Yuletide Celebrations Part III

First Christmas Together

With the two bigger parties out of the way, the foreigners were able to sit back, relax, and enjoy Christmas (even if it was only briefly without days off work... boo....). Don't get me wrong! I LOVE throwing parties--especially Christmas parties (if you knew me in high school, you might recall the annual Christmas party each year... Good times...). But I also enjoy a more intimate and quiet celebration the closer we get to the actual day of Christmas. That being said, I adored the two big parties--the Christmas for Kids in Fuyang and the party for our students--they were just what I needed to get me into the holiday mood. 

A nice small group of some of the foreign teachers and some of our close Chinese friends came together for a small party on Christmas Eve. Most of us were either off work or managed to move our classes around in order to make time to be with each other that night. I think it was a huge help for me to be able to spend at least a little time with other foreigners. Last year, Christmas Eve went completely unnoticed by me and Rachel (kind of hard to celebrate on a 16 hour train ride from Beijing). Even though I am still far from home and my family and the traditions that I have grown up with, it was nice to return to a normal(ish) Christmas Eve. We were able to talk, hangout, drink some nice wine (hard to come by over here... the struggle is real), and sing some Christmas carols! Of course, my favorite part of the night was getting to sing "Stille Nacht" (yes... AUF DEUTSCH!!) by candlelight... I don't know why, but it always gets me in the Christmas mood.

After the party, Adam and I decided that it was time to return to Cangqian. Deciding it was too cold to walk into town for our beloved street food (my months in Florida have made my blood thin and me weak), we ventured into the school store (past the Santa Claus buying beer), and bought some goodies (chips, cookies, drinks). 

Following the Limpert family tradition, we decided to exchange our gifts that night. Our sneaky days of ditching each other to go down town definitely paid off. Christmas Eve was a hit. My presents were beautifully wrapped... Sorry, the presents I GAVE were beautifully wrapped (I didn't want you to be confused by that). The presents that I got were creatively wrapped.

 

Death was on my mind... until I found out he had bought me yarn...

After ripping through the gifts, destroying my room, and chowing down on Christmas cookies (thanks mom!!), I think it was safe to say that it was a successful Christmas Eve.

Christmas Day was almost a carbon copy of my Christmas celebration last year (sans KTV... sadness). After sleeping in, I called home via Skype to introduce my man to my family (the whole family) for the first time. I kept reassuring him that my family isn't bad and they're not crazy. Well... THIS is what greeted us on the computer.

This is why I can't have nice things.

Now I don't know how to convince him that my family does not belong in the looney bin! I guess I shouldn't have expected anything less... It just reminded me of how much I freaking love my family... Goofballs that they are... ♥

We decided to travel downtown for our Christmas day. Originally we were going to just walk around West Lake, since the first time we went there, it was nighttime and, therefore, we couldn't see anything. However, being in China, it was nice and hazy and at noon we still couldn't see anything so we decided to stay on the K25 and head on down to one of my favorite places in Hangzhou--Hefang Street!!

It felt so funny to be right back where I had been exactly one year ago. Seeing the men flying kites, the paper cut out lady, the pagoda, and the fat Buddha was so great! It was Adam's first time at Hefang Street, so we just wandered around, journeyed down some side allies, got lost, shopped, and even dared to try the dragon's beard candy again (and yes, dear family, it was as delicious as I remembered it).

We spent hours walking around Hefang Street (and hours riding the buses). After a small Christmas miracle that got us on the return bus first (yay seats!), we journeyed back towards Cangqian. We stopped for a delicious dinner at Papa John's (don't you dare judge... pizza is like lobster and filet mignon out here) and returned back to Cangqian tired, full, and happy. 

We decided to be brave and experimented with making hot spiced wine (Adam had some cinnamon and spices left over from his Thanksgiving spiced cider). This is the result:

We'll work on it.

All in all, I think it was a wonderful Christmas day. Lack of snow and time off of work/school does seem to take away from the holiday spirit that you try so desperately to feel. But honestly, I am willing to sacrifice a "normal" Christmas for the chance to be on such an adventure in China, knowing in a few years, I will probably be returning to normalcy. 

Even if that wasn't the case, I would still be perfectly happy with my Christmas celebration. I have been able to get the best of both worlds--big parties with lots of people and small, quiet parties with just a handful of friends.  

