Magores gives a Sheng Dan follow up....

It's still Christmas here in Beijing. Only for another 62 minutes or so though.

I thought I would do a quick follow up on how Xmas has gone...

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The pageant/party/presentation thing went pretty well. I didn't embarass myself anymore than I do an a normal basis. I said my lines in Chinese well enough to be understood. My kids did their part really well. I thought they did a great job considering only 2 practice sessions of 15 minutes each.

Of course, not everything went perfect. I wanted to shoot the A/V guy. In rehersal, he assured us he knew the cue, and where to start the music. When the time came...? Yep, he screwed it up. It confused my kids, but it meant I got to do a quick improv... I sang the first section of Jingle Bells solo... "Dashing thru the snow..."

I think I actually made a decent impression on people that I hadn't meant before, and some I see everyday. I did the "suit and tie and shiny black shoes" thing. I clean up well, if I do say so myself.

There were many more people than I expected. Over 300 parents/grandparents/aunts/uncles, etc. And, about 150 rugrats. One thing that I liked, and that I think the parents noticed, is that the kids know me. Everywhere I turned, I heard, "Lao Shi Michael!" That's me. "Lao Shi" is "Teacher". (It's pronounced - Lao Sure - more or less.) I'm "Michael" in China, not "Mike". (Chinese doesn't have a sound that ends in a "k" sound, so Mike is a little harder than the "l" sound in Michael.)

More cool stuff... A few more Christmas cards from the kids. Now, I admit to being a cynic, and an occasional Scrooge, perhaps even a Grinch at times. But its hard to frown when you get a card from a 5 year old that says you are her Best Friend. I'm telling you, even the coldest heart melts at times like that. Moments like that rival the moments when the child "gets it".

"Gets it"?

Example, Heather is one of my kids. (That's her English name.) First day of class, you couldn't hear a word she said (in Chinese or English). In todays thing? She clearly and confidently said her lines in well pronounced English. She "gets it". David? He's a beast. He is the kid that is always acting out. I'm constantly having to grab him, and sit him down. Today? Awesome! All of them. Great job! I'm PROUD of all my kids.

Potential coolness... Two days a week, I travel to a public kindergarten in a different (bu tong de = different) district of Beijing. (I live in ChaoYang, and my school is also in ChaoYang. The other district is "FengTai") I teach 6 classes a day there. Thats 12 different groups of kids each week. I have a great assistant there. Ellie is a native Chinese speaker, she speaks English well, and she is a good teacher. Today, after all the festivities were over, and we were cleaning up, she asked me if I knew the principal/director of the FengTai Kindergarten. Since she was the once who introduced us, what could I say but... "Yes. We've met a few times." Apparently, the principal wants to "get to know" me.

"Ummmm...." I say... "I would like that very much." Being the dense fool that I am, I'm not sure what I may have just got myself into. As we talked, Ellie asked me about my work situation... Am I a part time teacher for the main school? (Full-time) What do I do when I'm not at FengTai? (Other classes, lesson plans) She also asked if I have any kids of my own. (Never married, no girlfriend, THESE are my kids.)

Not sure what her main question was. I've been wrong before. So, I'm not going to worry one way or the other right now.

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Oh... And I learned (actually LEARNED) some Chinese during Christmas dinner. Since THIS was my first Xmas Dinner in China, I think I may have to make it into a new tradition...
-Sweet & Sour Pork (Just like in the US)
-Fish (Very Good, except for the bones. It was better than the attention we gave to it.)
-Roast Duck (I like the duck, not the sauce.)
-Hot Celery (Interesting. Take it or leave it. Seems to be an "in-between" thing.)
-Tofu balls (These were great. Best when hot.)
-Pig instestines (I won't eat this, don't even care how you say it in Chinese, but the garlic cloves marinated in vinegar that it comes with are really good.)
-Eggplant w/ potatoes (I really like this. Especially, when the eggplant is hot.)
-Barbecued Lamb - (I really like this. I could munch on this all day. It's kinda like popcorn chicken from Popeye's, except it not chicken, and it actuallly tastes good.)
-Fried Rice (This comes last, like dessert)

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So... That was my "sheng dan" (Christmas) and my "sheng dan cai" (Christmas Meal).

How was YOUR sheng dan?