I haven't been good about posting, which is largely because I have been busy. I have been to three christmas parties at two of the school that I work at. I will post some pictures below of the parties.
Christmas is really wierd here. The Chinese have adopted all of the secular, folk aspects of christmas, but do not really have a grasp on what Christmas is about. One chinese teacher I met thought that Jesus was born in the USA. I have done my part as a patriotic citizen to try my best to build bridges by explaining what Christmas is all about.
Explaining the nativity is actually more difficult than it sounds. Words like Nativity, Adoration, Shepherd, Magi, Manger, etc. have poor translations in Chinese.
Last Friday I went to school at 11:00 AM and basically played around on the computer all day while the Chinese teacher got ready for a christmas party. The party was from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM, and for some reason my presence was requested at 11:00 AM.
At one point, a teacher started playing a very grating to my ears version of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas". They played on a loop, so it played over and over. Much of the day involved me staying out of listening distance from this song.
The party involved one teacher dressed in what looked like a white wedding gown directing the students in a variety of games. This "Christmas Princess" had about a half dozen other Chinese teachers dressed in fancy gowns who were the "Christmas Maidens". They all looked very cute.
I was supposed to be Santa, but the costume didn't fit me very well. Instead, I dressed like a toy soldier in a faux military jacket with epaulets and gold piping. I felt like I looked like a bell hop at an upscale hotel.
One of the teachers had some jello shots of vodka. They were in small vials and I am pretty sure several teachers has some. When I asked if it was a good idea, I was told "you can't smell the alcohol." People of my heart.
On Monday of this week, I went to a two hour "Christmas Party" which was basically a school assembly that featured dancing, singing and small skits. It was done entirely in English, except for one christmas song in Japanese performed by students in cos play attire. Two of the singers wielded swords while another was in knee socks, a mini skirt and a giant blue haired wig. The japanese cosplay and references to anime really put me in the christmas spirit.
Two of the songs sung also got me in the Christmas spirit. Avril Lavigne's song "Girlfriend" was the unedited song and included such profane words as "mother fucker". This song was for a dance number. There was also a rather funny use of Ke$ha"s song that has the line "brushed my teeth with a bottle of jack, cuz when I'm gone for the night there ain't no coming back." These two songs really were appropriate for a school assembly about Christmas.
The kids really do speak english very well. The MC's sounded like announcers for a Chinese game show. They had great intonation.
There was alot of dancing. My students did great. The assembly was held outside in the parking lot in front of the administrative building. My feet got very cold.
These pictures are from the Christmas party I went to on Friday and Saturday. Four hours of party time.
Gold and Silver tinsel trees.
Jello shots anyone?
Santa on his red rider sleigh. The reindeer looks like a pit bull with a bad attitude. Note the polar bear floating in space above Santa.
Crazy christmas games. This one involved dueling with inflatable mallets.
Merry Merry!
A christmas maiden greets a guest.
Christmas is really wierd here. The Chinese have adopted all of the secular, folk aspects of christmas, but do not really have a grasp on what Christmas is about. One chinese teacher I met thought that Jesus was born in the USA. I have done my part as a patriotic citizen to try my best to build bridges by explaining what Christmas is all about.
Explaining the nativity is actually more difficult than it sounds. Words like Nativity, Adoration, Shepherd, Magi, Manger, etc. have poor translations in Chinese.
Last Friday I went to school at 11:00 AM and basically played around on the computer all day while the Chinese teacher got ready for a christmas party. The party was from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM, and for some reason my presence was requested at 11:00 AM.
At one point, a teacher started playing a very grating to my ears version of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas". They played on a loop, so it played over and over. Much of the day involved me staying out of listening distance from this song.
The party involved one teacher dressed in what looked like a white wedding gown directing the students in a variety of games. This "Christmas Princess" had about a half dozen other Chinese teachers dressed in fancy gowns who were the "Christmas Maidens". They all looked very cute.
I was supposed to be Santa, but the costume didn't fit me very well. Instead, I dressed like a toy soldier in a faux military jacket with epaulets and gold piping. I felt like I looked like a bell hop at an upscale hotel.
One of the teachers had some jello shots of vodka. They were in small vials and I am pretty sure several teachers has some. When I asked if it was a good idea, I was told "you can't smell the alcohol." People of my heart.
On Monday of this week, I went to a two hour "Christmas Party" which was basically a school assembly that featured dancing, singing and small skits. It was done entirely in English, except for one christmas song in Japanese performed by students in cos play attire. Two of the singers wielded swords while another was in knee socks, a mini skirt and a giant blue haired wig. The japanese cosplay and references to anime really put me in the christmas spirit.
Two of the songs sung also got me in the Christmas spirit. Avril Lavigne's song "Girlfriend" was the unedited song and included such profane words as "mother fucker". This song was for a dance number. There was also a rather funny use of Ke$ha"s song that has the line "brushed my teeth with a bottle of jack, cuz when I'm gone for the night there ain't no coming back." These two songs really were appropriate for a school assembly about Christmas.
The kids really do speak english very well. The MC's sounded like announcers for a Chinese game show. They had great intonation.
There was alot of dancing. My students did great. The assembly was held outside in the parking lot in front of the administrative building. My feet got very cold.
These pictures are from the Christmas party I went to on Friday and Saturday. Four hours of party time.
Gold and Silver tinsel trees.
Jello shots anyone?
Santa on his red rider sleigh. The reindeer looks like a pit bull with a bad attitude. Note the polar bear floating in space above Santa.
Crazy christmas games. This one involved dueling with inflatable mallets.
A christmas maiden greets a guest.
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