Hanging out

Zoe and I put up our Christmas decorations on Black Friday. It was a wonderful afternoon! Though the tree is small, it lends its festive spirit to the air. Since putting up the tree, Zoe and I have spent all afternoons and evenings in the living room. I can't wait to put presents under this tree.


We also went to Tunxi and roamed around for 3 hours exploring cafes and shops. We took a bicycle rickshaw to a movie theater. It was only $1!


On November 19, we went and saw Harry Potter 7 Part 1. It was amazing. They had salted butter popcorn! In China, sweet popcorn (like kettle corn) is much more popular than salted popcorn. You can only find salted popcorn in import stores. HP7 was such a refreshing break from all of our work with the students. So we decided to see it twice. After all, it was only 30 kuai, which is roughly the equivalent of $4.50. Opening night. HP7. $4.50. That's all I need to say.

This weekend we have started our acting workshops. We will use these workshops to get acquainted with the students. The students who stand out are the ones who will get called back for final auditions. Will report soon!

Thanksgiving at Xiuzhong

This year, Zoe and I made Thanksgiving dinner for our Xiuzhong teacher friends. We made 10 different dishes: mashed potatoes, stuffing, spaghetti, risotto, quiche, apple pie, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, cornbread, and fudge.

Our guests included our Chinese tutors, our neighbors, and school administrators.



We also toasted, as is traditional in Chinese dinner banquets.




After the dinner, Zoe and I played with Rae-Rae for a while.



http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjI1MTkwNjY0.html

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sports Day 2010

Last week, our students had their annual Fall spectacular--in the form of a track and field meet. Students began with a display of their marching skills and uniformity.


Students at the beginning of Sports Day doing their morning exercise...


Rae-Rae walked around the crowds to look for oranges!


Mr. Wang, our school liaison, and I...


Rae-Rae drawing with her mother, Ms. Wu (吴老师).


Edward, our Aladdin actor from last year, is a surprisingly great athlete. See below. =)



These are my students right before they were led out for the boys' 400m race.


My students, doing the famous Chinese squat, before winning first place in the relay race. I was so proud!



We did the relay against the other male teachers again. Doug and Aaron kept up pretty well, but unfortunately, Zoe and I were just a few seconds behind! I will say though that it was a great feeling having over 1,000 students cheering your name to the finish line.


I still don't know how to embed youku videos, so here are the links to some of the races.

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjE4ODI3OTE2.html
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjE4ODI4MzE2.html

The fellows and I are off to Changsha for our annual Fall Conference. Back in one week!