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Published: January 2nd 2010
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It has really been a slowing down time towards the end of the semester since our last entry.
We had our Chinese lesson as usual and our teacher's mother vey kindly invited to have lunch. So we enjoyed a couple of bowls of the local noodles - homemade! Later in the week we , our national volunteers and some other Chinese teachers visited a local middle school to offer further help, advice and guidance to help the Maths teachers improve their students' learning. As is usually the case, we were treated to a banquet lunch and returned for the afternoon stint FTB!.
Christmas has simply not been the same here in Xifeng, for two reasons mainly. One, the Chinese don't celebrate it (they use the lunar calendar and have their main celebration during February) things pretty much continue as normal, and two, we have had a disrupted electricity supply - just what you need when you're planning a Boxing Day party for 35 guests! but more about that later.
On Christmas Eve, Kiko, one of our national volunteers, was asked to do a spot of interpreting for a Rabbi from Israel who was visiting a dried fruit factory
in the town to check their methods and products were kosher. She asked if I would accompany her to offer some moral support. I had nothing better to do so I went along. We were picked up in a flash, black saloon (if you're anyone in Xifeng, you drive a flash, black saloon) and drove to the airport to collect our guest. Once collected we headed for the said factory and wandered around quite a deserted warehouse and production area (output was idling due to the financial climate), sampling dried apple and raisons. I discovered, as well as the exact route of the steam extraction and drying times for apples that rabbi Liebovich was mad keen on ELO. So after discussing the finer points of Roll Over Beethoven we retired to the company office for the paperwork bit. We were also given some free samples! Eventually the checks were over and we delivered our new-found symphonic rock fan to his next appointment before tootling home. It has to be said that whilst I was swanning around, Sabine was hard at work doing Xmas lessons with students at her school. She did, however, come home with lots of sweets and fruit
that the children had given her and some "peace apples". They are apples which are gift wrapped and then given to a friend. The students were quite surprised to hear that despite what they thought, this is not a British tradition but rather a "Chinglish" tradition.
We are not the only foreigners in town and on Christmas Eve we were invited to a party by some American volunteers. The treat of the evening was the salmon, brocoli and mash! We thought all fish here was of the rubbery, bony, river variety. We now know where to buy fresh salmon in Xifeng.
Christmas Day morning we spoke to our folks via Skype then most of the rest of the day was spent preparing food and the flat itself for our party the next day as we knew we would have no electricity the next day from 7-7pm. Sorry, forgot! Sabine was at work again, training her primary school teachers. The next day came, the lekky went off at 7am. At 7pm the hungry guests arrived but the electricty did not!. So we had what our guests are now describing as a 'blackout' party. All we could do was offer
cold snacks and drinks (not even our specially prepared mulled wine). Eventually we got power at 11pm. The remaining guests were treated to spicy casserole and apple crumble - better late than never...
Later in the week I visited a school I'll work more closely with next semester. This was just a chance to interact with the students and see the school before work starts proper in March. The kids were great and always give you a warm welcome. They are incredibly pleased to meet English people - many have never seen anyone other than their countyfolk before. So we played some games and practised English with three classes before a noodle lunch at a very good local restaurant.
New Year's Eve was interesting. We got a phone call telling us that a group of colleagues were going out for the evening. Could we be ready in five minutes? This is often how our phone calls go! We were just about to eat but said that we would meet them later. The evening was spent doing KTV, aka karaoke, a very popular Chinese pastime. The place we went to had only been open a few weeks and it
really was quite posh. So we sang our way into the new year. So much so in fact that we missed the 12 o'clock chime. This is what happens when you are singing Robbie William's "Feel". You and your audience get blown away!!
The last couple of days has been finishing reports and packing our bags in preparation for our trip back to the UK. I'm really looking forward to a chip butty and a decent Dansak!
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