And even if I didn't get to have those wonderful experiences, I know that I would still get to celebrate the holiday with someone who has come to mean so much to me. Hopefully this is the first of many Christmas celebrations with Adam (if my crazy family didn't scare him away). I cannot wait to look back at yesterday and know that this was our first Christmas together. I cannot wait to start our own Christmas traditions. I cannot wait to celebrate Christmas with actual snow outside and not a pollution-y haze that we pretend to be snow. 

I hope everyone had a wonderful, warm, blessed Christmas with your family and friends. I hope you got everything that you asked for. I hope you told the people around you that you love them. I hope you are happy. I hope you are healthy. I hope 2013 treated you well and that 2014 treats you even better.

Merry Christmas!!

Until Next Time,

Amanda

PS: Tomorrow (12/27) marks one year since I technically met Adam for the first time sitting on the bus to Xiasha campus... If I believed in coincidences, I would point it out... Either way, I think it's too cool.

Yuletide Celebrations Part II

Party for the Students

Just one week after our Christmas For Kids in Fuyang, we gathered up our frosting, Christmas carols, hot chocolate, and Santa hats for yet another party... but one on a much bigger scale. This was a party that we were throwing for all of our students.

This is one thing that I love so much about living and working in a different country, a country so different from America and the holidays, traditions, and culture that I know to be the norm. We get to take our favorite parts of holidays like Halloween and Christmas and showcase them to our students. Things like Santa Claus, paper cut out snow flakes, decorating Christmas cookies, and Christmas trees. I may not get to be home for Christmas this year, but I have been able to focus on the very best things that the holiday has to offer and see people experience it for the first time--the magic of the holiday finding new life in the eyes of my students.

Like I said, this party was on a much grander scale than our gathering in Fuyang. We were split into different groups/stations with storytelling, cookie decorating, singing, games, and hot chocolate and popcorn. 

I was drafted into the "warm feelings" station along with Adam (the two people least capable of small talk, mind you). There we passed out milk tea and hot chocolate (the warm part of the warm feelings) and we were also the photo booth. 

PS: Our color coordination was completely unplanned

It was so much fun! The students loved posing with Santa hats and beards and the presents that we had wrapped. Hannah painted a beautiful mural for them to pose in front of. It was great talking with the students, taking pictures of them and (of course) with them. I found myself posing and laughing with people I had never met before in my life!

I have no idea who any of these people are.

I didn't invite too many of my students. It was a long trip from the campus to the party location so I only sent out a handful of invites to the students that I was closest with. I was so excited when four of them showed up! Felicity, Gloria, Catherine, and Leila all ventured out into the cold night air, journeyed along buses for probably well over an hour to get to the party. It was so much fun getting to chat with them outside of class and see them playing silly games and decorating cookies. I also got two gifts--a DVD from Catherine and a notebook from Gloria.

 

Catherine, Gloria, and Leila

Felicity!

I know that so much planning and work went into this party and I think it is safe to say that it was a huge success! The students loved interacting with the foreign teachers, people were practicing their English, traditions were exchanged, and I think that everyone got into the holiday spirit.

Today is Christmas Eve and it has been so much fun being swept up in the festivities with Adam and my little makeshift family over here in China. I have one more class before my mini Christmas break begins. I have received two Christmas Eve apples (Chinese tradition... apparently, the Chinese word for "Christmas Eve" is similar to the Chinese word for "apple" so they give each other apples on Christmas Eve) and there is a small Christmas party downtown tonight to kick off Christmas. Though I am not home, I am definitely making up for it with my social agenda (two Christmas parties down, three to go plus Christmas day, itself)!

This is probably my last time writing before Christmas so I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. This is the time of year when I usually get a little melancholy, thinking of my grandparents and being away from home certainly doesn't help--family and friends is what Christmas is all about (at least for me) and so many of them are so far away from me right now. Luckily, I have been blessed with such wonderful people in my life that take away the homesickness that I might be feeling and they replace it with pure joy and happiness.

So from my little apartment way out here in Cangqian, China to your nice (warm) home back in the States...

Merry Christmas!!

圣诞快乐!!

