pretty wrapping paper around town. Don't try buying apples on Christmas Eve though. The price increase is insane!

Christmas day we went to a nice brunch downtown with many friends and then spent the afternoon playing games and watching movies. We also had a mini gift exchange which was fun and made it feel a little more like Christmas. I went and visited some of my classes who were having Christmas parties and before we knew it Christmas day had come to an end! It was definitely different being here in China but still very memorable and neat to experience it in a different country.

During the week of New Years we had two more performances. The senior 1 and senior 2 grades put on a "Family Party" which is basically a show where a bunch of students perform to celebrate the new year. Laura who teaches senior 1's and I were asked by our students to perform at the show so we figured what the heck! and I dragged Jessica along to perform with us We sang a wonderful rendition of "I Just Can't Wait To Be King" from the Lion King and the we had the whole auditorium sing Jingle Bells with us since everyone here seems to know that song. It was very fun and so neat to see my students perform. I have some very talented musicians and dancers in my classes!

On New Years Eve day every class got to have a party after lunch and before going home for the holiday. Unfortunately in the hour and a half time span I could not make it to all 16 of my classes but I did make it to some and it was so much fun watching my students perform for each other and play games. I walked into class 2 just as they were playing musical chairs and of course I got pulled into the game. It ended up being me vs. their head teacher at the end of the round and I pulled through for a win! Later I ended up sing Country Road with him. An American country song I had never heard until coming here! I also sang Mama Mia and High School Musical with some students in other classes. They don't care how well or poorly you sing, they just love to have everyone get up and perform!

Our final performance came on New Years Eve. The school had a staff party that afternoon before everyone went home for the New Years Holiday. The Chinese love their performances because this "party" was once again everyone performing in some way for everyone else. This time Mr. Dong wanted us to do a dance so we agreed to do an easy one, the Cha Cha Slide. We figured that would be painless since we could listen to the words and snaz it up a bit as we go. Unfortunately, when it came our turn, our song did not play clearly and we could not understand the words so we looked completely unprepared and crazy, oops! Oh well, it is done and over with now!

The holiday festivities were complete in Shijiazhuang and Jessica and I were headed off to Qingdao with another friend of ours also named Jessica and who also teaches English in Hangzhou, China!