Friday, Dec. 26 was our last day of teaching for the fall 2008 semester. Even though we had to teach on Christmas day, we felt fortunate to be able to spend this special holiday with our Chinese students. We discussed the symbols of the holiday, the customs, and traditions. We found our students to be very curious about the American culture. We put lyrics of Christmas songs on PowerPoint for the students to sing along and they all enjoyed that. We even invited Santa to visit one of the classes. Sitting on Santa's lap was most amusing. These were 18 & 19 year-olds, and they were so excited to see Santa, but were embarrassed to sit on Santa's lap. Our Santa's helper was 75-year-old Brother Forbes. So, the students would come up to him to give him a big hug. Well, Shandong kids are big tall kids. Most of them almost knocked Santa down to the floor. Then, Santa would set them on his lap and give them a treat. It was really cool. I forgot to bring my pictures with me. But may show them later when we get back to Jinan from our trip.
We participated in many celebrations of Christmas and New Year's, even more so than we did in the States. Here are all of the events:
- Dec. 20: Jinan city Christmas and New Year's Gala with Dinner and Acrobatics Show
- Dec. 25: Shandong University Foreign Teachers' Christmas Party
- Dec. 25: Jinan LDS Group Christmas Party
- Dec. 27: Shandong University Symphony Orchastra Musical
- Dec. 31: Jinan LDS Group New Year's Eve Party
That was a lot of parties for us. It made away from home a little bit easier, but we can't help missing our family and friends.
http://hillmanwonders.com/china/chinese_phrases.htm#_map_china
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