Until Next Time,

Amanda 

Yuletide Celebrations Part I

FUYANG

One of my favorite things to do way back in my high school days was Christmas for Kids. To me, it was an excellent way to get in the spirit of Christmas and it helps to remind you of everything that you have that others might not. I've worked as an elf, a singer, and a face painter extraordinaire. When I was younger, I was my father's daughter and took after his Scrooge-like ways and events like Christmas for Kids always helped to give me a nice little kick in the butt and set my priorities straight; don't worry--I've become a softy in my old age and thoroughly enjoy the holidays now.

This year I was a bit nervous about missing the holiday spirit. Christmas is not a big part of Chinese society or culture and so it is just kind of an extra little thing younger people tend to celebrate with their friends or significant others. I had no snow, no Christmas tree, and I was just about as far from home as I could possibly be--all the things that Christmas means to me! I was definitely expecting Christmas to come and go without too much holiday cheer... But it looks like I was proven wrong (yay!).

On Friday (those of you who saw my Facebook status, already know), I ventured all the way across the city (but no...seriously, it was like a four hour journey there and back again...... Uff da! <--my BF's culture is rubbing off on me) to finally get my gosh darn Christmas tree. By this time, my family Christmas tree has been up for weeks and I was less than two weeks away from Christmas. After three different buses, I got to the mecca of grocery stores in Hangzhou (imported goods galore), picked out a tree, ornaments, stockings, lights, and garland (go big or go home, am I right?!), packed my backup up and carried my 6 ft. tall Christmas tree back three more bus rides out to Cangqian. I was able to assemble it and with the help from my very own Bumble (he put the star on top), I finally got my decorated Christmas tree!!

{Being the total loser that I am, I also hung the stockings in front of my TV and am now constantly playing the yule log video... now if only it actually heated up the room!}

I think finally getting the tree up (and Phil and Chanel's gift AND my first Christmas apple from a student under the tree) was the start of my Christmas season. 

Myself and many of the wonderful folks I have met from FoC (my Adam, the Other Adam, Nathan, Nate, [lots of doubles in the group I've come to realize] Steve, Hannah S., and Karin) decided that it would be a great idea to catch the 7:30am bus to the village of Fuyang about an hour from Hangzhou on Saturday, December 14th. Not so great an idea when you have to wake up at 6am, catch a cab, pile into said cab, and sit on a cold, crowded bus when the sun is barely up in the sky (remember: SATURDAY). But you know what? It was a good idea.

Getting out of the city is always so nice. After awhile, the crowds, the pollution, the beeping cars, everything about downtown Hangzhou can drive you a little bonkers so it is always nice to get a change of scene and be reminded that not everywhere in China is like the bustling, crazy streets that you walk along every day. Watching the mountains and fields zoom by as we drove down first a highway, then a road, and then a dirt country lane was so sobering and made me wonder what kind of experience I might have had if I had been a teacher out in the country and not in a city (but then I remember, no night life and I get over it). 

We arrived in the village just outside of Fuyang and were greeted by overly enthusiastic kids from maybe six years old to 13 or 14. At first I was a bit nervous--I hadn't been in a situation such as this since I was in Costa Rica with the Res Life missions trip when I was 15... so it had been some time! 

Karin was definitely the woman in charge--she was a lady with a plan and a mission and we were simply the ones to help make it happen! We sang some Christmas carols, taught the kids "Silent Night" (one of my favorites!!), and read them a Christmas story. It was at this time that a little girl came over and sat down next to me with no fear. She introduced herself--her name was Emmy and she was nine years old; she liked singing and playing the piano and she just loves Christmas. I loved being able to sit down on the benches just surrounded by these little kids. We were barely able to speak to each other, other than the generic "What's your name?" and "How old are you?" but that did not matter in the least. A smile, a goofy face, a high-five, a nudge seemed to go such a long way. 

After the musical festivities, it was time for arts and crafts. While Hannah and Karin got the kids to sit down and cut out paper snowflakes, the Adams and I attempted to make frosting. I don't pretend to be a chef but I do love baking and I'm half decent when it comes to mixing water with powdered sugar. The Other Adam on the other hand... eh... not so much (it's okay--I can say this... I doubt he reads this anyway... I actually don't even know if he can read). After a bit of a struggle and an inability to mix the right amount of water with sugar, we finally had five batches of frosting mixed up--red, yellow, blue, green, and white. 

