Hark the herald angels shout no more days til we get out!

No more days til we're set free from this penetentiary!

Ah an Emma Willard throwback!  I am not in the mood to talk about missing Revels this year but maybe if I saw it I would have an ounce of Christmas spirit.  I went to see the Shanghai Ballet perform The Nutcracker but it was no substitute for Revels.

The weather has put a damper on my Christmas spirit as it was a beautiful 60 degree day today. It is suppose to snow tomorrow; perhaps that will make it feel like Christmas but I think it will make me cold and miserable.

Today Jin Cai (my school) did what it is so famous for, impede on students' learning.  Today was International Day.  My stomach still hasn't recovered from this morning where students and their parents came and "sold" food and items from their home country.  We paid for these delicious items with paper money given to us by the school).  Some of my favorite items included rice noodles and worchester sauce from South Korea (another reason I should not cancel my flight), TACOS from the parents of these four sisters from Mexico, and peanutbutter cookies with hershy kisses on them from the good ol' US of A.  On the program for the day the event was aptly called a "schmorgasboard".

My homeroom! Those wonderful kids I spend time with everyday including THREE periods on wednesdays :( Thats the homeroom teacher with Yukkee (Chinese) and Lucas/Nick (can't tell which one but they're twins from Singapore).  They made kimchi pie (korean)

Apparently chocolate covered bananas are Japanese? Maybe not but this boy enjoyed making them.

Me with Nicole and Jazmine (Phillippines).  They got their hats for winning first place in the international song competition.  I don't teach Nicole or her brother but they got me a scarf!

Cute little korean elementrary schooler

Korean mothers tuning the gym into a kitchen.  The pan on the right is beef and rice noodles and it was delicious!

MEIGUO!  Dunkin donuts, apple pie and magnets with Obama's face on them.

MEXICO!  I got to meet my student Carla's parents.  They have four girls at JCID and they're such a cute family!

My new adorable elementrary school friend.

The afternoon was dedicated to yet another talent show.  Chinese people can't name all events properly in english and they messed up this time by called the talent show a "Chrismas show".  These people don't know a think about Christmas!  Other than some red and green pom poms and a few santa hats, there was nothing Christmas related about the show.  Thankfully, since we had parents in the audiencee, the sluttiness was toned down a lot.  12th grade made another video and won again.  I don't have the new video but you can watch the one from last week here; http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjI4ODc5MTY4.html!  It's really good! 

Oh and what's Christmas without presents!? A religious holiday?  The school gave gifts to all the foreign teachers.  I got a leather jewery box and some others got leather tissue box covers or candles.  Random.  I would prefer a retake of our Thanksgiving festivities instead.  I also received THREE scarved!  One from my real supervisor Julia, one from my co-worker/classmate Jenny, and another from a student I don't even teach!  I also got candy from Elyse and dried purfume from a student who is failing my class :(  I feel quite bad because I didn't get anyone anything! Call me Scrouge. Bah humbugggggg.

China is the scarf capital of the world.  As I was packing for China I debating taking some with me but I knew they are so cheap here!  I now have three purple scarves and one is made out of bamboo!