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Published: December 29th 2008
Christmas Eve
Wednesday night I had the CTLC Xmas party with all my American friends, a few Brits, and one Irish guy, and some of our contact teachers. It was just crazy.
The party started out dull, and I was bored, but by the end of the night, I couldn't stop laughing.
We were all told to arrive around 4, and we did, and then we stared at each other counting the minutes until dinner and playing with our Santa slap bracelets. Yes, slap bracelets. Those things that were so cool when I was 12. And these actually had sections of metal rulers inside of them!
Some people were really dressed up (our Fearless Leader was wearing a suit, as were a few other guys, and some women wore fancy dresses and heels) while others went totally casual in jeans, tshirts, and Nikes. I took the middle route, opting for a sweater, loafters, and jeans. I wanted to be comfortable but was well aware I would be in many photos and wanted to look nice.
Finally we were ushered into the dining hall. Where we proceeded to pick our seats and then ditch them, carrying our glasses and
Caligraphy
The student painted this while a girl played the violin.bottles of wine and toast and talk to each other for the next hour. Why hadn't someone thought of this while we were staring at each other in the lobby for 2 hours? We took so long that the staff starting covering the food with plastic wrap to keep it warm!
We ate, and it was nothing spectacular. I feel bad saying that, since I know the bureau paid a lot for us all to eat a fancy meal, have entertainment, and stay over night at the resort, but really, the food wasn't good.
In the midst of waiting for food to arrive, one guy at my table took a wine cork and Caitlin's pocket knife and made a dreidel. It worked and we were happy.
For entertainment they provided us with a violinist who couldn't have been more than 10 years old. And she was GOOD. While she performed another student drew calligraphy. I think he was about 14. Then some of my fellow teachers performed for us as well. We had 2 guitarists (one rock, one more Xmasy) a keyboardist, a trumpet player, a
beatboxer, 2 more vocalists, a bad comic, and a santa with his
Dreidel
This was carved out of a wine cork with someone's pocket knife. And yes, it actually spins. helpers.
By then we had all started to trickle out. I think I was one of the last ones left in the room. Some people went to play games, so had parties in their rooms. I went to one of the rooms, saw how crowded it was, and went back to the lobby. People were playing Uno, Asshole, and later, drunken Truth or Dare (remember, these are the good kids...). My friends are crazy!
After a while, we were hungry. Since we didn't eat much at dinner, this should not be surprising. We ditched the party and went out for street food. There were 10 of us, all crammed into a van cab. After a 15 mn drive, we all piled out into the cool night. The way people were looking at us, you'd have thought we were getting out of a really small car wearing really big shoes and red noses...
Like all street food places, you pick your food out, they cook it, and they bring it over to you. Beer is 5 kuai for 600mL. I got 2 oysters on the half shell, mushrooms, spicy tofu, and 2 chicken skewers for 12 kuai. I
was thrifty and had brought my beer from the hotel that I had purchased earlier in the day for under 4 kuai. Remember, this is not a country with an open-container law! Others got spicy sausages, different mushrooms, beef, pork, and a heavenly eggplant that I was fortunate enough to get to try. It melted in my mouth.
One friend was a little drunk and kept saying, "Ni hau!" to everyone who passed us and wishing them a merry xmas. After a while, a random Chinese guy gave her a gift bag that had a Santa hat, a mask, and two noisemakers. So we ate and then she blew noisemakers at the passersby.
After half an hour of that, Bart grabbed one of the noisemakers and threw it across the alley where we were sitting. We all thought it was funny and Happy Friend was not deterred. But she was less noisy.
Later, she decided to make new friends and we followed. We joined a group of 10 Chinese people. We were challenged to a drinking game by one of the guys. I managed to stay out of it since I was handling the camera. After two dixie-cup
One Secret Santa gift
Yep, it says "Dushe." shots of beer, the challenger then bought baijou (ugh! it's like Greywolf vodka only worse) and gave her a full dixie-cup's worth. She drank it and he decided they should have another. I think he thought he would win this--she is a girl after all.
She drank it, no problem, blew her noisemaker, cheered, and he ran off to puke or spray it out his nose. We are not really sure what happened. His girlfriend went after him and was not pleased. But we thought it was hilarious. I think some of the Chinese did as well.
Then we decided it would be a good time to leave.
When we got to the hotel, all she could say was "I win Christmas!" Yes, sweetie, yes, you do. It was hysterical.
Getting her to bed and prying the noisemakers away from her was a bit of a challenge, but such is life. We did it. And we managed to not wake up her roommate, who would have not been pleased, since it was after 2am.
While this is not one of the warmest (emotionally, temp wise it was pretty nice!) Christmases, it was certainly one of my most
Another Secret Santa gift
The bottle says "Viagra." memorable. I had fun, felt loved, and just got to relax. And I cannot complain about that.
Christmas Day
We got up, checked out, Happy Friend still all smiles. Don't ask me how.
I snuck back to my school. I had the day off and didn't want to be seen. I had plans with Kevin in the afternoon to head to Shekou. Shekou is where many of the foreigners live and has tons of decorations. I wanted to feel festive.
I took a typical Chinese "rest" and then headed down. Kevin had one of his piano students with him. The kid is 5, Canadian and Chinese, fluent in both English and Chinese, and just brilliant and creative and funny. How many 5 year olds do you know that can read and spell? He's one of the first little kids I've never felt awkward around and actually look forward to seeing.
They produced a book for me as a gift. Kevin had shown it to me the other week at Book City. It's all about Chinese Folklore, and is in both languages. I didn't buy it then, in an effort to save money, and he said
We played games
Here, China Monopoly. Later, Uno, Asshole, Truth or Dare he would loan me his copy. And VIOLA, he bought me one. Combine that with the card the 5 yr old made me the other week, and these 2 have given me the most presents this year!
So we had coffee (ok, the child had juice), chatted, people watched, and I just enjoyed being outside in a tshirt on Christmas admiring the general splendor.
After a few hours, we went to the 5 year old's home and ate dinner with his grandma. A very nice woman who seemed pleased I could tell her the meal was tasty in Chinese.
Kevin and I left around 7:30 and he went to teach a piano lesson and I to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas, a tradition for me. We had decided that we would go to a movie around 9. I had nothing else to do until my parents called and my room was cold that day.
We saw the movie titled "Ye Wen" about Bruce Lee's KunFu master. True story. Amazing film. Even more amazing kung fu. This puts every other movie I've seen to shame. I think I need to expand my kung fu movie horizons. It was
interesting to see the audience get excited when the really horrid Japanese officer (I don't think the Japanese even liked him in the film) get killed at the end. We all cheered and clapped. Even me. These are a passionate bunch of people!
Got home around 12:10 (the movie theater is right across the street from my home) and had a nice chat with the parents. It was good to talk to them and hear more about their upcoming trip to China and tell them more about my future travel plans. Where am I going you ask? Wait and find out!
The Day After
The final Christmas item would be getting a package from a friend I didn't know was going to send me anything. She sent me flavored coco, holiday pasta, Nutella, candy... it was such a wonderful surprise. Even better than the card arriving from my friend in Finland--her printer was broken, so she copied the address photo I had sent her (she has never studied Chinese). I didnt' think it would get here, but it did!
Sufficed to say, I am now exhausted. I had to teach Friday am (after 2 late nights with
little sleep) and then I had Chinese class, too. But I am gearing up for New Years. Which will not be spent in Hong Kong, since I am currently passportless, awaiting a travel visa. But I'm not telling where to yet!
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