The kids LOVED it!! I definitely enjoyed watching them get more and more creative as time went on adding colors and other ingredients (you knew you were working with Chinese kids when the sesame seeds were thrown on top of the cookies). The girls enjoyed decorating the hearts with delicate care and precision and the boys battled to see just how many ingredients they could incorporate into their cookie and just how high they could stack the frosting.

Of course, I won't openly admit that one of the best parts of the day was the chance to eat all of the leftover cookies and frosting (I might have had four... Might have... I'm not saying I did but... I did).

It was so much fun to be able to travel within the foreign country that I am living in and spend a day spreading Christmas cheer (and the best way to do that is by singing loud for all to hear, don't'cha know <--there goes that Midwestern vernacular again...). Things as old and familiar as paper snowflakes or Santa hats or Christmas cookies suddenly becoming these strange, new, and interesting things from a different culture was so surreal--it's everything that I have known since my childhood but to the kids I was with, it was all new and exciting (especially being brought to them by a bunch of Americans). I think it is always good to look at your culture and your traditions from the eyes of an outsider--it makes you question what you do and think deeper on it and makes you appreciate it so much more (I will never take my mom's Christmas cookies for granted again).

As I sit in the glow of my Christmas tree and the yule log on my TV, I can't help but feel in a Christmas mood (though that might have something to do with the SNOW that fell yesterday!!). Last week I taught my students all about Christmas, Adam and I have marathoned through all of our favorite childhood Christmas movies over the last few days, and I have (at least) three more Christmas parties to get ready for... not to mention Christmas shopping for a certain someone (::cough::NOTYOUADAM::cough::).

I guess, no matter where you are in the world (literally), you can't escape the good feelings that Christmas brings. No, I won't be at home with my family but I wasn't home for Christmas last year either (this is my second Chinese Christmas)... that doesn't take a bit of the melancholy feeling away but I have been blessed with so many wonderful people and friends in my life, this will surely be a Christmas to remember! It will be different but that doesn't make it bad in any way. 

So as I huddle under my blankets, trying to keep warm as the rain/wet snow falls from the sky, please know that wherever you are--whether you are my new friend in China, an old friend in New York, or a member of my wonderful, beautiful, crazy family--I am thinking of you and counting you as one of my gifts this Christmas.

The Christmas season has just begun for me over here in Hangzhou and I couldn't be happier (though a cup of hot cocoa and a bagel would make it perfect... oh, and an electric blanket)!!

Until Next Time,

Amanda

Zombie Weather

I think that people have a very specific view of Asian countries (and especially over crowded ones like Japan and China)--busy, crazy, no space, and dirty. Before coming over here, one of the things I always thought of--the vision I had in my mind--when thinking of people from Asia is their over use of face masks. At anime conventions, they are a fashion statement. In Oswego, it is because you are sick and you don't want to get your roommate or classmates sick. But the real reason why you see photos of Chinese men and women with half their faces covered is because of pollution. [I'm still not fully convinced the mask really does anything except make everyone look like crazed murderers.]

With the weather changing and the coal factories in China starting up, it's no surprise that the air quality has dropped (pretty obviously). I will admit--I have never seen weather like this. I was raised and lived in a small town and I went to school in an even smaller town. I've never been a big city girl and I have only ever heard tales of the smoggy haze that hangs low over big cities like Beijing and Los Angeles.

This is your average sunset and pollution combination in Hangzhou:

Now of course, Hangzhou is nothing like Shanghai or Beijing where the air quality is awful almost all the time (except the few days that I went to visit last year, apparently), but lately Hangzhou began to match the hazy smog of the other bigger cities in China.

I started to notice a big change on Friday (12/6) when I tried to look out at the sunset. Usually, I have a pretty spectacular view of the sun as it sets behind the buildings in the distance since my window faces west. The smog was pretty thick--making it difficult to see the sun and the ground below.

This was maybe 4 o'clock in the afternoon...

Usually when the weather gets like this, we say that we just need a nice rainy day (or rather snow, since Christmas is less than three weeks away now). But after a fun filled night with the gents of Cangqian (I have gotten into the habit of calling us The Big Four in my mind), the weather was still no better. Walking through the town to the campus, it was difficult to see our apartment building in the distance (a problem that I don't think we have ever had).

