Christmas China Style

Well it was a very memorable Christmas. I received cookies for one of my students, Tiger, he is very sweet! I also had one of my 4th grade boys make and give me a stocking so now I have my own stocking for next year and its from one of my kiddos!! I got lots of Christmas hugs and "Merry Christmas Becky" honestly I have so many 'mom' moments. We practiced for the play (which is now the New Years play) and I got stage fright and completely bombed with my Chinese. I felt so bad that I couldn't remember anything and when I walked into my last class today my kids came up in a big group to tell me 'Becky your Chinese was sooooo good!' and then I got so many hugs. These kids lift my spirits so many times, its pretty easy to fall in love with them. Here in China if you simply try to speak they think you are very smart and brave....I don't really feel like either right now but I am working on memorizing like crazy. In fact this post is a short break between memorizing.

Since it is Christmas it wouldn't be right to not have a great dinner so Inga took Amber, Lulu, Jon, and I out for Christmas dinner at a really good restaurant. I have never been there before so it was a new experience. I had Udon noodles with seafood (that has fish, octopus, and shrimp with the eyes and all) I overcame my fear and tried the octopus suction cups and all. It's rubbery like squid but more so kind of like eating fishy rubber. Yes I liked it but I have always like the weird stuff...except for eel I can't stand the after taste. If you have told me a year ago what I would be doing for Christmas I would have given you a blank stare. All in all it was a pretty good day different and not like any Christmas I have ever had but it was very memorable and what better way to spend the day then loving a bunch of awesome Chinese kiddos. There is a shirt back in the States that says: 'Have you hugged an Asian today?' well that is my life on an everyday basis and I love it. On to New Years 2013 it's going to be a new adventure!

ps I will post pictures when I get my computer back aka a new power cord