I suppose it can only get worse before it gets better...

This morning, I felt as though I was looking out at a white out blizzard (for a moment, I even got excited).

It was like a horror movie (you know that awesome one--"The Mist")!! You could not see anything around you... It was a bit suffocating if I let myself think about it.

As the smog has gotten thicker and thicker and the weather worse and worse, Adam has begun to call it "Zombie Weather" and my love for the undead ghouls makes me love the name so I stole it for this blog title. You know when you are walking through the mist/fog/smog/pollution and you can't see anything around you (seriously, you can't) and all of a sudden something appears in front of you (be it boyfriend or ghoul hungry for my brains). I only wished I had had my rifle or Molotov cocktails to protect me against any zombies I came into contact with trying to find the bus stop!

 

There are different levels of air quality (or air pollution if you live in China)... I admit, this is something that I never worried about or even really knew anything about. Different countries have different standards of what is good or dangerous and, of course, China's view is very different from America. I read that in Shanghai, the Air Pollution Index was about 475 (out of 500) this last week. I think Los Angeles is the most polluted/smoggy city in the US (correct me if I am wrong--again, I've never put much thought behind air quality/pollution indexes). I've been told that L.A. schools will close if the pollution levels reach (I think) 100-150. A decent, so-so day in China is probably around 200... and these last few days have been well into the 400s... and life has continued on as though nothing is different (other than the sea of face masks around you).

Thank you Wikipedia

I had been warned that a blue sky is certainly something to behold in China... and I believe it now!! I can only hope that Nepal and Malaysia will offer me some fresh air...

Until Next Time,

Amanda

PS- I finally got to hear Adam play the drums... I think he made the English Association proud.







Thankful in Hangzhou

Having dormed in college, there have been many holidays that I haven't celebrated at home with my family over the years. The two biggest ones in the past were Halloween and even Christmas. Halloween, while it was tragic to not be home for the annual epic Swartz party, it was last year for Christmas, that I started to feel my life shift. I was traveling (in China) for Christmas last year and so I was unable to celebrate the holiday with my family. Luckily, Rachel and Olivia were around to have a tree, exchange gifts, eat dinner, and just celebrate with. This year, the changes are continuing and the list of missed holidays is growing longer with Thanksgiving.

I admit, it did not feel like Thanksgivings past. In some ways, that is sad and disappointing, but in so many ways, it was wonderful.

To me, Thanksgiving is one of the holidays that I love the most--no need to buy presents or impress anyone. You gather together with the people that you love and you reflect on your life and your blessings, acknowledging and appreciating everything that you have in this life. All my life, I have celebrated this day with my family--whether it was the Woomers, spending the morning helping Papa at the Salvation Army and then turkey sandwiches with Gramma Aw or with the Gullos where the Italians take over and cook a huge feast that no one can dream of finishing. No matter what, I have always been with my family. This year was the first year that I did not watch the Thanksgiving Day parade with my parents or brother. For much of the day, it did not feel like Thanksgiving (I worked until almost 5 o'clock) but I have to say--it will certainly be a memorable one and it ended up being great.

In class, I did get a pleasant surprise from one of my favorite students, Gloria. After class on Thursday, she came up to me and handed me a postcard. She said that since it was my first Thanksgiving away from home and my family, she wanted to make sure I knew how thankful she was for me. I also got several WeChat messages and texts from various students and friends.

After a day of classes where I briefly taught them about the pilgrims and what we do on Thanksgiving now and a quick Skype call back home (introduced Adam to the little family), Adam, one of the other foreign teachers, Gio, and myself headed downtown for our Thanksgiving dinner.

One of the fun things about living in China with other foreigners is that when we see each other (especially for holidays), it really does feel like a small, crazy family. So many of the people that I have met have opened up their arms and their homes to me and welcomed me into their close knit group as one of their own. I love spending time with them and we always manage to have a good time. Another perk to living in China (especially during holidays) is the chance to introduce your culture to the Chinese friends and students in your life. When we walked into the apartment where the festivities were taking place, there were more Chinese friends than foreign friends!

We got to introduce them to different foods (like mashed potatoes, stuffing, molasses cookies, apple pie, and hot apple cider AKA: almost all of my favorite foods). We even managed to have our own version of a turkey dinner (which technically was just a chicken).

I was able to chat with some of the students who come to studies, I met some new Chinese friends as well as other foreigners living in Hangzhou, and spend some time with the people who have come to be a part of my life here in China. We laughed, we talked about our Spring Festival plans, learned some Chinese, ate our fill in carbs, chicken, and cider (seriously, there is almost NOTHING I love more in the world than that), and actually spent a classic Thanksgiving evening together with friends and a makeshift family. I even got to try apple pie for the first time (at Adam's demand request)!

Adam and my departure coincided perfectly with the start of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC (yay technology!) so we even got to watch that. It felt a little strange--like Thanksgiving was backwards or something; but it was wonderful--I got to talk to my family (and my cat!), I had a delicious dinner surrounded by people that I care about, and I even got to watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Even though it is a few days late, I know it is customary to think of the different things that you are thankful for on Thanksgiving (and around this time of year in general).

1. My family. Duh. I know that we are closer than most families out there and, if I am honest with my self, I love that. Whether it is my brother, my cousins, or my parents, I know that I can email them, call or text them and it will be as though we are sitting next to each other and not separated by thousands of miles, an ocean, and on completely different continents. They supported me in this crazy decision to come to China. They were sad to see me go but they knew that this was what I wanted and what would make me happy and, because of that, they were happy too. My mom, my dad, my brother, Jed, Aunt Sue, Uncle Tony, Phil (and Chanel), Ca, and Ash--you all mean the world to me... I miss you bunches and cannot wait until we can celebrate together again. Oh yeah... Squijum too. {For those of you who have never had the pleasure of meeting her, Squijum is my cat}

2. My friends. It is thanks to you guys that I have not lost my mind with homesickness just yet. Seeing you on Facebook or Instagram or in emails is so wonderful (again, thanks technology). With each and every one of you, it is not "out of sight, out of mind." I still feel a part of everything with you--whether it is Hart Hall and Oswego or Ghostlight shows, or just simply goings on in Buffalo or Oswego... I love it! Life is crazy for all of us but it is still so great to know that no matter how long time goes by or the amount of distance, some things never change. The biggest shout out to Rachel Jewell who has been my support system prior to coming over here and ever since I arrived. Answering questions, offering advice, you have done so much to help me and I count you among my dearest friends. And of course, the new friends that I have made over in China--"Kids with Sass" and our little Cangqian gang. I am so happy to have you guys as a part of my China adventure!

3. China. This place has changed my life so much and I am forever grateful for it. Just a few days ago, marked my three month point of living in China; I almost never thought that day would come--it just seemed so far away! But here I am now, almost on my last week of teaching, planning for Spring Festival, and already looking to the next semester and the next year. There are times when I want to scream at the unnecessary use of car horns or the spitting or the meandering. There are days when I don't want to even look at chop sticks and eat nothing but pizza or burgers. There are days that I enjoy lying in my bed, reading or writing and forgetting that I am in a completely foreign country... But then I stop and think to myself, I am in China. Living the adventure of a lifetime at the age of 23 with people who I can firmly call my friends and a man that I have come to care so much for...

Which brings me to:

4. Adam. I am not going to get all mushy and gush about him (we try and act like mature adults on occasion when it tickles our fancy) but I am so so SO happy that I have him in my life. It's a story that I already love telling--technically we met last year when I visited Hangzhou in December. We didn't think anything about that meeting until we were both moving into our new apartments where we saw each other and realized that we had met before. From there, the rest is history (as some would say). I feel so cherished, taken care of, and happy when I am with him. He makes me think about things, gets me talking, and has pulled me outside of my comfort zone. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I would find someone to be with in China... It's the unexpected moments like that that make life worthwhile. A serendipitous meeting that I am so thankful for... When I am with him, I count myself among the blessed.

And that's all the lovey-dovey mush you will be getting out of me!!

Thanksgiving is over and Christmas is fast approaching (which reminds me, I need to get Christmas shopping)! I have yet to buy myself a tree but hopefully that will be fixed this weekend.

This is the time of year to reflect on the past few months and look at where you are in life... From where I stand right now, I am pretty content.

Until Next Time,
Amanda

3 WEEKS 'TIL CHRISTMAS!!